Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies, Week 4

So far for each of these weeks of Christmas cookies, I have been minding my own business and baking my cookies and then when I go to sit down to write up the recipe it all of a sudden hits me that we only have a few weeks until Christmas! Woohoo!  

 

Sometimes you want a rich, indulgent, full dessert of a cookie and sometimes you don’t.  Sometimes you’d rather just have a mildly sweet treat to snack on without feeling too guilty.  These cookies are good for that second time.  Loaded with healthy goodness from the pumpkin, oats, walnuts and chocolate chips (hey, they have antioxidants!), these cookies lean towards the healthier side of the cookie platter and still satisfy a sweet tooth.  

I like the idea of having a less decadent holiday treat to offer on my cookie platter so that guests (or myself!) who may have ordinarily passed on dessert can enjoy a little something without the guilt.  I also like that I can let Little Man have one without worrying about a sugar buzz keeping him up until dawn. . 

And since they have oatmeal in them, that means that you can have these cookies for breakfast, right? 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar (next time I will use brown sugar)
1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups rolled oats
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup chocolate chips 

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside

3. In a separate bowl, beat softened butter and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in egg and pumpkin.

4. To the creamed butter mixture stir in the flour until just combined. Stir in oats, nuts, and chocolate chips.

5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. These cookies won't spread much so wet your hand (to prevent the dough from sticking to it) and gently press your palm down on each cookie to flatten. This will help them to cook more evenly.

6. Bake 15-18 minutes or until done. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Be sure to check out what everyone else is serving up!  
Week 4 Twelve Weeks of Christmas: