Unbelievable Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Cookies

Fall is the time for pumpkin spice everything. Although I’m not a PSL girl, I do love pumpkin in baked goods. Warm spices and fall vibes fill the air as the scent of these freshly baked pumpkin pecan cookies flows through the house.

These vegan pumpkin pecan cookies are soft, chewy, and perfectly spiced. They are mildly sweetened and pair perfectly with coffee, chai tea, or even ice cream. They’re so delicious, you won’t even believe they’re vegan! This fall cookie recipe is sure to please anyone who tries them, vegan or not. My fiancé devours these as if he’s never had a cookie before. They are just that good. Pumpkin spice and everything nice, without the eggs and butter!

There are a few things to note when making these cookies. These extra steps are important to getting the right texture for this vegan batter. Trust me when I say that these small details are what makes the vegan-ness of these cookies undetectable. (Vegan-ness is a word, right?)

• The coconut oil needs to be firmed up after it’s measured. Place it in the freezer while you get the rest of your items prepped. When it’s ready, you should be able to turn the cup over without it falling out. This will help us achieve the consistency of butter once we add it to the mixer.
• The dry ingredients should be sifted. This will create a smooth texture in the final cookie.
• Refrigerating the dough is the most important step. Right after mixing, the batter is soft and does not hold up as well as it does after refrigeration. Putting a cold, firm batter into the oven creates the thick, chewy cookie that will have everyone coming back for more. Without refrigerating the batter, the cookies would spread and the finished product would be thin.
• When the cookies first come out of the oven, they are airy and will have risen a bit. Deflate the tops with a spatula to make them chewy instead of cakey.
• Scuff the tops of the cookies to make them look more homemade. Okay, this isn’t really necessary, but it makes them look nicer. Place them back in the oven for a few minutes to set.
• The cookies will be soft when they are removed from the oven. They may even look wet in the spots where you scuffed them up. Resist the urge to put them back into the oven. They will firm up and set once they are completely cooled.

Try out this recipe and add some pumpkin spice to your life! Where does your love for pumpkin spice fall on a scale from 1 to 10?

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Pumpkin Pecan Cookies

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut oil
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp pumpkin spice
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup canned pumpkin
• ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Measure out coconut oil and put in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, until firm.
2. In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, salt) and set aside.
3. Add firmed coconut oil to a separate mixing bowl and using a stand or hand mixer, mix until creamy (consistency of softened butter).
4. Add sugar to coconut oil and mix until combined.
5. Add wet ingredients (canned pumpkin, applesauce, vanilla extract) to the mixing bowl with the coconut oil and sugar and mix thoroughly.
6. Incorporate dry ingredients, a little at a time, until combined.
7. Stir in pecans using a spoon, or your mixer’s lowest setting.
8. Cover and refrigerate dough for one hour.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
10. Use a large spoon or 3 tbsp cookie scoop to form cookies. Bake for 15 minutes.
11. While cookies are still warm, use a spatula to deflate and add texture to the tops of the cookies. Return to the oven for an additional 3 minutes.
12. Cool cookies on a wire cooling rack and ENJOY! – Cookies will be soft and may appear “wet” in some spots before cooling.