+SFO
Our soft and pillowy cookies are made with real pumpkin and warm and savory spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. They taste like a bite of autumn, and we make a batch a week from September through November.
You can eat them with or without the sweet glaze—either way, they’re delicious. —LM + AM
MAKES ABOUT 16 COOKIES
COOKIES
2¾ cups (438 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground allspice
⅛ tsp ground black pepper
¾ cup (175 g) vegan butter, at room temperature (use soy-free)
1 cup (146 g) brown sugar
½ cup (97 g) vegan granulated sugar
½ cup (124 g) applesauce plus 1 tsp baking powder, whisked together
2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (182 g) pumpkin purée
2 tbsp (30 ml) almond milk, or more as needed, divided
GLAZE
1 cup (132 g) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Almond milk: add by the teaspoon until you get the consistency that you like
FOR THE COOKIES
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ground black pepper together until well combined and the flour looks fluffy.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until light and creamy. Add the applesauce and baking powder mixture and beat until well combined. Add the vanilla and pumpkin purée and beat until well combined. Add half of the flour mixture and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of almond milk; mix until almost combined. Add the second half of the flour and remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) almond milk, mixing until almost combined. Add 1 or more tablespoons of almond milk if needed. The consistency should be thick enough to spoon onto a cookie sheet.
Note: The consistency of the pumpkin purée will determine how much almond milk you’ll need to add. If it’s a thick and solid purée, you might need to add more milk. If it’s a thin, soupy mixture, you probably won’t need to add more than 2 tablespoons (30 ml).
Finish blending the flour into the mixture with a spoon. Drop the dough by tablespoons (15 g) onto the cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.
FOR THE GLAZE
In a medium bowl, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of almond milk together. Add more almond milk by the teaspoon until you get the consistency that you desire. Some people like a thick and gooey glaze, and others like a thin glaze.
Frost the cookies with the glaze and put the cookies in the refrigerator until the glaze hardens, about 1 hour.
Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Store them in a freezer bag for up to 1 month.