How to make my adorable vegan jack-o’-lantern cookies, with a buttery chocolate cookie, filled with orange caramel, sandwiched to look like light-up pumpkins. Perfect easy bake or spooky season! Vegan, No-Egg, No-Dairy and easy to make
This creamy dessert has been made in collaboration with Vitalite. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. (For more information along with affiliated links, check out my disclosure policy.)
Table of contents
Vegan Jack O’ Lantern Cookies
Fun and spooky jack o’ lantern pumpkin cookies are a must make for the spooky season. These super cute caramel filled sugar cookies are such an adorable Halloween treat. With a rich and buttery chocolate cookie covered in sugar and filled with vegan friendly orange coloured caramel they’d be a really great gift cookie for the cozy season! They are a super fun holiday baking treat for kids too as they’re SUPER easy and fun to make!!!
Looking for more Halloween bakes? Check out my:
- Vegan Oreo Bat Cake
- Viral Vegan Oreo Ghost Truffles
- Vegan Jack O’ Lantern Brownies
- Mini Vegan Ghost Brownie Bites
- No-Bake Vegan Frankenstein Cheesecake Bars
- No-Bake Vegan Spiderweb Tart
Why you’ll love these jack o’ lantern cookies
- Perfect balance of rich chocolate and cozy pumpkin spice flavour.
- 100% vegan – No eggs + no- dairy!
- Soft, chewy texture with a slight crunch at the edges.
- Only require 12 minutes to bake!!
- Sweet homemade vegan orange caramel adds a bright, citrusy twist.
- Ideal for Halloween, gifts, or a comforting (spooky) treat anytime.
- A unique flavour combination that stands out from ordinary cookies.
- Fun to make, great for kids to get involved in baking!
- Simple method and easy to follow instructions.
- They’re SUPER cute!!!
Ingredients you’ll need
You will be very happy to hear that these jack o’ lantern cookies only requires 5 simple ingredients, most of which you may already have in your kitchen cupboards / pantry. Remember, you can find the full written recipe including measurements and steps in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Dairy-free butter – I use Vitalite which makes the cookies melt in the mouth and super buttery.
- Caster sugar – Use a fine, white sugar to prevent any the cookies from being gritty.
- All purpose / plain flour – As we don’t need the cookies to rise like cake, simply use a plain flour blend.
- Orange flavouring – Add a tiny drop of orange flavour to the caramel, so good!
- Cocoa powder – Use a high quality cocoa for the best flavour.
- Black + orange food gel – Use a high pigmented food gel (not liquid food colour), as this will drastically change the consistency of the bake.
- Coconut cream – Use the thick white cream from a can of coconut milk for the caramel (refer to notes for more details).
Jack o’ Lantern FAQ
- Can this recipe be made gluten-free? YES. Use a good quality gluten-free flour blend for the cookie. my personal favourite is Doves Farm, available in store supermarkets such as ASDA or Sainsburys, or online.
- How do i get the pumpkin shape? Use a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter. I’ve linked to the exact one I use here.
- How to store the cookies? Make sure to keep them fresh by storing them in an air tight / sealed container in the fridge. Allow to sit at room temperature before serving. Best enjoyed within 3-4 days of making.
- How to thicken caramel? If your caramel isn’t thick enough, while it’s still hot, add in a dash of cornstarch and mix in, it’ll help thicken.
If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking! Make sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram and Facebook! And if you want to pin this recipe for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, above or below this post, or on any of the photos. Happy baking all!
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Vegan Caramel Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10–12 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
How to make fun yet spooky Halloween Jack O’ Lantern Cookies with only a few ingredients! Vegan, easy to make and perfect for Spooky season!
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cookie
- 200g of dairy-free butter (cold)
- 100g of caster sugar (plus extra for coating)
- 280g of all purpose / plain flour
- 50g of cocoa powder
- Black food gel (optional)
Ingredients for the caramel
- 200g of caster sugar
- 100g of dairy-free butter
- 200g of coconut cream
- Drop of orange extract / flavouring
- Orange food gel
Instructions
Method (cookies)
- Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Sift in the flour, cocoa and drop of black food gel (optional) and mix into a thick dough and fully combined. Don’t over mix or the dough can become tough. . Transfer the dough into plastic wrap or baking paper and chill in the fridge for at least 40 minutes -1 hour to firm up.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 170°C fan and line a baking tray with grease proof paper.
- Once the dough is chilled and firm to the touch, roll out to approximately ½ cm thickness on a heavily floured work surface (this prevents the dough from sticking). Cut into shapes using a pumpkin cookie cutter. Make sure to cut out the pumpkin face as this will allow the caramel to ooze through giving the jack o’ lantern look. Place the shapes on the lined baking tray.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown at the edges. You can even turn the tray half way through to ensure an even baking.
- Once baked, remove from the oven, cover in some sugar and allow the cookies to cool slightly on the tray before transferring to a wire rack. Repeat until all the cookies are baked.
Method (Caramel)
- Place the sugar into a medium / large saucepan. Place the pan on the hob over a low heat. Allow the sugar to melt, this will take around 5-8 minutes. Don’t burn the sugar! Make sure to stir the sugar constantly to prevent burning. You can use a wooden spoon or heat proof spatula.
- When all of the sugar has melted and is a golden / amber colour, add in the butter, orange flavour and drop of orange food gel. Be careful, as the sugar is very hot. Remove the pan from the heat and stir to combine. Allow the butter to melt into the sugar. It might bubble but thats fine. Once it’s combined, it might go a thick consistency, now add in the coconut cream. It will steam and bubble again so be very careful!
- Add the pan on the heat and allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes to help thicken it up (this is the time to add in a dahs of cornstarch to help thicken, but this is optional).
- Remove the pan from the heat. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes, then transfer / pour the caramel into a heat proof jar. Place the jar into the fridge. Allow to chill and and overnight. The caramel will will turn into a toffee consistency.
- Spoon some caramel on to one cookie then place another cookie (with the pumpkin face cut out) on top, then lightly press together to sandwich.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
To store: Store the cookies in a air tight / sealed container in the fridge. Enjoy chilled. Best enjoyed within 3-4 days of making.
Store: Keep this caramel sauce in a sealed jar / container in the fridge. Best enjoyed a week of making.
Coconut cream: Chill a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight, turn it upside down and open. Pour out the liquid and use the thick, white cream.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Thank you so much!!!