Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies - Soft, Chewy & Perfect for the Fall

 

Soft and chewy Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies, loaded with oats, chocolate chips, cranberries, coconut and pumpkin seeds.  The perfect cozy fall cookie recipe. Prepare to fall in love!

 

As soon as the temperatures start to fall and the leaves start to turn and drop, I find myself reaching for recipes filled with warm spices and comforting flavours. These Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies are everything I love about autumn baking and flavours, all wrapped in one delicious cookie. Soft and chewy, they're packed with the wholesome goodness of oats, sweet chocolate chips, tart cranberries, crunchy pumpkin seeds (I used pecans) and just enough coconut to add a lovely extra layer of texture and flavour.

What makes these cookies especially wonderful is the balance of flavours and textures in every bite. Pumpkin spice and cinnamon bring cozy warmth, while the oats create a satisfying chewiness that pair beautifully with the bursts of semi-sweet chocolate and tangy cranberries. They are also not overly sweet, making them ideal for an afternoon coffee break, a lunchbox treat, or a cozy evening with a hot drink.

These cookies come together with simple pantry ingredients and fill the kitchen with the most inviting aroma as they bake. if you are looking for a cookie that celebrates all the best flavours of autumn, you have just found it. One batch and you are sure to understand just why these are destined to become a seasonal favourite in your kitchen and mine!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE

🍪❤️PUMPKIN SPICE OATMEAL COOKIES🍪❤️

There is nothing really complicated about this recipe. Its simple and delicious using simple ingredients put together in the tastiest of ways.

3/4 cup (90g) all purpose, plain flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp pumpkin spice (see notes)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (114g) butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup (100g) soft light brown sugar, packed

2 TBS granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (135g) rolled oats

1/2 cup (85g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup (24g) shredded sweetened coconut

1/3 cup (40g) dried cranberries

1/4 cup (32g) pumpkin seeds

 

🍪❤️NOTED ON INGREDIENTS🍪❤️

All Purpose Flour

Provides structure and helps to hold all of the delicious mix ins together.

Baking Soda

Also called Bicarbonate of Soda. Gives the cookies a little lift and helps to create a tender texture.

Pumpkin Spice

A cozy blend of warm spices that brings classic autumn flavours to every bite. (See recipe notes to learn how to make your own blend.)

Ground Cinnamon

Adds extra warmth and enhances the pumpkin spice beautifully.

Salt

Helps to balance the sweetness and makes the other flavours sing.

Butter

Creates rich flavour and contributes to the chewy, tender texture of these cookies.

Brown Sugar

Adds sweetness along with a subtle caramel-like flavour, helping to keep the cookies soft.

Granulated Sugar

Provides sweetness as well as helping to create light, crisp edges.

Egg

Binds the ingredients together keeping the moist and giving them structure.

Vanilla

Enhances all of the warm spice and chocolate flavours.

Rolled Oats

The heart of these cookies, adding chewiness, texture, and wholesome flavour.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Little pockets of chocolate that pair beautifully with the warm spices.

Sweetened Shredded Coconut

Adds sweetness and a subtle tropical note along with extra texture.

Dried Cranberries

Provide chewy bursts of tart-sweet flavour that brighten the cookies

Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas)

Add a delightful crunch and reinforce the cozy autumn theme (I could not find these so I used toasted pecans)

 

🍪❤️HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN SPICE OATMEAL COOKIES🍪❤️

These are a simple cookie to make, but do beware that you need to chill the dough for a time before baking to help give you the perfect texture and prevent them from spreading too  much.

1. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl. (flour, salt, spices and baking soda) Set aside. (I just use a small wire whisk.)
2. Cream the butter and both sugars together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. (2 to 3 minutes)
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla, beating until smooth. (scrape bowl if necessary)
4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in the oats by hand. (This helps to prevent overmixing and a tough cookie.)
5. Stir in the chocolate chips, coconut, cranberries and pumpkin seeds, again by hand.
6. Cover and then chill the dough for at least 45 minutes. (I just scraped it all into a zip lock baggie. You can chill these for up to 4 days before baking, apparently.)
7. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with some baking parchment.
8. Scoop out large balls of the chilled dough (2 to 3 TBS each). Roll into balls and place onto the baking sheets two to three inches apart. (This will help to prevent them from baking together.)
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 14 to 15 minutes. (When done they should be set and the bottoms just turning golden brown.)
10. Leave to sit on the baking sheets for 8 to 10 minutes before scooping off onto a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Store in an airtight container. (These also freeze well, for up to three months.)

