Pumpkin Oat Cookies

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The other week I grabbed a large can of pumpkin while at the grocery store with no specific purpose in mind. It's fall, so I knew I would have no problem finding something to do with it. One of my favorite things to do with canned pumpkin, which I have been doing all week, is to throw it in my morning breakfast smoothie. Add a couple shakes of cinnamon and nutmeg and it's pumpkin pie for breakfast - but healthy! I love added vegetables to my breakfast and not even noticing. 

As soon as I got home with the pumpkin though, the baking bug hit. I just needed to bake something pumpkin-y! After a little browsing I finally decided on this pumpkin oat cookie recipe. The oats with the pumpkin seemed like the perfect combination. I added in some pecans and dried fruit and the whole thing came together to create a soft and buttery treat, the perfect afternoon pick-me-up or after dinner snack. 

The original recipe for these cookies was described as being crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle. I actually did not find this to be the case. However, that's is not necessarily a bad thing. My cookies ended up being very soft all the way through. I did like that they didn't spread too much while baking, ending up quite puffy and beautiful. 

Had I had the choice, I would have added chocolate chips to the cookies as the original recipe called for, but since I didn't have any chocolate in the house I had to go a different route. I threw in some chopped pecans and dried fruit which did not disappoint either. I loved how the nuttiness of the pecans mixed with the toasty oats. Dried fruit for sweetness helped finish them off. A comforting fall cookie for any occasion. 

Pumpkin Oat Cookies
Adapted from Chelsea's Messy Apron
Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (1.75 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (3 ounces) canned pumpkin
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup (3.5 ounces) flour
  • 3/4 cup (60 grams) old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2-1 cup of add-ins (chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, etc)

Directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the butter with the brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in the pumpkin, and vanilla.

In another bowl stir together the flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry to the wet and mix until just combined. The mixture should pull away from the edges once all the flour is added. Stir in whatever add-ins you are using. Cover the dough and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferable overnight.

On the day of baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until very lightly browned at the bottom/sides.

Remove from the oven and allow to set for another 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a wire cooling rack.

Yields: about 1 dozen cookies (I got 13)