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Spiced Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

Spiced Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies
Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: | Makes: 32 cookies

Pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie may be the most obvious ways to enjoy pumpkin, but the warm spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger found in both translate into a delicious cookie, too. The dough here is made with pumpkin purée, oats, and spices, baked until soft and chewy, and finished with a drizzle of maple syrup glaze. Enjoy these treats as the autumn weather arrives, as well as through the holidays.

Game plan: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

This recipe was featured as part of our pumpkin sweets recipe gallery.

Click here to watch the CHOW Test Kitchen’s Christine Gallary make these easy pumpkin cookies in an episode of our Easiest Way video series.

INGREDIENTS

For the cookies:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/3 cups rolled oats (not instant)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling; about 1 3/4 cups)

For the glaze:

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk (not nonfat), plus more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
For the cookies:

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange the racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
  2. Whisk the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.
  3. Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  4. Add the egg and vanilla, return the mixer to medium speed, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the reserved flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add half of the pumpkin and mix until just incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and pumpkin.
  6. Drop 8 dough rounds per baking sheet by the scant 1/4 cup, staggering them 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Place the remaining dough in the refrigerator.
  7. Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back and continue baking until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and around the edges, about 12 minutes more.
  8. Place the baking sheets on wire racks and let the cookies cool on the sheets for 3 minutes. Using a flat spatula, transfer the cookies to the wire racks to cool completely. Let the baking sheets cool to room temperature and then repeat with the remaining dough (you can use the same parchment paper). When all of the cookies are baked, set the pieces of parchment paper aside.

For the glaze:

  1. Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until evenly combined. (You may need to add more milk by the 1/2 teaspoon if the glaze is too thick to drizzle.)
  2. Place all of the cooled cookies on the reserved parchment sheets. Dip a fork into the glaze and drizzle it over the cookies in a zigzag pattern. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the glaze has set, about 20 minutes.
    Write a review | 7 Reviews
  • Spiced Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
    5

    I periodically bring cookies into my office for all to enjoy (around once/month), and these were hands-down the most popular ones I've ever brought in (I usually bring froofy-er cookies in from recipes like Cooks Illustrated). Multiple people asked me for the recipe...and also told me flat-out that they were the best ones so far. This one is definitely a crowd pleaser. Everyone loves pumpkin!

  • Spiced Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
    5

    So delicious!! Used non-fat milk (Thanks Amy and fellow CH'ers) and icing worked beautifully! This was my first attempt at something other than plain old oatmeal raisin, and I'm so pleased!

  • Spiced Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
    5

    I just made these, but subbed half the butter with applesauce, and half the flour with white whole wheat flour. I really like that you get the flavor of the applesauce come through. Delish! (also, I didn't have ginger, so just added more cinnamon)

  • Spiced Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
    5

    Wow! These are GREAT! I made the recipe almost as written (but vegan) and added a pinch of cloves. I used Bob's Red Mill egg replacer in the cookies and Almond Milk in the Glaze. I had to bake them a bit longer than the recipe stated. That is likely due to the egg replacer. When I make this again, and I will. I will use less sugar, I tend to prefer a *much* less sweet cookie than most folks. As others have mentioned. These are very cakey and moist! My husband mentioned that these cookies reminded him of "moist,mini scones". Everyone keeps coming back for more of these. They are so addictive. Very yummy texture. Nice bite of spice. Just perfect!

  • Spiced Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
    5

    I loved these cookies, I'm not a lover of super sweet things and this was perfect (without the icing). I did cut back about 1/3 cup of white sugar as well and found they turned out well. Will see how well they go over at the Halloween party tonight!

  • Spiced Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
    5

    These cookies are so good, very cakey and moist. I think the next time I make them I'll add more oatmeal to hearty them up a bit. Not too sweet and yes, excellent with morning coffee.

  • Spiced Pumpkin-Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
    5

    A simple enough recipe to make; my husband had one last night and declared it his new favorite cookie. (I thought the yield was pretty generous, but he's taken care of the surplus.) They're great the next morning, too—I had one with my coffee and it was better than even the best of Donut Plant. Well played, Chow.

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