Yesterday, the temperature in Houston was below 80 degrees… it finally feels like fall! We just got back from a trip to France and my desire to make pain au chocolat and macarons has now been trumped by my urge to make anything and everything I can with pumpkin. I’ve got dozens of different pumpkin recipes flagged to make this autumn and sadly (knowing that it’s already the middle of October), many of them will have to wait for another year.
After a week of eating fois gras and croissants nonstop, I decided to start with a pumpkin recipe that didn’t require loads of butter or cream. These vegan pumpkin cookies are really good—even to non-vegan butter lovers like my husband and me. They are more cake-like than cookie-like in texture and are filled with quintessential fall spices. I like to keep them on the smaller side because they pack a lot of sweetness and a lot of flavor; plus, the smaller they are, the cuter they are and the more you can eat without gilt.
Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
Inspired by VegWeb
I feel like pumpkin pie spice on its own seems to lack something, so if I use it I always add more cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Also, if you are able to save any of them from being eaten right away, I like to store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Cookies:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar
1-3 tablespoons of water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, and cloves.
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin, canola oil, and vanilla until smooth. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, stirring with a rubber spatula until just combined each time.
Use a small cookie scoop or two spoons to drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets (20 cookies per sheet). Use your fingers to shape and smooth the tops of the cookies (they don’t really spread during baking). Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.
Once cookies are cooled, make the glaze. Stir in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the confectioners sugar until it is thin enough to drizzle but not too watery. Use a spoon to drizzle glaze on the cookies. Let the glaze harden before eating.
Makes 5 1/2 dozen small cookies.
{ 3 trackbacks }