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Easy Copycat Vegan Pillsbury Pumpkin Sugar Cookies Recipe

Easy Copycat Vegan Pillsbury Pumpkin Sugar Cookies Recipe
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★★★★★

5.2 from 9 reviews

These Easy Copycat Vegan Pillsbury Pumpkin Sugar Cookies are soft, beautifully colored, and shaped like festive pumpkins, perfect for fall celebrations. Made with vegan ingredients and natural food colorings, they mimic the iconic Pillsbury pumpkin cookies with a delightful blend of vanilla and pumpkin flavor, wrapped in a tender sugar cookie dough. They’re perfect for vegan diets and ready to impress with their charming appearance and delicious taste.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookie Dough Base

  • 1 cup (226 g) vegan butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups (240 g) organic powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 2 1/2 cups (313 g) all purpose flour*
  • 1–2 tbsp dairy free milk

Coloring

  • 1 pea-sized drop vegan red food coloring*
  • 4–7 drops vegan yellow food coloring, divided*
  • 1–2 drops vegan blue food coloring*

Equipment

  • 1.5″ pumpkin cookie cutter*
  • Large bowl
  • 2 small bowls
  • Whisk or hand mixer
  • Silicone spatula
  • Plastic wrap or parchment paper

Instructions

  1. Prep: Measure out all ingredients except for the food coloring. Read through the instructions fully before starting to ensure a smooth process. If you don’t have a pumpkin cookie cutter, consider forming the shapes freehand or using another suitable cutter.
  2. Make the dough: In a large bowl, use a whisk or hand mixer to cream the vegan butter until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, baking powder, and sea salt; mix until well combined, similar to buttercream frosting. Gradually add flour, then 1 tablespoon of dairy free milk. Fold in the flour with a silicone spatula, adding another tablespoon of dairy free milk only if needed. The dough may require some effort to incorporate fully; this is normal.
  3. Color the dough: Divide the dough into halves, then one half into two quarters. Remove one quarter into a small bowl for the orange dough. Split another quarter into halves again, take one eighth into another small bowl for green dough. The remaining dough in the large bowl will be mostly vanilla.
  4. Prepare green dough: To the eighth dough reserved for green, add 1 drop vegan blue food coloring and 3-4 drops vegan yellow food coloring. Mix thoroughly with gloves or a spoon/spatula until color is even. Adjust as preferred.
  5. Wrap and chill: Form vanilla, orange, and green dough into discs and wrap each separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours to chill and firm up the dough.
  6. Form pumpkin log: Remove dough from fridge. Let vanilla dough rest at room temperature. Shape orange dough into a long, semi-flat log approx 1/2 inch wide and 1 1/4 inch tall, about 10-12 inches long. Smooth with a rolling pin. Shape green dough similarly but shorter height (1/4–1/2 inch). Align the green log along the orange one to create a large two-tone log.
  7. Cut pumpkin cookies: Use the pumpkin cookie cutter to cut shapes along the log, lining the green for the stem and orange for the pumpkin body. Stack cookies carefully. Reform scraps into smaller colored logs to continue cutting. Use scraps as needed to align stems and pumpkin shapes closely. Wrap cookie cut-out log tightly and freeze for 20 minutes.
  8. Roll out vanilla dough: Meanwhile, roll out the vanilla dough between plastic wrap sheets to approx 12″ by 4-5″. Remove top wrap and discard. Slice vanilla dough slightly to help with wrapping later.
  9. Shape full pumpkin log: Place frozen pumpkin cut-out log on the middle of rolled vanilla dough lengthwise. Fold vanilla dough around pumpkin cookies, trimming overlapping edges and rolling them into two long strips. Press the strips around the pumpkins to maintain shape integrity, forming one large cylinder. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  10. Preheat oven and prepare baking sheets: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  11. Slice cookies: Remove chilled log from fridge. Slice the log into 1/4″ to 1/3″ thick cookies with a sharp knife and place them 2 inches apart on lined baking sheets.
  12. Bake: Bake for 12-14 minutes until edges are slightly golden. Remove from oven and cool cookies on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
  13. Enjoy and store: Enjoy your copycat vegan Pillsbury pumpkin sugar cookies! Store leftover dough wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

  • Use vegan butter and dairy free milk to keep cookies vegan.
  • Adjust food coloring drops to achieve desired pumpkin and stem colors.
  • If no pumpkin cookie cutter is available, try free-form shaping or use a similar sized cutter.
  • Dough may be slightly sticky; chilling helps manage it better for rolling and cutting.
  • Cookie dough logs can be frozen before slicing to maintain shape during baking.
  • Ensure to space cookies adequately on baking sheets to prevent sticking during baking.
  • Use food-safe gloves when coloring dough to avoid staining hands.

Nutrition

Keywords: vegan pumpkin sugar cookies, Pillsbury copycat cookies, fall cookies, vegan desserts, pumpkin shaped cookies, holiday cookies, dairy free sugar cookies

Find it online: https://thefoodrecipe.com/easy-copycat-vegan-pillsbury-pumpkin-sugar-cookies-recipe/