Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Pumpkin season is one of my favorite times of the year for baking. While classic recipes like pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie will forever have a slice of my heart and a place on my fall baking bucket list, I also like to get creative and try something new. This year, I was on a mission to make pumpkin oatmeal cookies that were crisp on the edges, chewy in the middle and bursting with fall spices.

Now, pumpkin can be a tricky ingredient to bake with due to its high moisture content—or at least it makes baking tricky when your objective is a chewy cookie. While delicious in their own right, most pumpkin cookies tend to fall in the soft-baked and pillowy side of the cookie spectrum. Therefore, a few steps are crucial to achieve a chewy pumpkin oatmeal cookie.

First, you’ll want to dab some of the excess moisture from the pumpkin puree with a few layers of paper towels. Second, rather than creamed softened butter, use melted butter because it helps achieve a chewier, flatter cookie since less air is beaten into the batter. Finally, we beefed up the amount of oats in the recipe. Using 3 full cups of old-fashioned oats gives the cookies a fantastic texture and helps soak up any extra moisture released by the pumpkin during baking.

The end result? Let’s just say these pumpkin oatmeal cookies will definitely become part of our annual pumpkin recipe rotation.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

• Unsalted butter: Don’t worry if you don’t know how to cream butter and sugar together. For these pumpkin oatmeal cookies, you’ll simply stir melted butter into the sugars. Easy-peasy!
• Sugar: Using a combination of granulated and brown sugars also helps achieve a balance of crisp and chewy. White sugar encourages the cookies to spread, while the added moisture from the molasses in brown sugar helps develop an excellent chew. You can use light brown or dark brown sugar for these cookies, but dark brown sugar may make them slightly more chewy than light brown.
• Pumpkin puree: You won’t need a list of recipes to use up leftover pumpkin puree. These pumpkin oatmeal cookies use one whole can.
• Egg: A single egg acts as a binding agent to bring the dough together. It also improves the cookies’ texture and structure.
• Vanilla extract: Just a touch of high-quality vanilla extract offers added depth and complexity to these pumpkin spice cookies.
• All-purpose flour: Measuring flour the right way is crucial in baking. Too much flour will make a cookie dry and inhibit its spread, while a lack of flour will cause a cookie to lack proper structure.
• Old-fashioned rolled oats: For maximum chew and texture, we recommend using extra-thick rolled oats, if available. Do not use quick-cooking oats, as they will not yield quite the right texture.
• Baking soda: A dash of baking soda is necessary to give these cookies just the right amount of lift.
• Salt: A bit of salt enhances the flavor of the pumpkin and balances the sweetness in the dough.
• Spices: A classic blend of cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves and nutmeg makes these cookies sing a symphony of fall flavors and aromas.
• Semisweet chocolate chips: These aren’t just pumpkin oatmeal cookies; they’re pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with oatmeal.

Directions

Step 1: Blot the pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 15x10x1-inch baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

Line a shallow bowl with a double layer of paper towels. Scoop the pumpkin into the bowl and top with another paper towel. Gently press to extract some of the excess moisture from the pumpkin, then set aside.

Editor’s Tip: Once you’ve blotted the pumpkin, you should end up with roughly 1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) of pumpkin puree.

Step 2: Mix the dough

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.

In another large bowl, combine the melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, then add the pumpkin.

Gradually add the flour-oat mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until the dough is thick, wet and sticky with no dry patches. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Step 3: Scoop onto sheet pans

Scoop and drop 2 tablespoons of dough onto the prepared sheet pans 2 to 3 inches apart. Next, use the back of a spoon or the bottom of a glass to press the mounds of dough into flattened disks about 1/2 inch thick.

Editor’s Tip: Pressing down the mounds of dough is an important part of creating a chewy texture for the cookies. Don’t skip this step!

Step 4: Bake, tap, bake

Bake for five minutes, then remove from the oven and gently tap the tray three or four times on the counter to deflate and flatten the cookies. Return to the oven for another six to eight minutes or until the edges are golden and the centers are set. Cool for five minutes on the sheet pans, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Editor’s Tip: Tapping the cookie tray midway through baking is another tip for baking pumpkin oatmeal cookies that are wonderfully chewy. This simple step deflates any air that may be trapped in the cookies while baking, leading to a dense and chewy cookie with lovely crisp edges.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie Variations

• Make softer cookies: For cakier cookies, reduce the amount of oats in the recipe by 1/2 cup. Then, for baking, leave the dough in rounded mounds and skip tapping the pan on the countertop midway through baking. You can also reduce the bake time by one to two minutes.
• Add more mix-ins: Add up to 1 cup of chopped nuts, like walnuts or pecans, or butterscotch, cinnamon or caramel baking chips to the dough. Raisins or dried cranberries would also work nicely in this recipe.
• Use pumpkin pie spice: You can swap in 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice for the ginger, nutmeg and cloves. If you do this, reduce the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon.
• Garnish the cookies: Looking for something sweet to put on top? Omit the chocolate chips in favor of a drizzle of melted chocolate or a spoonful of vanilla or maple-flavored glaze. A smear of cream cheese frosting would also taste like a dream.

How to Store Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Before storing, cool pumpkin oatmeal cookies completely, then store them in an airtight food storage container. Cookies may be refrigerated or kept at room temperature. Note that cookies stored at room temperature will soften and lose a bit of their crispness after a few days, as the pumpkin will continue to release moisture as they sit. In this instance, storing cookies in the fridge will maintain their crispness for a longer period.

How long do pumpkin oatmeal cookies last?

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with oatmeal that are stored at room temperature will stay fresh for up to five days, and refrigerated cookies may be stored for seven to ten days.

Can you freeze pumpkin oatmeal cookies?

Of course! This is another great freezer cookie recipe. Cool the cookies completely, then store them in an airtight food storage container, separating layers of baked cookies with pieces of parchment.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie Tips

Can you use fresh pumpkin purée for pumpkin oatmeal cookies?

Yes. If you have homemade pumpkin purée from your garden, you may use it to make these cookies. However, fresh pumpkin purée may have a higher water content than canned pumpkin, so make sure you thoroughly blot the pumpkin before adding it to the batter, as excess moisture will cause the cookies to bake more softly. For a foolproof recipe, stick to canned pumpkin. Here are our favorite brands of canned pumpkin for baking this fall.

Do I need to refrigerate the dough for oatmeal pumpkin cookies before baking?

Nope! Unlike pumpkin cheesecake cookies, there’s no need to chill the dough before baking. That said, you may refrigerate the dough in an airtight container for up to 24 hours before baking, if desired.