Pumpkin Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Sunday was the first time I’ve ever been tailgating, and it was a blast. Hubby’s family supplied most of the food, but I really wanted to contribute something, so I was trying to think of portable desserts. Brownies, cookies – anything bite-size, really. I settled on cookies since I already had some chocolate chip cookies lying around, but I also wanted to make something a little different and fun for fall. So, I came up with these pumpkin cranberry oatmeal cookies, and I have to say that they’re definitely going on my list of things to make each year. They’re very soft, which I think is my favorite part about them, but they also make me feel like I’m eating just a little bit healthy. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

  • 2 sticks butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 6 ounces dried cranberries

First, grab the 2 sticks of butter, and stick them in the microwave for about 20 seconds to soften them.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar.

Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Slowly beat in the vanilla and pumpkin.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Beat the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture, half at a time.

Pour in the oats, and then stir them in.

Finally, mix in the cranberries. Then, and this is important – cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

 

When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into balls and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the tops of the cookies, and then gently flatten each cookie with a fork.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2-3 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yum!