Vegan Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

These vegan pumpkin snickerdoodles are soft, chewy, and full of real pumpkin and cozy fall spices. An easy plant-based holiday dessert!

A couple months ago, I posted this vegan snickerdoodles recipe. It’s still a big favorite around here — crispy on the outside yet soft and chewy on the inside, indulgent but not overly sweet, and so easy to make! As soon as October hit I went into full pumpkin-everything-mode and started brainstorming all the different pumpkin goodies I could make. And first on the list was this pumpkin version of my favorite vegan snickerdoodles, rolled in a pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon/sugar coating. I will definitely be making these multiple times this holiday season. Bring on all the pumpkin!

Ingredients

These vegan pumpkin snickerdoodles require just 8 basic ingredients:

• gluten-free all purpose flour
• organic granulated sugar
• pumpkin puree
• refined coconut oil or vegan butter
• cream of tartar
• baking soda
• vanilla extract
• pumpkin pie spice and/or cinnamon

You may also need a splash of plant milk if your dough is too dry.

How to Make

These vegan pumpkin snickerdoodles are so easy to make and can be thrown together in just 10 minutes! All you have to do is:

1. Cream together the butter/coconut oil and sugar.
   
2. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla and mix gently till combined.
   
3. Add in the dry ingredients (except cinnamon sugar mixture) and mix well (you can mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl first to ensure even blending, but I usually just add them directly into the wet mixture so I don’t have an extra bowl to wash). Add 1/2 – 1 tsp of plant milk if the dough looks too dry.
   
4. Roll dough into balls, coat in cinnamon sugar, and place on a lined baking sheet (I like to use this silicone mat*). Slightly flatten into discs (smooth out any cracks if you want perfectly round cookies), then bake at 375°F for 10 minutes.
   
5. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking tray, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Snickerdoodle Tips & Tricks

• Opt for cookie sheets that are light in color ⟶ These absorb less heat than dark cookie sheets, which get hot very quickly and may burn the bottom of the cookies. If using a dark cookie sheet, reduce temp to 350°F.
• Line your baking sheet ⟶ Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat*.
• Slightly flatten the cookies before baking ⟶ Because I cut back on the sugar and fat in this recipe, they don’t spread the same way most oil/butter-based cookies do.
• Cool completely ⟶ The cookies should still feel soft on top (but should be more firm around the edges) when you take them out of the oven, but they will firm up as they cool.
• Use softened vegan butter/coconut oil ⟶ Make sure your butter/coconut oil is solid but soft enough to cream. If using vegan butter, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes until soft enough to cream. Coconut oil stored at room temperature (about 72-75°F) will work best, but if your coconut oil is liquid then place in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up. Or if your coconut oil is too solid then you can briefly warm it in the microwave (but don’t melt it!).
• Bring all ingredients to room temperature ⟶ If you add an ingredient (especially pumpkin or plant milk) straight from the fridge, it can freeze the butter/coconut oil and your dough will not form properly.

Substitutions

I haven’t personally tested all of these substitutions so I can’t vouch for them, these are just recommendations that I think, based on past experience, will work; and some substitutions I suggest you avoid:

• Refined Coconut Oil ⟶ Unrefined coconut oil will function the same in the recipe, but it may leave a slight coconut flavor to the cookies. I do not recommend using any other vegetable oils, as they are liquid at room temperature and will make the cookies very soft.
• Granulated Sugar ⟶ I do not recommend subbing coconut sugar or any liquid sweetener. Coconut sugar makes the cookies dense and liquid sweetener will ruin the texture. Smaller granulated sugar crystals will produce the best tender crumb.
• Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour ⟶ If not gluten-free, you can sub with regular all purpose flour.
• Cream of Tartar ⟶ This is what gives snickerdoodles their distinct tangy flavor, differentiating them from regular sugar cookies. However, if you can’t find cream of tartar, replace the baking soda and cream of tartar with 3/4 tsp baking powder.
• Pumpkin ⟶ Obviously these would not be pumpkin snickerdoodles without the pumpkin, so if you don’t have pumpkin, just make regular snickerdoodles instead.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice ⟶ You can replace with more cinnamon, or make your own. I make a small batch of pumpkin pie spice by combining 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ginger, and 1/4 tsp cloves. Feel free to adjust the ratio of spices to your tastes.
  

Equipment

• Baking Sheet* ⟶ Obviously, for baking the cookies on.
• Silicone Baking Mat* ⟶ This is optional, as I have baked cookies straight on my baking sheet with great results. But if you find your cookies to stick or spread too much, a silicone baking mat may help.
• Cooling Rack* ⟶ This is essential for cooling the cookies evenly.
• Other than that, all you really need are a bowl and a wooden spoon. It’s that simple!

More Plant-Based Cookies to Try!

• Classic Snickerdoodles
• Easy Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles (GF)
• Sugar Cookie Bars
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF)
• Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (GF)
• Matcha Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF)
• Flourless Brownie Cookies (GF)
• Grain-Free Matcha Sugar Cookies (GF)

If you try out these vegan pumpkin snickerdoodles, don’t forget to tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking and/or leave a comment down below and let me know how you liked them! I love seeing your tasty recreations 🙂 Happy baking!

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