Vegan Pumpkin Cookies

Vegan pumpkin cookies skip the dairy and eggs entirely, leaning on mashed pumpkin to bind the dough and keep the texture pillowy. The result is closer to a soft cake cookie than a chewy drop cookie, which is exactly the appeal: cinnamon-warmed, lightly sweet, studded with raisins and nuts.

Vegetable shortening creams with brown sugar to give you that classic cookie crumb without butter. The pumpkin steps in as both moisture and structure, doing the work an egg would normally do. Don’t be tempted to swap in pumpkin pie filling, you want plain mashed pumpkin or pure canned pumpkin only. Pie filling is pre-sweetened and pre-spiced and will throw the balance off.

A dusting of icing sugar after cooling is optional but a nice touch, adding a little visual lift and a whisper of extra sweetness.

Pro Tips

• Pull the cookies at 8 minutes if your oven runs hot. They look underbaked but firm up as they cool, that’s how you keep the soft cakey texture.
• Sift the dry ingredients properly. Vegan baking has no egg margin for error, so even leavening matters more.
• Toast the nuts in a dry pan for a few minutes before folding in. Untoasted nuts taste flat against the warm spices.
• Store in an airtight container with a slice of bread to keep them soft for days.

Variations

• Swap raisins for chopped dates or dried cranberries for a tarter contrast.
• Add a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice in addition to the cinnamon for a deeper fall flavor.
• Drizzle with a quick maple-icing instead of dusting with icing sugar.