Pumpkin Pie Cookie Cups

When you want pumpkin pie but the simplicity of making cookies you combine them into one fabulous dessert recipe! These Pumpkin Pie Cookie Cups are made with a gluten-free, vegan cookie cup crust, then filled with vegan pumpkin pie filling, baked, chilled and topped with dairy-free whipped cream!

Sponsored by Calphalon

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Calphalon. The opinions and text are all mine. The product(s) used in this recipe was sent to me as a gift, thank you so much!

Nothing beats a pumpkin pie around the holidays. Well, except for maybe these Pumpkin Pie Cookie Cups! Look, I’m all about traditional- well kind of… I mean, gluten-free vegan baking isn’t necessarily “traditional”, but you get what I mean. But also, time is money, especially around the holidays. I’ve teamed up with Calphalon to bring you a time saving holiday dessert that gives traditional pumpkin pie some keen competition.

The Cookie Cups

Let’s start with the cookie cups. These are so easy and delicious and are made gluten-free and vegan. You’ll start by blending your favorite granola with oat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until you achieve a fine, graham cracker crumb-like texture. I used Purely Elizabeth Original Granola and the Calphalon ActiveSense™ Blender to grind it. The blender did a fantastic job!

Place the crumb mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the almond butter or sunflower seed butter for nut-free (or other nut/seed butter of choice), maple syrup, and vanilla until you have a cookie dough-like batter.

Note: If you use sunflower seed butter the cups will turn slightly green as they cool. This is a phenomenon that happens when chlorophyll is released during the baking process and then cooled.

Since we are using the Calphalon 12-cup Muffin Pan, there is no need to grease it. Their Nonstick Bakeware pans have interlocking nonstick layers to deliver perfect release for beautiful results and easy cleanup. Gently press the cookie dough into the muffin tin cups equally, using 3 tablespoons per cup, making a well in the middle of each with your fingers. Set the muffin pan aside and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

The Filling

Next, make the pumpkin pie filling. Again using the Calphalon ActiveSense™ Blender, blend the pure pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie mix), full fat coconut milk (the solid part only!), pure vanilla extract, coconut sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt together until smooth.

Spoon the filling into the cups all the way up to the top and bake in the oven for 20-23 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool to room temperature and then place the muffin pan in the fridge to set up.

Chill these cups for at least 2 hours to overnight. When you’re ready to serve, gently remove each cookie cup from muffin pan using a butter knife to loosen them.

Top with dairy-free whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon (if desired).

If you happen to have the extra time and motivation and want to up the fall vibes even more, decorate these cookie cups with cookie leaves, pumpkins, acorns, etc. (as shown). Do this by doubling the batch of cookie cup crust dough (or make two separate batches), roll out between two pieces of parchment paper and use cookie cutters to create the shapes you’d like. It helps to chill the dough before cutting.

Then bake like cookies on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. You can make these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge for when you’re ready to use them. Allow them to cool completely before removing from the baking sheet, they will crisp up as they cool.

The Kitchen Tools

The two things you’ll need to make these Pumpkin Pie Cookie Cups is the Calphalon 12-cup Muffin Pan and the Calphalon ActiveSense™ Blender. The Calphalon bakeware is my favorite bakeware because it features a heavy-gauge steel core that won’t warp and heats evenly without hot spots so your baked goods come out of the oven perfectly and evenly browned. The interior of the baking pans has interlocking nonstick layers that are designed to deliver long-lasting, high-performance release and these pieces are dishwasher safe!

Their blender is amazing for many different culinary creations, but particularly for these Pumpkin Pie Cookie Cups- it has a pulse function on low, medium, or high speed to deliver the perfect cookie crust consistency. 

If you like Pecan Pie, there’s a delicious Pecan Pie Cookie Cups recipe in my baking cook book The Beginner’s Guide to Gluten-Free Vegan Baking that are very similar 😉 Be sure to check out my VEGAN S’MORES COOKIE CUPS too!

I’d love to hear what you think of this pumpkin pie dessert! Leave a comment below in the comments section, as well as giving it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating so that others can discover this holiday pumpkin dessert recipe! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!