More Pumpkin...

Tis the fall season & I wanted to try more pumpkin recipes. :) These are pumpkin oatmeal cookies from Vegan with a Vengeance. The description states: "These are soft out of the oven, but as they cool they are nice & chewy...These taste best when they've had some time to cool and set. They taste even better the next day!". Well, she was right about them being soft initially, so I'm still waiting for the "chewy". For some odd reason, I believe these are gonna still taste cake-like/muffins-like tomorrow (Did I overmix the batter - I don't think I did. Or maybe it's the reduced sugar or 1/4 whole wheat pastry?). Oh well, I am always on the hunt for chewy cookies & it seems particularly difficult to find gluten-free, wheat-free chewy vegan cookies. But I'm patient, I'm sure there will be more & more dessert resources for a stricter limited diet in bookstores near me. Meanwhile, I'll work with what I get. I halved the recipe in fear of getting cake-like cookies, good thing for me. I increased the spices to mirror her pumpkin muffins, which are delicious! These pair well with some vanilla rice milk.

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Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies w/ Walnuts
3/4 cup AP flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/16 tsp cloves

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tblspn molasses (2 1/4 tsp dark brown sugar + 3/4 tsp warm H2O)
1/2 cup (4 ounces) pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp flax meal

1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped

• Preheat oven 350F & prepare baking sheets.
• Sift & whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
• In a large bowl, whisk together wet ingredients until well combined.
• Slowly add dry ingredients into wet, in three batches & fold to combine.
• Add chips & walnuts.
• Place by large tablespoons (34 grams ball) on baking sheet. Flatten cookies to desired thickness, as these cookies do not spread, they only puff up.
• Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.
• Remove from oven & cool on wire rack. (She says these taste better cooled or on the next day.)
• Makes 18 cookies.
  

**These definitely taste better on the second day. I still would not categorize them as "chewy", but they're decent. They remind me of these low fat oatmeal cookies that I made for our neighbor a few months back.