Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies (12 weeks of Christmas Cookies)

One of these days I'm going to get t-shirts made. I'm going to wear them all superman-style under my clothes so that when I meet new people, I can rip open my shirt to reveal sayings like:

Yes, I only have one kid.

or

No, I'm not having any more kids.

or

My baby was full price and we couldn't afford another.

Starting a new school year means meeting new moms. 99% of the new moms I meet are great. They are nice, non-judgemental, caring, and are already or will become friends (and it doesn't matter to them how many kids I have).

Then there is that other 1%. The ones that totally judge everything about you and you know it. Because they let you know it, in not so subtle ways. It can be for several reasons; maybe you work and the judger is a SAHM who thinks you're unfit. Or maybe vice versa; you stay home and she works and thinks she's better than you.

In my case, often the judgers judge me because I have an only child. And she will always be an only child; we're not having any more kids.  My experience with this 1% happened just last week. Her first question to me was if I had other kids. Here is a summary of our conversation:

Me: "No, Jordan is our only one."

Judger: "Oh, my little Reggie (not his real name) always begs me to be the only child. He wishes he didn't have brothers and sisters."

{Note: her words are dripping with the tone of now I know your life is easier than mine. We all know that tone, don't we?}

Me: "Oh, Jordan is always begging for a sibling. That whole the grass is greener thing, you know."

Her (totally serious, because she knows better than me, of course): "Oh, she should come spend some time at my house. Her mind would change for sure!"

I "mmmhmmmed" when I wanted to say "Yes, well, we spent $20,000 to get our kid. Maybe if I could pop them out like a Pez dispenser, I'd have the same problems as you," but I didn't.  Maybe I should put that on a t-shirt.

You know what I should put on a t-shirt? Beware: Pumpkin & White Chocolate May Cause the Need for Rehab.

Because the combination of pumpkin and white chocolate is seriously addictive. Like, dangerous for your waistline. And when you add them to an oatmeal cookie? Watch out. If you put a plate of these in front of me I might go all Charlie Sheen on you.

So you need to make these cookies. Like, now. I've got some extra pumpkin if you need it.

And, did you know it's just over 12 weeks until Christmas? How do I know? Because this is the first week of the 12 weeks of cookies!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe from My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (you can also use wheat flour)

1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 350°. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2.       Whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.

3.       Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and egg and mix well. Mix in flour mixture and beat until well combined. Stir in white chocolate chips.

4.       Drop by equal scoopfuls onto prepared baking sheets. (I used a two tablespoon cookie scoop.) Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned, rotating pans halfway through baking. Cool on baking sheet at least 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Note: The original recipe called for dried cherries. If you’re into that, go ahead and add some (or raisins or whatever suits your fancy). 

Yield: about 4 dozen cookies

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesday (Chef in Training). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters), Strut your Stuff Saturday (Six Sisters' Stuff), Pumpkin blog hop (Deelicious Sweets)

Chocolate Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies

Do you still have zucchini in your refrigerator? I do. I still have three good-sized ones. Luckily there won't be any more (the plants came out of the garden last weekend). I don't think I want to see another zucchini for awhile.

It's gotten to the point where, whenever I put out something to eat (breakfast, dinner, dessert) my daughter asks, "is there zucchini in this?" like it's the most normal thing in the world.

By far, I think this is my favorite zucchini treat I've made to date.

I had seen a zucchini oatmeal cookie recipe in last months' Rachael Ray magazine. I was intrigued. But I've been wanting to try chocolate oatmeal cookies for awhile, so I decided to put the two together. I was nervous, because I made up the recipe as I went along. I haven't done many of my own recipes yet and I'm nervous each time I try.

But these cookies? They actually worked.

When I first tried them I was worried they didn't have enough sugar. They weren't totally sweet, like the other oatmeal cookies I'm used too. But the chocolate flavor hits a little after the cookie does and it's wonderful. And, because there isn't a ton of sugar (and there is actually vegetable in there), these make a great after-school (or lunchtime) treat. Jordan really liked them, even knowing they had zucchini in them.

