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seven cookies in a stack on two white plates with sugar and milk in background

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles with Chai

Start your seasonal baking off with these delicious vegan snickerdoodles. Made with pumpkin puree and spiced with the flavors of chai, these seasonal cookies are a guaranteed crowdpleaser.
4.5 from 8 votes
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Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 23 minutes
Servings: 18 cookies
Calories: 126kcal
Author: Sarah McMinn

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon black tea, about 2 bags
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice

Wet Ingredients

Cinnamon Sugar

Instructions

  • In a food processor, combine all the dry ingredients and pulse until well blended. Set aside. Note: I recommend using a food processor to help blend up the tea into small granular pieces. However, if you do not have a food processor, finely mince the black tea before whisking together in a large bowl.
  • In a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the non-dairy butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree and beat to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. It will look curdled at this point which is fine. It will come back together when the flour is added.
  • Add the flour mixture in two batches, scraping down the sides in between. Mix until it comes together. Do not over-mix. Once you have a uniform dough, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 375F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Roll dough into balls about 1 tablespoon big, toss in cinnamon sugar. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. They should look slightly underdone but will continue to harden as they cool. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Storing and Freezing – Store the leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. To freeze these cookies, allow the cookies to cool and transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze the cookies for up to three months.
Make in Advance - Freeze leftover cookie dough for up to two months. To do this, roll all the dough into balls. Place them on a baking sheet in the freezer to freeze all the way through. Once frozen, transfer your cookie dough into a large Ziplock bag and return to the freezer. When you’re ready to bake, remove from the freezer, roll in cinnamon sugar, and bake!
Recipe Tips
  1. The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
  2. Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you a gummy and dense cookie.
  3. Don't press these cookies down, they will spread on their own in the oven to create that perfectly crinkled crust and pillowy texture.
  4. Bake the cookies at a higher temperature. This allows extra chewiness on the inside while creating a delicate crispy shell on the outside. I choose to bake mine at 375F which, after a lot of trial and error, seems to give me the best texture inside and out.
  5. Pull cookies out when they are slightly underdone. I found 8-10 minutes to be the perfect baking time. They will continue to harden as they cool, giving you a crispy outside with a deliciously chewy center.
Frequently Asked Questions
  • Why are my cookies so flat? If you over-mixed the dough, the cookies can lose their pillowy texture during the baking process. Be sure not to overmix!
  • Do I need to use black tea? Nope! If you want to enjoy the spices and pumpkin without the tea flavor, feel free to omit it. Or you can reduce the amount of black tea by half to experiment.
 
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 104mg | Potassium: 62mg | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1300IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.5mg