Easy Pumpkin Desserts for the Baking-Challenged

It's... 
PUMPKIN SEASON!

Can you guess what I've been doing?

Baking.

(This cookie brownie is not in this post... but isn't she pretty? 😋)

Disclaimer: I am NOT a professional baker.

I am more of a stove-top pro... sometimes a blender pro...

but not a baker.

I simply wanted to test how many baked goods I could make with my favorite egg substitute...

PUMPKIN.

That's right: ¼ cup of pureed pumpkin will substitute for one egg in any baking dish. 

(The perfect vegan Halloween hack!)

That being said, these recipes I'm about to share with you are super easy!

Hey, if I can do it... anyone can.

For all of you out there who can identify with me on the not-quite-a-baker sitch, we're gonna start easy. Don't you worry. And for all you pro bakers... well, maybe you'll get a kick of out this post, at least!

1. Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies.
(Dairy-free, egg-free, vegan.)

Here's why it's easy:
It's a prepackaged mix that you add butter and “egg” to. Betty Crocker, to be more specific.
Here's how I did it and what you'll need.

Ingredients:

• One stick or ½ cup vegan butter
• ¼ cup pureed or canned pumpkin
• Betty Crocker cookie mix (oatmeal chocolate chip)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, stir softened butter with the pumpkin, then add the cookie mix.
3. Drop your dough by large spoonfuls onto two ungreased cookie sheets (six per sheet).
4. Bake for 13 minutes.
5. Let cool for five minutes, and serve.

Click here to print the recipe.

WHEW! That was easy.
Now, let's move on to something a little more advanced.
Don't worry, it's still not that difficult. And it's still cookies. Yum!

2. Bourbon Vanilla Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.
(Oil-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, vegan.)

Wait a minute – wasn't this supposed to be easy? These sound fancy...

Well, they are from scratch – but I promise, it's doable! (And wayyy worth it.)

This is a recipe I borrowed from Natalie - the only difference here is I used cane sugar (in lieu of coconut sugar) and a bourbon vanilla extract from Trader Joe's, because, who doesn't like to sound a little fancier?

This original recipe only calls enough ingredients for one large cookie. Here, I've saved you the trouble and quadrupled the recipe. So you can eat more than one. I mean – share with friends? Sure.

The cookie dough:

• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup gluten-free oat flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp bourbon vanilla extract by Trader Joe's

The topping:

• 4 tsp sugar
• 4 dashes of cinnamon

Quick word for the wise:

You can make oat flour at home by pulsing oats in a blender / food processor for a few minutes.
Look at you! You're so fancy!

Another quick word, for those who aren't in the know:

Not all baking powders or oats are automatically gluten-free. Do a little research beforehand and make sure you take the necessary precautions if you or a friend are gluten-intolerant.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. All the fixin's for the dough can be mixed together in one bowl. Dough will be sticky.
3. Lining a pan with parchment paper, you can press the cookie out into “giant” size. 
   (Natalie recommends about a 4 inch diameter.)
4. Hot tip: if you don't have parchment paper, fear not! You can put a little oil on the cookie sheet to keep it from sticking. (This would just take away the “oil-free” factor.)
5. Mix your cinnamon sugar topping and sprinkle on top, pressing lightly into the cookies.
6. Bake for 12 minutes and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Click here to print this recipe.

It... looks a lot like meatloaf here. But it tastes AMAZING.

I love these because A) they're HUGE cookies! B) they're very sweet, but they're also hearty... and could seriously pass as a breakfast cookie, if you so desire. (We did. We did that. I don't regret it.)

3. Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites.
(Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan.)

Photo by Kyle L.

Okay. Cookies are one thing. But vegan cheesecake bites?!?

Yes.

This recipe was altered from Arman and he boasts that these are paleo, vegan, and an awesome no-bake keto fat bomb. So if that's your jam, here you go!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cream cheese, softened (I used tofutti)
• ¾ cup Wild Friends pumpkin spice peanut butter
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree
• a few dashes of (bourbon) vanilla
• 1 cup RAW sugar

Note: If you're not able to find or use this specific pumpkin spice peanut butter, you can substitute with any nut butter of your choice and just add some pumpkin pie spice. You can also add the spice to your sugar mixture.

Instructions:

1. Place sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients except sugar and mix well. 
   Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes until firmed up.
3. Line a large plate with parchment paper (it's fine if you don't have any, though). Form bite-sized balls, dipping each in the sugar bowl to coat. Place on lined plate. Repeat.
4. Place all balls in the freezer to firm up, I'd recommend at least 30 minutes.

Click here to print this recipe.

See? Was that so hard?!

Well, okay, so I technically only baked TWO items (cookies) and the last was a no-bake cheesecake bite recipe, but... can you blame me? It was too easy.

Now you can try your hand at these pumpkin-tastic desserts at the coven next week! Er, um, when... you... meet at your friends house to watch Hocus Pocus.

Did you try any of these? Let me know in the comments how they turned out! I'd love to hear if you have any tips or tricks... at the very least, you'll have the treats. 🎃

(Get it? See what I did there? Halloween puns, for the win!)

👻 Happy Spooking! 👻