But you know the best endorsement I got? It was from my husband. I mean, he likes everything I make. But he's not a total sugar person. He's famous for the "Wow! That's too sweet!" comment. (Whereas I'm thinking, "Um...are you crazy? There's no such thing!") He really liked these cookies because they are the perfect amount of sweet. The sweet is not overpowering. Which can be a good thing.

So if you have some leftover zucchini, give these a try. I am planning to make a few more batches for the freezer. My daughter loves to be surprised with one in her lunch box.

Enjoy!

**********

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Happy Tuesday!

Chocolate Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies

Recipe by Crazy for Crust

Ingredients:

½ cup butter

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup cocoa powder

3 cups quick oats

1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 small)

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (or spray them with nonstick cooking spray).

2.       In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and cocoa. Set aside.

3.       In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter, oil, and sugars. Add egg and vanilla and mix on low speed until combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients.

4.       Add oats and mix on low speed. Continue mixing on low speed and add zucchini. Mix until well combined.

5.       Scoop uniform balls onto cookie sheets. (I used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop.) Bake 11-14 minutes until center of cookie no longer looks wet. Cool 10 minutes on cookie sheets before removing.

Yield: about 2 dozen large cookies

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters)

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Yesterday was my dad's 65th birthday.

{Happy Birthday Daddy!!!}

Since we live two hours away from my parents, we can't always get together on our actual birthdays. This last week before school starts is kicking my bottom (does this happen to anyone else? Slow slow slow days and then BAM! School!), so my parents came to us on Tuesday for my dads' birthday visit.

What would a birthday be without cupcakes?

Um, not a birthday I want to celebrate, thankyouverymuch.

Enter these Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Dough Cupcakes.

I've talked about how my dad isn't supposed to have sugar and how excited I was to find Pillsbury's sugar-free cake mixes and frostings.  Last time I used the yellow cake mix and chocolate frosting. This time I used the devil's food and vanilla frosting.

Yes, these cupcakes are from a box and a can. BUT they are delicious. You can, of course, use your favorite mix or recipe. (The cookies and cookie dough add another amount of time to the preparation of this cupcake, so I say take your shortcuts where you can find them.)

Let's talk about cookies, shall we?

Because I knew I was going to share these cupcakes and not everyone needs a sugar-free option, I made the same recipe with sugar and with Splenda. This recipe for oatmeal cookies is one I found in a magazine last year  and it calls for Splenda. I wanted to make sure they were okay with sugar. And they were. They tasted awesome.

The Splenda cookies are smaller (I think because Splenda doesn't react with butter like sugar does. The ones made with sugar spread quite a bit.) These oatmeal cookies were very good. They are different from the usual ones I make because they end up crunchy. You'll notice there is coconut in them - but you don't taste it. It just adds texture.

I filled the cupcakes with cookie dough. Could it get any better? I love the fact that you can substitute milk for egg in dough and then eat it without worry. (This could create a real problem for me!) To fill your cupcakes, just cut out a piece of the center and scoop a little cookie dough in.

I added cinnamon to the frosting to give it that oatmeal cookie-like flavor. It added a great flavor to the cupcake. I also discovered my daughter likes cinnamon frosting. A lot.

These cupcakes are dangerous. Because they are from a box, they are light and fluffy and go down easy. Which makes it easy to eat more than one in a sitting. (Not that I'd know or anything.)

I think cookie dough is my new favorite thing. Oh, and oatmeal cookies. These cookies would be great crunched up over ice cream. (Again, not that I'd know or anything.)

Oh, and you know what else is great about birthdays? Gifts. If you're in need of one, don't forget I'm giving one away! The giveaway ends tonight (Friday, August 12th). Be sure to click on over and enter!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful dad. I love you!

(There is a print link embedded at the bottom of this post. Please visit the post to print.)

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Dough Cupcakes
Ingredients:

24 baked and cooled chocolate cupcakes (from your favorite recipe or a box mix)*

For the Oatmeal Cookie Dough:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup sugar*

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 tablespoon milk (more if needed)

For the Frosting:

2 cans vanilla frosting (or your favorite recipe)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Oatmeal Cookie Toppers:

1 cup old-fashioned oats

¾ cup flour

½ cup shredded natural unsweetened coconut**

¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup sugar*

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

*For a sugar-free cupcake, use Pillsbury sugar-free devils food cake mix and substitute all sugar with Splenda (NOT Splenda for baking , which has sugar).

