Halloween baking that’s festive and approachable? Yes, please! This recipe has no specialty ingredients, just your standard pantry staples (plus some optional decorating ingredients like sprinkles or edible eyeballs). The result is a chewy, crackled cookie that’s got some brownie-ish vibes, with hints of pumpkin spice flavor intertwined with the cocoa in each bite.
Depending on what you use to decorate, they kind of give me Hocus Pocus “booooook” vibes – you too?!
Ingredients & Substitutions
You’ll find the full recipe ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some selected helpful notes and substitutions:
- Pumpkin puree – You’ll want to use plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. The latter has additional sweeteners and spices, which will throw off the proportions in the recipe. This recipe only uses a third of a cup, but there are plenty of other delicious pumpkin recipes on my site to help you use up the rest of that can!
- Vegetable oil – Vegetable oil is neutral in flavor, inexpensive, and most folks have it on hand! It gives these a chewy and rich flavor. If you prefer not using vegetable oil, feel free to use avocado oil instead.
- Pumpkin pie spice – I love the subtle hint of pumpkin spice combined with chocolate. If you don’t have pumpkin spice on hand, just substitute that half teaspoon of pumpkin spice with ¼ tsp cinnamon and either ¼ tsp ginger or nutmeg.
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may come up as you’re preparing this recipe:
The flavor profile is mostly chocolate, with more subtle pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavor notes. It’s definitely there though.
Nope! These bake up just fine without chilling and really don’t spread much.
Yes. Replace the egg yolk with a flax egg, made by combining 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp hot water. Let that sit for about 5 minutes to become gelatinous, then use place of the egg yolk. The cookie will be slightly less rich but still great.
Store in an airtight container or ziptop bag at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to 3 months, then defrost at room temperature when ready to enjoy.
Allergens in this Recipe
Disclaimer: Always double check ingredients and labels yourself prior to making a recipe. While I try to check all ingredients for allergens, there’s always the chance I may miss something, or manufacturer formulations can change.
As written, this recipe is dairy free and nut free.
This recipe does contain wheat/gluten (in the flour) and eggs (in the egg yolk). I have not tested substitutions for the flour, but I imagine a gluten-free all-purpose substitute could work. If you need an egg-free version, using a flax egg in place of the yolk should work.
This recipe also contains soy in the form of vegetable oil, and potentially in the sprinkles or edible eyeballs. (While soy oil isn’t required to be listed as an allergen, I note it because many people with soy allergies wish to also avoid soy oil.) To make this soy free, use avocado oil or another neutral oil in place of the vegetable oil, and be sure to use decorating products that are soy-free (I was happy to see that some of Walmart’s Halloween sprinkles this year were soy free!).
More Halloween Treats
If you’re looking for more fun Halloween treats for you and the family, be sure to give one of these a try:
- Mummy hot dogs
- Olive oil “witch finger” cookies
- Halloween cookie cake
- Monster muffins
- Halloween snack board
I hope you enjoy this dairy free Halloween cookie recipe! If you get a chance to try it, please leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Halloween Chocolate Pumpkin Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (or avocado oil)
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (for rolling)
Optional for decorating:
- Sprinkles, edible eyeballs, etc.
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, pumpkin, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
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In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and salt. Stir until combined.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
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Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop (or a heaping tablespoon), portion out the dough and roll into the powdered sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Add any optional decorations, like edible eyeballs or sprinkles.
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Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, until tops are cracked and edges are set. Let cool on the pan. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition analysis (approximate per cookie): 105 calories, 4 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 50 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 10.5 g sugar, 1.5 g protein, Vitamin D: 0%, Calcium: 1%, Iron: 4%, Potassium: 1%
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