Yesterday when I was deciding what sweet treat to bake to send with Hondo to school, I hit a snag and couldn't decide what to make so I made two things. I went the pumpkin route because its October and I'm very excited and because little ones really seem to like pumpkin (as do lots of big ones too).
I made these fantastic Pumpkin Cream Cheese Blondies and then I made these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip ones that I gussied up with pumpkin as well. Its a variation of my favorite Oatmeal Raisin recipes from Sally's Baking Addiction - replace some egg with pumpkin, brown sugar and the right spices, replace raisins with chocolate chips and off we go!
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields 2.5 Dozen Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 7 generous tbs. of pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 generous tbs. molasses
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 generous cup milk chocolate chips
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the pumpkin, vanilla, and molasses until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. A little at a time, beat the dry ingredients into the wet until combined.
Stir in the oats until evenly distributed. Fold in the chocolate chips using a spatula, the dough will be thick and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Roll generous tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and place an inch and a half apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
Bake for 10-20 minutes depending on desired chewiness. You can take them out as soon as they begin to brown at the edges and just as the centers have set, or you can wait until the tops are golden. Removing them earlier will yield a chewier cookie, but you will have to wait until completely cooled to remove from the cookie sheet.