**I found my natural unsweetened coconut in the bulk bin section of Winco. They also have it at Whole Foods. Check the bulk bins in the natural food section of your grocery store. You can substitute more oatmeal if you cannot find the coconut. Or, use sweetened coconut, but cut down on the amount of sugar.

Directions:

For the Cookie Dough:

1.       Mix together oats, flour, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

2.       Cream sugar and butter.  Mix in dry ingredients and add vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk and stir to combine. If needed, add 1 teaspoon more milk until the mixture comes together.

3.       Cut out a small section in the center of each cooled cupcake. Fill with about 1-2 teaspoons of cookie dough. Press into the hole. (You will probably have leftover cookie dough. Go ahead and eat it –it’s egg free! Or mix it in ice cream.)

For the frosting:

Empty the two containers of frosting into a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and stir. (This can be done with a hand mixer.) Frost cupcakes that have been filled with cookie dough. I like using a #12 tip.

For the Oatmeal Cookie toppers:

1.       Preheat oven to 350°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2.       Combine oats, flour, coconut, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3.       Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in oat mixture.

4.       Drop equal sized portions onto prepared cookie sheets. Cookies will spread and you don’t want them too big – they need to fit on the cupcake. I used my 1” cookie dough scoop.

5.       Bake 13-15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking.  Cool completely and place one cookie on each cupcake.

Yield: 30 cookies, 24 cupcakes

Source: Cookie recipe from Family Circle Magazine May 2010

This recipe will be linked with:

Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life, Sharing Sunday (Everyday Sisters) Monday: Joy of Desserts, Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Muffin Monday (Talking Dollars and Cents)

Oatmeal Cookie Brownies

So, today is my daughter's last day of Kindergarten. I know, you're probably tired of hearing about it. I wrote about it last week, when I posted my Word Card Cookies. I wrote about it on my other blog. But I'm not done yet.


I'm sad. I'm sad my baby is growing up. I already see her becoming a kid instead of my sweet little baby. Soon she's going to not want me to walk her to class. She's going to start having sleepovers. She won't want me anymore. See what this whole "end of Kindergarten" thing is doing to me?


Which is why a plate of these would be wonderful right now.

I mean, the sadness of it all combined with the rain we are having here in Northern California (RAIN. On June 1st.) is making me crave comfort food like mad. Wouldn't a plate of these awesome chocolatey brownies topped with oh-so-comforting oatmeal cookies just fit the bill?


They sure would.


If I had any.


You see, I don't post exactly what I'm baking this week. I made these brownies about a month ago. They are looooong gone. Sad for me. But now you have the recipe, so good for you.

They are chocolatey. Soft. Cruchy. All at the same time. A good combination to replace the sad one I have now. These brownies are awesome.


So go make some. And then bring me some, please. Along with some tissues. I think I'll need them around 11:10 this morning, when I pick up Jordan. Thank you.


Enjoy!


Oatmeal Cookie Brownies
Printer-Friendly Recipe

Ingredients:

1 family size box (approximately 19.5 ounces) fudgy brownie mix

Eggs, water, and oil called for on the back of the box

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

½ teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups quick cooking oats

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

2.    Mix brownies according to the directions on the box. Spread in pan.

3.    Add flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium size bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

4.    In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

5.    Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture. Beat until just combined. Add the oats and beat until combined.

6.    Using your hands, spread little pieces of the oatmeal mixture all over the tops of the brownies. Spread lightly with your fingers, careful not to mix the two batters.

7.    Bake 25-30 minutes until cookie top is golden brown and the brownie that is peaking through no longer looks wet. Cool completely before slicing into bars.

