Soft and fudgy cookies with a hint of pumpkin pie spice, these Spiced Chocolate Cut Out Cookies are a fun treat perfect for the fall season!
These cookies look like a run of the mill chocolate cookie, but they have a secret. Pumpkin pie spice adds an unexpected pop of flavor that makes these cookies so, so good. And this dough is perfect for rolling out and using your favorite cookie cutters. It's spooky season so we used our favorite Halloween themed cutters, but these cookies aren't just for Halloween. Change up the cookie cutters to suit Thanksgiving, Christmas or any occasion.
If you're not a chocolate fan, but like pumpkin spice check out my Frosted Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies.
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Ingredients
We really try to make every recipe on this site with simple, accessible ingredients and these cookies are no different. They are made with common pantry ingredients you may already have on hand.
- all purpose flour
- cocoa powder
- salt
- baking powder
- pumpkin pie spice or cayenne
- non dairy butter
- sugar
- flax egg
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Flour - instead of all purpose flour, you can use spelt or white whole white
- Gluten Free - use a 1:1 gluten free flour to make these cookies gluten free
- Spicy - use ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon of cayenne to give these cookies a little heat
How to make Spiced Chocolate Cut Out Cookies
These cookies start like many with creaming (non dairy) butter and sugar together before adding dry ingredients to form a dough. The dough does need to chill in the fridge to ensure the cookies do not spread as they bake.
Combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, pie spice and baking powder in a bowl and set aside. In the bowl of stand mixer cream together non dairy butter and sugar. Add flax egg and mix. Add flour mixture a little at a time and mix to form dough.
Cut dough into portions and flatten in to discs. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Once chilled, roll dough out and use desired cutters to make shapes. Transfer shapes to a baking sheet.
Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool briefly on pan before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
After cookies have cooled, decorate as desired. You can use frosting, sprinkles or anything you like!
Top Tip
Don't skip refrigerating the dough! It may be tempting to get right to rolling out and cutting fun shapes, but refrigerating the dough for 1-2 hours will prevent spreading as the cookie bakes.
Equipment
You will need a stand mixer or hand mixer to cream the non dairy butter and sugar together. As well as, common kitchen tools such as mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons and baking sheets and cookie cutters. If you don't have any cutters you can use a glass to cut circles or a knife to cut squares or other designs if you're really crafty.
Storage
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Common Questions
Yes! This is important for a few reasons. Chilling the dough allows the flavors to meld and develop. The flour also absorbs more moisture, enhancing the flavor more. Cold dough also spreads less when baking so your cookies maintain the desired shape.
If you forget to set the butter out you can try the hot glass method. Pour hot water into a heat safe glass and let sit for 1-2 minutes. Then pour the water out and invert the hot glass over the butter for 5-10 minutes. The residual heat will soften the butter.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with these Spiced Chocolate Cut Out Cookies:
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think! Leave a review and rating in the comments below. This helps me continue to provide great recipes for you.
Recipe
Spiced Chocolate Cut Out Cookies
Equipment
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- cookie cutters
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ⅛-1/4 teaspoon cayenne optional
- ½ cup non dairy butter room temperature
- ¾ cup cane sugar
Instructions
- Prepare flax egg-whisk together 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds and 2 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken, about 5 minutes.
- Combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, pie spice and baking powder in a bowl. Whisk thoroughly to incorporate and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer cream together non dairy butter and sugar until fluffy and lightened in color. Add flax egg and mix again to incorporate.
- Add one third of flour mixture to butter and mix to incorporate. Add half of remaining flour and mix again. Finally add the last of the flour and mix to incorporate.
- Transfer dough to a flat surface. Cut dough into two portions and flatten in to discs. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking pans with parchment paper or silicone mats. On a lightly floured surface use a rolling pin to roll dough out to about a ¼ inch thickness. Use desired cutters to make shapes. Transfer shapes to a baking sheet. TIP: We roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to avoid needing additional flour so there is no flour dust on the chocolate cookies.
- Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool briefly on pan before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Decorate cookies using vegan frosting, sprinkles or anything you like. We mix confectioner's sugar with a tiny bit of milk until a pipe able consistency.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!