Pumpkin oatmeal cookies
This shall be the last of my pumpkin recipes from Australia, so I figured I had to make it a REALLY good one. And this one is. Get ready for the best pumpkin cookie of your life, people. Don’t be intimidated by the slightly longer list of ingredients than usual – in combination, this makes for the most amazingly chewy delicious cookie bursting with different flavours and textures…and it makes your home smell incredible as well while baking, of course. Feel free to go to town on the add-ins…some combination of chocolate and dried fruit is optimal.
This makes a huge batch which is fantastic because I wanted these to last as long as possible. I made about half of it on the original day I made the dough and then formed the rest into balls and froze them – you can then pop them out of the freezer, directly onto baking sheets, and bake that way (will take about 5-7 minutes longer). Distribute them liberally to friends and family, but don’t forget to save some for yourself, because you will want a stash of these around for a while, believe me.
Pumpkin oatmeal cookies (adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (this is just ginger, cinnamon, and allspice, which I didn’t have, so- I put in an extra half teaspoon of cinnamon, a fourth teaspoon of ginger, and a fourth teaspoon of nutmeg)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup (2 sticks) – about 200 grams unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup dark molasses
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (or light)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not the pie filling – straight up good old American pumpkin in a can)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups total add-ins (chocolate chips, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, pecans, white chocolate, or a combination) – I used just choc chips and dried cranberries and would recommend this combo because it was amazing
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Or you can just bake one tray and freeze the remaining cookie dough balls for later.)
I did end up refrigerating my dough for a while to make it easier to handle but that’s not necessary – when you’re ready to bake, scoop balls of cookie dough on the baking sheets and using a fork slightly flatten the top of the cookies to help them spread in the oven. Do not flatten completely. Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes until very lightly browned on the edges, and still appearing soft in the centers. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets (they will firm up as they cool). They are amazing warm but also taste amazing the next day. You can freeze the cooked cookies as well if you want them to keep for longer.
Melted butter with molasses and the sugars mixed in
Adding the star ingredient, pumpkin
Adding dry ingredients
And adding the amazing mix-ins…dried cranberries and dark chocolate chips
Rolled into balls and ready to go
They are complete when they are nicely golden brown
These are definitely among the best pumpkin-themed baked goods I’ve ever made. They are amazingly soft and chewy without being cakey, and the burst from the dark chocolate chips and cranberries takes them over the edge flavour-wise. They do scream “autumn” but honestly I would eat these anytime year-round and be very pleased about it.
One year ago: Chocolate chip muffins
merrifood 