In a medium bowl, stir together the melted coconut oil or unsalted butter and pumpkin puree until well combined. Add the vanilla extract, homemade pumpkin pie spice, and salt, mixing until everything is fully incorporated. Then, stir in the unsweetened vanilla almond milk and coconut sugar until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the oat flour into the wet mixture. Sprinkle the baking soda evenly over the oat flour to help prevent clumping. Stir both into the wet ingredients until just combined—avoid overmixing for soft cookies. Next, gently fold in 2 1/2 tablespoons of the mini chocolate chips. I always recommend chilling this cookie dough for about 30 minutes at this point; it makes the dough easier to handle and the cookies bake up thicker and chewier.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Using a spoon and spatula, drop the chilled dough into 12 rounded scoops onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each cookie to about 3/8 inch thick using a spatula, since these cookies won't spread on their own. Press the remaining chocolate chips gently into the tops of the cookies. Bake in the preheated oven for 9–11 minutes, until the edges look set. For extra flavor, I sometimes sprinkle a little extra pumpkin spice on top before baking.

Allow the baked cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes to help them set, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. Enjoy these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies as a seasonal treat—personally, I think they're even better the next day!