Your search for perfect vegan pumpkin spice chocolate chunk cookies ends here! These pumpkin chocolate chunk cookies are crisp on the edges, and ooey-gooey chewy in the middle. Plus, they’re packed with both pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice for all the fall flavor, and loaded with dark chocolate and walnuts.
And while most pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are puffy and almost scone-like in texture, these cookies are still perfectly crisp and chewy!
Sidenote, I did want to mention that this recipe is super straightforward, as long as you use metric measurements (it’s the only way to accurately bake). So please pull out your digital scale and use it!!
Ingredients You’ll Need For These Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Everything you’ll need for these easy pumpkin spice chocolate chunk cookies!
- Spelt flour: You’ve heard me go on and on about their flour before, but One Degree Organics Sprouted Spelt Flour is truly the best (no this isn’t an ad, I simply love their flour). Their flour uses sprouted spelt, which means the nutrients are more bioavailable and it’s easier on your digestion. However, feel free to use AP flour if you prefer.
- Unsalted butter or vegan unsalted vegan butter: Unsalted butter gives you more control over the amount of salt in your cookies. If you’re using vegan butter, Miyoko’s is my go-to vegan butter.
- Coconut sugar
- Canned pumpkin puree: Highly recommend Farmer’s Market Foods canned pumpkin puree!
- Dark chocolate bar: I love Hu Chocolate a lot, but other wonderful brands are Blue Stripes Cacao and Evolved Chocolate (both brands use coconut sugar as a sweetener). Whatever chocolate bar you use, just be sure it’s between 70%-80% cacao.
- Walnuts
- Vanilla bean paste: Feel free to swap in vanilla extract – note that vanilla bean paste carries a lot more punch and flavor.
- Pumpkin spice: I highly recommend making homemade pumpkin spice: it’s fresher, more aromatic, and better than anything at the store. Simply combine 3 tbsp ceylon cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp allspice, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Kosher salt, plus flaky salt for presentation
Important Notes
Just a couple notes before you dive into this pumpkin spice chocolate chunk cookie recipe!
- Measure the ingredients carefully. I highly recommend using gram measurements for best results, because something as little as improperly measuring the flour can skew this recipe.
- Don’t overmix the dough. The more you mix the dough, the more gluten will develop, making your cookie gummy, tough and dry. My little trick to avoid over-mixing cookie dough is to actually add the mix-ins (chocolate and walnuts) at the same time as the flour.
- When in doubt, underbake. Nothing is worse than a dry cookie that’s burnt on the bottom. I like baking these cookies for 12 minutes at 350°F, but if they already look done at the 11-minute mark, take the cookies out. Keep in mind that the cookies will continue to cook and crisp up as they cool!
- Bang the cookies on the counter 3-4x. When the cookies are done baking, I like to bang the baking sheet on the counter 3-4 times (this gives the cookies that signature tortoiseshell look and crackle). Don’t slam the cookies on the counter, just a firm but controlled bang!
- If you’re looking for an extra crispy and thin pumpkin cookie, bang the cookies on the counter halfway through as well. This will encourage the cookies to spread even more as they bake, yielding a thinner, crispier cookie!
Can’t wait for you to make these pumpkin cookies – don’t forget to leave a rating and review below. And if you’re looking for a smaller batch version of this recipe, check out my single-serve pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe.
If you have any questions, leave a comment below or send me a DM on Instagram. Happy pumpkin season my friends!
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Vegan Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 8 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Description
These pumpkin spice chocolate chunk cookies are packed with both pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice for all the fall flavor, and loaded with dark chocolate and walnuts. Plus, they’re perfectly crisp on the edges, and chewy gooey in the center!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100 g) melted butter or melted vegan butter
- 1 cup (150 g) coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp (60 g) pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice*
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups (185 g) spelt flour (sub with all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 cup (70 g) chopped dark chocolate
- 1/2 cup (50 g) chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large and small baking sheet with parchment paper. The small baking sheet will be for freezing the cookie dough, so make sure it fits in your freezer.
- Prep the mix-ins. Chop the dark chocolate and walnuts, and set aside.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together. Add the melted butter and coconut sugar into a large mixing bowl. Whisk together. It’ll look clumpy, that’s totally normal. Next, add the pumpkin puree, vanilla paste, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Whisk well until it forms a creamy and smooth syrup. You’ll see it transform before your eyes!
- Fold the dough together. Dump the spelt flour and mix-ins into the batter and fold together until there are streaks of flour remaining. I like to add the mix-ins along with the flour to avoid over-mixing the dough.
- Scoop and freeze the cookies. Scoop the cookie dough using a 3 tbsp scoop, place on the small prepared baking sheet (you’ll have ~8 cookies), and then freeze the scooped dough for 15 minutes. There’s no need to cover the dough, as it’s not sitting too long in the freezer.
- Bake the cookies. Once the cookies are done chilling, place the cookies evenly spaced apart on the cookie sheet (recommend 4-6 cookies to a large baking sheet so they have room to spread). Bake the cookies in the oven for 11-12 minutes or until the edges are golden-brown and the middle is still gooey. Remove from the oven and bang the pan on the counter 3-4 times; this will give you that signature tortoiseshell cookie look. Let cool for 10 minutes and sprinkle with flaky salt for presentation.
Notes
*I highly recommend making homemade pumpkin spice: it’s fresher, more aromatic, and better than anything at the store. Simply combine 3 tbsp ceylon cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp allspice, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
If you’re looking for an extra crispy and thin pumpkin cookie, bang the cookies on the counter halfway through as well. This will encourage the cookies to spread even more as they bake, yielding a thinner, crispier cookie!
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