Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Homemade Halloween Treats (For Trick-or-Treaters or to Enjoy at Home)

Quick, cozy, and 100% plant-based, enjoy these simple seasonal recipes for crisp autumn days.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's avatar
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Oct 15, 2025
∙ Paid

With fall here and Halloween approaching, I wanted to treat you to a few recipes for this gorgeous time of year. Autumn-inspired and classic, these goodies from The Joy of Vegan Baking are perfect to enjoy on your own or with friends—or to portion into mini treats for trick-or-treaters, neighbors, and friends.

Also, I hope you’re enjoying the articles in my Halloween series:

  • The Plant-Based Roots of Halloween

  • Vegan Treats and Zero-Waste Tricks for Halloween

  • Animal-Themed Halloween Films

  • Black Cats and Halloween: History & Lore (Coming up)

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

Reprinted with permission from The Joy of Vegan Baking

Though I hope to change people’s perceptions of what “vegan” desserts taste like, I suppose “I’d never know this was vegan” is still the highest compliment. It’s the most common exclamation I hear after someone bites into this classic cookie.

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 teaspoons commercial egg replacer or ground flax seeds (equivalent of 3 eggs)

  • 6 tablespoons water

  • 1 cup nondairy butter, softened

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1–2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

  • 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment or use nonstick sheets.

  2. In a food processor or blender, whip the egg replacer and water until thick and creamy.

  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter, both sugars, and vanilla. Beat in the egg-replacer mixture.

  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat dry into wet until a dough forms. Stir in the chips and/or nuts.

  5. Scoop onto sheets and bake 8–10 minutes, until golden. Cool 2 minutes on the sheet, then move to wire racks.

Yield: about 1 dozen cookies.

Colleen’s Tip: Some “semisweet” chips contain cow’s milk—by definition, that’s not semisweet! Check bulk bins at natural food stores or choose higher-quality brands.

Colleen’s Tip: For uniform cookies, spoon dough into a small measuring cup and pop it out onto the sheet.

Halloween Giveaway Note: Bake smaller (teaspoon-size) scoops. Cool completely and pack 2–3 cookies in small paper bags.


Caramel Popcorn

Reprinted with permission from The Joy of Vegan Baking

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