Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies - Everyday Annie

This is the time of year for cookies. Holiday cookies run the gamut from very simple to complicated. I don’t have a real preference, though I do enjoy the challenge of the more involved cookies. What can I say? I just love to play in the kitchen. There is certainly a time and place for the fancy schmancy treats, and there is also a time and place for plain and simple. For example, when you are taking call from home and worried the pager may go off at any moment but you really, really want to bake something. That’s what these cookies were for me. I had all the ingredients on hand and the dough was ready in minutes.

Even better, in my personal ranking of favorite cookies, oatmeal white chocolate cranberry cookies ranked second only to the best chocolate chip cookies ever. And now, this is the version that earns second place because it has all those other things and it contains pumpkin. The pumpkin puree contributes a pretty orange hue, a light chewy texture and a subtle pumpkin flavor. Lots of my favorite ingredients all in one cookie – tough to resist, if you ask me.

Yield about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
¾ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
Dash of allspice
½ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

01
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
02
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Blend in the egg and vanilla. Beat in the pumpkin puree until well incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Beat in the oats until combined. With a rubber spatula, fold in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries until evenly mixed.
03
Drop in small scoops (about 1½-2 tablespoons) onto prepared baking sheets, spaced 2-3 inches apart. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned, rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Allow to cool on the sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Source

slightly adapted from My Baking Addiction