Yield: approximately 24 bars

Source: oatmeal cookie recipe from Quaker


This recipe is linked with:

Oatmeal Scotchies

When I was a kid, I hated butterscotch. Detested it. My mom would make rice crispy treats and add a package of butterscotch chips and I wouldn't touch them with a 10-foot pole. But, as I've gotten older, my picky palate has improved.

I mean, I love Almond Joy candy bars now. Like, love to the nth degree. And I used to hate coconut more than I hated butterscotch. So I thought it might be time to give butterscotch another try.

Recently I needed yet another cookie for a potluck. I wanted something without chocolate for those (confusing) people who don't like chocolate. I knew I wanted to make an oatmeal cookie and that's when it hit me to try butterscotch again (as an adult).

These cookies don't disappoint. I made a double batch (doubling the ingredients works just fine) and gave some away as gifts. Everyone I gave them too came back at me with a resounding "those were awesome!" I took them to the potluck and had the distinct pleasure of watching people go back to the table for seconds (and thirds). I wish I could claim the recipe as my own, but I can't. It's an adaption of the "Vanishing Oatmeal Cookie" recipe off an old box of Quaker Oats. I'm not even sure if they include that recipe on the canisters anymore, but I've had it written down since I was a teenager. It's my go-to oatmeal cookie.

If you think you're not a butterscotch fan, give these cookies a try and see if they can change your mind. I know they changed mine!

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Scotchies

by Crazy for Crust

(Adapted from Quaker Oats)

6022463

Ingredients (3-4 dozen, depending on size)

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups oats (quick-cooking)
• 1 cup butterscotch chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.
2. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the oats and butterscotch chips.
4. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto your prepared baking sheets. I like to use a 2 tablespoon sized ice cream scoop for this so the cookies will all be the same size.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool five minutes and then remove from pan to cool completely.

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This recipe is linked with:

Oatmeal Cookie Truffles

In our family, January and February are on birthday overload. There are seven of them during the two months. Since all but one of them live far away, we do lots of shipping in these months. Regardless if a gift is being given, I like to send a birthday treat to each person for their special day. I can't very well send a cake in a box, so I'm always trying to find new recipes that are good for shipping. Cookies travel well, but after the holidays I was tired of making cookies.

The first birthday girl is my niece, and she told me once she loves Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. I've made them for her several times and I wanted to find something new. Over Christmas two different blogs I read posted recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles, using egg-free cookie dough. My mind immediately turned to Oatmeal Cookies. Could I do the same thing with them?

The result? YES YOU CAN. And they are delicious. My niece barely managed to snag a few in her birthday box. And that was probably only because it was right after the New Year and I was trying to be good. Because if I made these for her today, I doubt she'd have gotten any.

After doing some searching, I learned you can substitute milk for eggs in recipes, so that you don't have to worry about eating raw eggs. Many of the places I searched mentioned about 4 tablespoons of milk for each egg. I used my favorite Oatmeal Cookie recipe, from Quaker Oats. I've been making these cookies since I was a kid.

I have a feeling that I'm going to be making lots of cookie dough truffles in the future. What just popped into my head? Those peanut butter cookies from last week. Made into a truffle. Hmmm...gotta go!

Oatmeal Cookie Truffles

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients:

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

3-4 tablespoons milk (start with 3, add an additional tablespoon if needed)

½ teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups oats

1 package chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)

Cream together butter and sugars until creamy.  Add milk and vanilla, beat well. Add flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well. Stir in oats.

Scoop into even sized drops and roll into balls onto a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill for about a half hour. Meanwhile, melt half of your chocolate chips. (I used the microwave. Heat on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring each time.) You only want to do half the chocolate at a time in case it seizes up. Chocolate can be tricky and sometimes (whether it’s from being in the refrigerator or just because of the ingredients in the dough) it can get clumpy and become unusable during dipping (this is often due to water getting in the chocolate). I prefer to do half the chocolate at a time so I don’t ruin all my chocolate if this happens.

Dip the oatmeal cookie balls in the chocolate and place on the cookie sheet. Chill in the refrigerator until hardened.

Try not to eat them all at once. :)

Source: Oatmeal cookie recipe adapted from Quaker

Recipe printed from CrazyforCrust.com