Description
Delight in these soft and spiced Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cookies, featuring a buttery cookie base filled with smooth pumpkin pie filling and topped with vegan whipped cream. Perfectly balanced with pumpkin pie spices, these cookies offer a cozy fall treat that’s entirely plant-based and absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup sugar (for dough)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 flax egg (1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 Tablespoons water)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons sugar (for rolling cookies before baking)
For the Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons oat milk (or any plant-based milk)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
For Serving
- Vegan whipped cream
- Additional pumpkin pie spice for sprinkling
Instructions
- Make the Cookie Dough: In a mixing bowl, cream together room temperature vegan butter, 1/2 cup white sugar, and brown sugar using an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Flax Egg and Vanilla: Mix in the flax egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, blending for about 30 seconds until combined.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Add all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt to the bowl, layering the flour first, then the other ingredients, and mix until a thick dough forms. The dough will start crumbly but keep mixing until it holds together softly.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or up to 24 hours to firm up.
- Prepare Pumpkin Pie Filling: In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, maple syrup, oat milk, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Set aside.
- Preheat Oven and Line Tray: About 10 minutes before dough is ready, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Shape Cookie Dough Balls: Scoop 10-11 uniform balls from dough, roll each between palms to form smooth balls, then coat each ball in the reserved 2 tablespoons sugar.
- Form Indents and Fill: Place balls on baking sheet spaced at least 2 inches apart. Gently press each ball down and create a thumb indent, spreading it out. Spoon approximately 1.5 tablespoons of pumpkin filling into each indent without covering edges.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookie edges turn crisp and filling sets with slight crinkling.
- Cool and Shape: Let cookies cool on baking tray for 5 minutes. If needed, gently reshape edges while warm, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Garnish and Serve: Once cooled, pipe a small amount of vegan whipped cream on each cookie’s center and lightly sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice before serving.
Notes
- Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, to avoid extra sugars and spices in the dough.
- The flax egg binds the dough and adds moisture; do not substitute with regular eggs to keep it vegan.
- Chilling the dough helps maintain the cookie shape and improves texture.
- If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, pure vanilla extract is a fine substitute.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
- For extra flavor, sprinkle a bit of cinnamon sugar on the whipped cream topping before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 170
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 95mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: vegan pumpkin pie cookies, pumpkin spice cookies, plant-based cookies, fall dessert, vegan baking
