Great Pumpkin Cookies with Chocolate Chips

Seasonal or Anytime Treats with a Healthy Surprise

Dec 2, 2008 Karen 'Kai' Medders

Thick, soft chocolate-chunk and oatmeal cookies with a surprise ingredient: pumpkin! Perfect for seasonal baking, these delicious mounds are a cold-weather comfort.

Around the time of year when the air is turning cool and the holidays are looming on the horizon, the smell of pumpkin coming from the oven is enough to set stomachs growling. Rich, yet somehow light and fluffy, these baked delights taste decadent but are actually healthier than a traditional chocolate-chip cookie.

During autumn and winter, it is especially important to look for seasonal fruits and vegetables to fill out a healthy diet. Around the holidays there is a great deal of heavy, fat-laden food everywhere. Most people fill up on meats and starches, but do not get enough vitamins or good carbohydrates. These cookies are still desserts, but utilize a squash that is plentiful in the fall.

Health Benefits of Pumpkins

The classic pumpkin, a staple of an American harvest and a well-recognized symbol of Autumn, gets its bright orange color (when it is not white, green, or red, of course) from beta carotene, "which generates vitamin A in the body" (Wikipedia). Pumpkins are also a good source of iron, zinc, and fiber, according to Peggy Adamik on Associated Content.

Too many people carve a pumpkin for Halloween and then throw out the seeds and meat. There are numerous nutrients in both, and the meat of the pumpkin can be frozen for use later in the year. When home-made is not an option, however, it is even easier to just grab a can of pumpkin puree or pumpkin filling off of a grocery store shelf to use in these delicious cookies.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup instant oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 can pumpkin puree (of course, home-made is even better)
  • 1 cup (or more!) chocolate chunks

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Combine the flour, instant oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in one bowl. Set aside.
  3. Cream butter in a larger bowl with a hand or stand mixer.
  4. Gradually add the sugar and brown sugar to the butter; beat until light and fluffy.
  5. Add the egg and the vanilla extract and mix well.
  6. Alternate dry ingredients and pumpkin puree, blending well into butter mixture after each addition.
  7. Stir in the chocolate chunks last.
  8. Drop by spoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet (or use parchment paper).
  9. Bake ten to fifteen minutes, or until firm.

Variations

  • The dough can be molded into the shape of a pumpkin for a little visual flair. Drop 1/4 cup dough onto the baking sheet and add a little more for a stem. Use the edge of a spatula to draw ridges in the cookies to imitate those on a real-life pumpkin.
  • Try them iced with peanut butter or with cream cheese frosting!

The copyright of the article Great Pumpkin Cookies with Chocolate Chips in Baking & Desserts is owned by Karen 'Kai' Medders. Permission to republish Great Pumpkin Cookies with Chocolate Chips in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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