If you're looking for chewy, soft oatmeal cookies packed with plenty of add-ins with incredible fall spice flavor, you are in the right place! These pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies are packed with chocolate chips, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and coconut!
The Thanksgiving leftovers are finding their places in the fridge. The Christmas lights are starting to twinkle. It's time to start thinking about holiday shopping. You know what that means, right? It's COOKIE BAKING TIME.
I'm here for the cookies this year. Aside from cake without frosting, cookies are my absolute favorite dessert. My good friend's Sally has a 3rd cookbook now, and it's all about cookies. It's called Sally's Cookie Addiction.
These pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies are like nothing I've ever tasted before. They're big, chunky cookies with lots of delicious add-ins, and the texture is perfection.
She uses a generous amount of pumpkin pie spice (plus an extra dose of cinnamon), copious vanilla extract, and a fun mix of cranberry, pepitas, oats and coconut flakes.
The Ingredients
- Flour. The best way to measure all-purpose flour is to fluff it in the container, scoop it with the ¾-cup measuring cup, and then use a butter knife to level the surface. This ensures an accurate measurement of about 95 grams (or 3.4 ounces).
- Baking Soda. A small amount of baking soda (½ teaspoon) helps the cookie rise and spread in the hot oven.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. This is a pre-made spice blend from the store that contains cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice.
- Cinnamon. An extra dose of cinnamon brings more warmth to these pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies.
- Butter. One stick of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.
- Brown Sugar. We're mainly using light brown sugar for this recipe, because the molasses makes oatmeal cookies extra chewy. You may use dark brown sugar, if that's all you have, because both work well here.
- Granulated Sugar. We do need 2 tablespoons of regular white granulated sugar in addition to the brown sugar, however.
- Egg. One large egg that has been resting at room temperature with the butter. To quickly bring an egg to room temperature, you can gently lower it into a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Vanilla Extract. One full teaspoon of vanilla extract sounds like a lot for a small batch cookie recipe, but it's perfect here. Always be sure to use real pure vanilla extract, not artificial.
- Oats. We need rolled oats, also called Old Fashioned oats. Do not use instant oats, and do not use steel-cut oats.
- Chocolate Chips. I reach for dark chocolate chips with at least 60% cacao for this recipe, because I think the cookies are sweet enough. You can use bittersweet or even milk chocolate chips, because it's your choice. You need ¾ cup of chocolate chips.
- Coconut. I'm calling for shredded, sweetened coconut flakes here, but you can also use a desiccated unsweetened coconut here to keep the sugar down slightly.
- Dried Cranberries. The tartness of dried cranberries is so delicious in these cookies, but you can also swap in raisins or dried cherries, if you prefer.
- Pepitas. The difference between pumpkin seeds and pepitas is that pepitas are pumpkin seeds with the shell removed. These are the bright green seeds you see in the store, and you can also see them in the photos. They're rich in iron and magnesium, so they're so good for you! Plus, they're a seed, making these pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies safe for those with nut allergies.
The Directions
- First, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt.
- Next, beat the softened butter until fluffy (about 1 minute), and then add the brown sugar and regular sugar. Beat this mixture until fluffy and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and continue to beat.
- Finally, begin to stir in all of the extra stuff: the oats, chocolate chips, coconut, dried cranberries, and pepitas.
- Next, chill the dough for at least 45 minutes, or up to 4 days. If you chill longer than 3 hours, let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes for attempting to scoop out cookie dough balls.
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and scoop out large (2-3 tablespoon dough balls), and place 2-inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes, and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Sally has generously allowed me to repost her recipe on my site here, but I think you're going to want to buy the book for all of her cookie recipes. It's such a great holiday gift, too! If I were you, I would package it up with a batch of these pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies, too!
This is my new go-to Fall cookie that I don't feel guilty about eating for breakfast because of all of the healthy extras.
How to Store Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies:
Since these cookies contain brown sugar, they stay soft and delicious for up to 7 days on the counter in airtight containers. I don't recommend freezing this dough ahead of time. However, because the dough has a chill time, you can make it and chill it in the fridge for up to 4 days before baking. Freshly baked cookies can be frozen flat in storage bags for up to 3 months and defrosted at room temperature on the counter before serving.
Questions about Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies:
Correct, this recipe is a pumpkin spice cookie that does not contain actual pumpkin. For amazing pumpkin cookie recipes, try my: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, or my Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies.
You can look in the recipe card for full nutritional information, but roughly: this recipe makes 15 cookies that clock in at about 200 calories each.
Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies
Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal cookies with cranberries, chocolate chips, and pumpkin seeds.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup shredded sweetened coconut
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together with an electric hand mixer the butter for 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar, and beat until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Next, add the egg and vanilla, and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl, and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the oats and mix to combine.
- Finally, stir in the chocolate chips, coconut, cranberries, and pepitas by hand.
- Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 45 minutes (and up to 4 days). If you chill longer than 3 hours, allow it to sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes before scooping.
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop large balls of dough (about 2-3 tablespoons each), and place 2-inches apart on the cookie sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 14-15 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven, and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
Storage: Since these cookies contain brown sugar, they stay soft and delicious for up to 7 days on the counter in airtight containers. I don't recommend freezing this dough ahead of time. However, because the dough has a chill time, you can make it and chill it in the fridge for up to 4 days before baking. Just be sure to let the cookie dough rest for at least 30 minutes on the counter before scooping if its been chilling longer than 3 hours. Freshly baked cookies can be frozen flat in storage bags for up to 3 months and defrosted at room temperature on the counter before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 205Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 176mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 3g
Carla Cueva says
I tried this recipe yesterday. They were really good, but don't look half as pretty as yours. The only thing is that I would have liked them to be a little more moist, and mine remained more domed, yours are a little more spread... Overall a very good recipe.
Christina Lane says
I'm glad you liked them, Carla! I pressed the cookies slightly flat before baking on the second time around. Sorry, I should have mentioned that!
For a more moist cookie, bake them 1-2 minutes less next time, and don't let the cool on the sheet :)
Mary says
Can you freeze these?
Gingerly Me says
These look divine! And yes, any cookie with oatmeal in it is automatically healthy. Plus, with these add-ins they are a totally acceptable breakfast. (You just read this on the internet so it must be true.)
Can't wait to try these out!
Liss says
It’s almost like there is something missing in this recipe. The cookies are dry and crumbly. Have to wonder if there was 1/4 cup pumpkin purée if they would be perfect. Taste great, but better crumbled over yogurt than eaten like a cookie. A little disappointed. Still a fan of Dessert for Two, though!
Christina Lane says
Hi, friend! So, I just double-checked the recipe from the cookbook, and the ingredient list is correct. The original recipe has 1 tablespoon of molasses in it, but I left it out because I halved the recipe. 1.5 teaspoons shouldn't make that much of a difference. But maybe? I made them a few times before sharing, and I'm about to make them again this week. I'll let you know how it goes.
Did you follow the scoop size? If you made super small or super large cookies, that can affect the final texture of the cookie. Also, is there a chance they were over-baked?