🍪❤️HINTS & TIPS FOR COOKIE BAKING SUCCESS🍪❤️

These hints and tips are sure to help you make the best cookies ever. 

• Use flat cookie sheets without sides for even baking.
• Place cookies at least 2-inches apart on baking sheets to allow for spreading.
• Use a sheet of baking parchment or a light spritz of cooking spray to grease your cookie sheets. It's not necessary to repeat this step for every batch but do wipe off any crumbs or sugar from the surface before adding the next batch. 
• Place your cookie sheets in the middle of the oven.
• Make sure the sides of your cookie sheets don't touch the edges of the oven so that heat can circulate evenly and properly.
• Pay particular attention to bake times.  An extra minute or two can make a big difference to the end result since cookies are for the most part quite small and bake quickly. Always aim to underbake rather than overbake. Cookies do continue to bake after you remove them from the oven.   

 

🍪❤️FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS🍪❤️ 

for most cookies

CRISP OR CHEWY COOKIES?

If you prefer crisp cookies, press the dough flat with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar prior to baking.  If you want soft chewy cookies, remove them from the oven about 2 minutes before they are done as they will continue to bake on the hot cookie sheet. If you want crisp cookies bake them for 2 minutes longer.

HOW CAN I KEEP MY COOKIES FROM SPREADING TOO MUCH?

• Don't substitute butter for shortening in a recipe which calls for shortening. shortening has a higher melting point, which means it doesn't liquify as quickly, and does a better job of holding the ingredients together. High butter cookie = a cookie that spreads.
• Grease your baking sheets only if the recipe requests you to do so. Most cookies will not stick unless they contain large amounts of butter or sugar.
• Make sure you preheat your oven before baking. If the oven is not hot enough the fat in the cookies will melt before the other ingredients have time to set up.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO STORE COOKIES?

Cool cookies completely before storing. Pack them in single layers between wax or parchment paper to prevent sticking. Do NOT store crisp and soft cookies together in the same container. Store in an airtight container.

HOW DO I FREEZE COOKIES PROPERLY?

To freeze cookies, place them into airtight containers or freezer bags, again with a layer of wax paper or parchment paper in between the layers.  Again, do not store soft and crisp cookies together. They will keep up to six months frozen. Label properly with the type and the date baked/frozen.

  

🍪❤️A FEW OTHER COOKIE RECIPES TO ENJOY🍪❤️

If you are a cookie monster like I am, then you might also enjoy the following delicious options! 

QUARTER CUP COOKIES -  These incredibly moreish cookies are made from exactly 1/4 cup of each of the main cookie ingredients, aside from the flavorings and soda. The end result is a delicious cookie that everyone enjoys. They were originally called 10 cup cookies, but that made far too many cookies for me, so I reduced everything to 1/4 cup!

LEVAIN BAKERY OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES - A copycat recipe of the infamous Levain Bakery cookies. These are excellent oatmeal raisin cookies. The recipe makes nine very large cookies.  Each one weighing in at almost half a pound each. These are a real indulgence, with plenty of nutty oats and sweet raisins. You could make them smaller but then they wouldn't be Levain. 

 

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Yield: 15 large cookies

Author: Marie Rayner

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies

Prep time: 1 H & 15 MCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

Delicious cookies loaded with chocolate chips, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds and moreish Pumpkin Spice.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (90g) all purpose, plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp pumpkin spice (see notes)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (114g) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 TBS granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (135g) rolled oats
• 1/2 cup (85g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup (24g) shredded sweetened coconut
• 1/3 cup (40g) dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup (32g) pumpkin seeds

Instructions

1. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl. (flour, salt, spices and baking soda) Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and both sugars together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. (2 to 3 minutes)
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla, beating until smooth. (scrape bowl if necessary)
4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in the oats by hand.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips, coconut, cranberries and pumpkin seeds, again by hand.
6. Cover and then chill the dough for at least 45 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with some baking parchment.
8. Scoop out large balls of the chilled dough (2 to 3 TBS each). Roll into balls and place onto the baking sheets two to three inches apart.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 14 to 15 minutes.
10. Leave to sit on the baking sheets for 8 to 10 minutes before scooping off onto a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice: Mix together 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp ground allspice, 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of ground mace or ground cardamom. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months. 

You can find a complete list of my spice mixes, etc. here. Make Your Own

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