Need an easy recipe for your left over pumpkin? I did, so I threw what I had in a cookie crumb for these pumpkin oatmeal cookies. To keep everything from being too uniform in texture I used a combination of old fashion oats and quick cooking oats. The old fashion oats are soft while the quick cooking oats provide a bit of crunch along with the toasted almonds and toffee bits. Adding to that are mini chocolate chips to make these cookies twice as irresistible.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
You may have or may not have noticed that I was a bit light on the posting last week with only three posts. But life was busy piling on me like stack of cards. So for those of you who have emailed and asked how I manage family, a full-time job and a blog. Let me tell you, I don’t always manage all three so well all the time.
But here’s what I can tell you, if you are passionate about what you do you’ll find a way. It’s not abnormal for me to run on 5 hours of sleep. I often bake or blog from 10-12pm and then wake up at 5:30am to blog or photograph before work. Then there are the weekends in which I always carve out 4 hours to do blog work. Fortunately, Matt is always great about taking Cole so that I can do that.
But last week was crazier than usual, in the midst of regular blogging, I also had two recipe development projects due and then I had corset cookies and cupcakes to make for a bachelor party.
I might have a slight problem with over committing myself. But since the bachelor party was for a co-worker, I couldn’t say no. Yes, bachelor not bachelorette party. But I’m thinking he had it right. It was him, one other guy and the rest of us were all females. How smart is that?
Hello tangent. Sorry.
My point is I don’t have a good answer for how I manage blogging time into life, other than I make time because it’s my passion and creative outlet. That said, I do wish I could squeeze running a vacuum through my home a little more often, maybe find time to blow dry my hair and maybe cultivate a fashionable sensibility beyond jeans and a tanktop.
Lucky, for me I love to bake and a good cookie like this one seems to make things like forgotten house cleaning and failed fashion inconsequential.
A few notes::
- It’s not necessary to brown the butter, but I like the added flavor it gives to cookies, so as a rule I generally brown my butter when I need to melt it.
- I added quick cooking oats to this recipe for a crunchier and chunkier cookie. If you don’t have any available, replace that portion with ¼ cup of old fashion oats (in addition to the 1 ¼ cup).
- The add-ins are optional, so take it or leave it. Additionally, your palate your preference so add in what you like. If I had dried cranberries on hand, those would have been added for a fruity layer.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 48 11/2 inch cookies | Preparation: Heat oven to 350 degrees and line bake sheet with parchment paper.
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cup old fashion oats
- ½ cup quick oats
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter, browned
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Add-ins:
- ¾ cup mini chocolate chips
- ¾ cup almonds, toasted
- ½ toffee bits
Instructions:
- Add old fashion oats, quick oats and flour into a bowl and mix to combine; set aside.
- Place butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook until butter starts to turn brown and is nutty in aroma. (To minimize the foaming, whisk continuously). Set aside.
- Add sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and egg into a bowl and mix to combine. Add in cooled browned butter and mix to combine. Add in baking soda and mix to combine. Then fold in flour and oat mixture until combined.
- Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
WOW!! You rock, these are the perfect cookie for a cold Fall day, and exactly what I want when I come home this evening! I am amazed at your dedication to all your loves and passions. I want to encourage you to keep it up because you are so awesome at what you do, but also to get your necessary “me-time,” just to recharge. Everyone needs a break once in a while!
I am a chronic over-committer! 🙁
These cookies look awesome and I don’t even “love” pumpkin!
Finding time is a challenge for most of us. I struggle to quickly make new items when the kids allow it or are sleeping. Maybe I should whip up a batch of these for the older kids so they will behave for a while lol I’ve got plenty of pumpkin to spare!! 🙂
Mmm…these look amazing! For some reason I only like pumpkin in baked sweets.
I loved reading this post! Not only do the cookies look amazing but reading about your struggle balancing everything. I often get asked the same question and the answer is the same every time. “I simply don’t think about. I just do it.” Fabulous use of leftover pumpkin.
These look divine!
These look dangerously good, like I could eat a batch by myself dangoerous.
These beauties look super chewy! I don’t think I could resist eating the whole plate!
I can’t get enough pumpkin, so these are going on the “must bake” list.
I don’t know how you do it all, but these pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal cookies make it totally worth it!
Three post a week is far from light. But thank goodness you have all this energy because I love your blog.
Wow, it’s like you took stock of my favorite things on earth (pumpkin! chocolate chips! oatmeal! cookies!) and decided to do me some kind of absurdly mystical delicious favor by putting them all together in one recipe.
GET OUT OF MY HEAD (…but put these in my belly)!
I still don’t know how you do it, you are seriously the energizer bunny! lol I have tremendous respect for the love and energy you put into everything you do and it always shines through.
How delicious!! I love all the texture in these cookies, not to mention chocolate + toffee 😀 *yay!!*
What beautiful cookies, Naomi! I love pumpkin and chocolate chip bread… I bet I’d love this too!
Wow, I’ve never tries pumpkin cookies before, gotta give it a shot!thanks!
I think you must’ve read my mind. I have pureed pumpkin sitting in the fridge and now I’ve found the perfect recipe! Keep up the blog, it’s fab. I have 3 kids and a full time job (I just started maternity leave from work with my third child) and it’s really hard to find time for everything, but it’s worth it in the end.
Claire x
These look scrumptious!
I agree about always browning melted butter…makes it so much better.
I can’t wait to try these.
Oh my, these look way too edible.
I thinking my waist is expanding as I’m reading all your posts. btw-your photography is just beautiful!
These sound so delicious!
Just wanted to let you know that I made these cookies the other week and they are absolutely DELICIOUS! I brought them into work and my coworkers couldn’t stop coming by my desk to grab more. Such a hit! Thanks so much for the recipe, can’t wait to try different combos of nuts and chocolate. I’ve included the link if you’d like to see my post 🙂
http://lifessimplemeasures.blogspot.com/2012/10/pumpkin-harvest-cookies.html