Do you have a friend that shows up at Halloween parties wearing a “This is My Halloween Costume” shirt? Oh, maybe you are that friend. Apologies. It’s okay though, because apparently so am I. This is my Halloween post. Isn’t it terrifying?! My intentions were good. See, originally I thought I’d do this. I’d make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that looked like they were infested with spiders. Very Halloweeny. I ran into some trouble though. I consider myself to be reasonably skilled in the visual arts, but I could not, for the life of me, create a spider. I got a crab, at best. I considered waiting until the sun entered cancer to post these, but really, who wants a pumpkin cookie in July? (Okay. I’d eat a pumpkin cookie in July.) So here they are. Here it is. My Halloween post. Despite their unthreatening appearance, you’re probably going to want to make these cookies. They’ve got a lot going for them. First, pumpkin. I suspect that will be enough for a few of you given the reaction I’ve gotten to my vegan pumpkin pie recipe, but I should also throw in there that pumpkin works extremely well in chocolate chip cookies, and especially so in vegan cookies, since it’s a natural egg substitute. These turned out incredibly moist and fluffy, and I attribute that to pumpkin. Moist and fluffy as they are, you might be surprised that I cut back on the oil, just a little though (I’d normally go for a cup), and I wasn’t trying to healthy them up, it just happened that I didn’t need as much. I attribute that to pumpkin as well. Then, I went and used a different type of oil. I usually use straight up vegan butter in cookies, but I tend to get questions about substitutions from folks who (understandably) aren’t down with palm oil or hydrogenation. I took a shot at coconut oil, and it worked! It better than worked, it made these cookies awesome. These might just be the best batch of chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made, and I know how to make a mighty fine vegan chocolate chip cookie. So whether or not you’re able to get some spidery legs going on, you should make these for Halloween, assuming you don’t fear the prospect of eating a whole batch of cookies at once. To make these scrumptious vegan pumpkin cookies, start by mixing your dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls, combine the two mixtures (don’t overmix!) and fold in your chocolate chips. Chill the dough for 30 minutes. Scoop rounded dollops of the dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Let them cool a bit, and you’re ready for some spooky fun!
Tips for Making Awesome Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Can you skip the step of chilling the dough? Yes, but it helps the cookies to bake up nice and fluffy. If you’re okay with flat-ish cookies, then go for it. Can you chill the dough for longer that 30 minutes? Also yes, but you might need to let it sit out for a few minutes to soften up. You want it to be a bit firmer than when you first mix it up — not rock solid. Enjoy Life is the brand of vegan chocolate chips I normally use, but there are a few others out there. You can usually find them at places like whole foods, and always online. As always, feel free to experiment with different stir-ins. Nuts, seeds, and raisins would all work well. Keep in mind though that these cookies are heavy on the chips, so you might need to cut back on those to get all your goodies in. Why does the recipe call for organic sugar? In the U.S., most granulated sugar is processed using animal bone char, so it’s not considered vegan. Organic sugar is processed differently, so it’s generally vegan.
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