Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Malted Butterscotch Filling
 
Ingredients
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
  • 1 c. (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 1⅓ c., plus 1 T. Light Brown Sugar, packed
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 1 T. Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 2 c. AP Flour
  • 1 t. Baking Soda
  • 1½ t. Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 t. Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • ½ t. Salt
  • 2½ c. Oats
Malted Butterscotch Filling
  • 1 c. Butterscotch Chips
  • 2½ T. Unsalted Butter, cut into chunks
  • ⅓ c., plus 2 T. Plain (not chocolate-flavored) Malted Milk Powder
  • 1½ ounces Cream Cheese, softened and cut into chunks
  • 3 T. Milk
  • 1½ t. Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
For the Cookies:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt and oats together. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture. Chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight.
  3. Roll dough into 1½-2" balls and place two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 9-10 minutes (9 minutes was perfect for me), rotating pans half-way through. Let them sit on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Filling:
  1. In a medium bowl, microwave the butterscotch chips and butter at 20 second intervals, stirring between each, until completely melted and smooth. Cool to warm. In an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese and malted milk powder until well blended and completely smooth. Beat in half the butterscotch mixture just until incorporated. Beat in the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until well blended. Beat in the remaining butterscotch mixture and the vanilla until evenly incorporated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until somewhat thickened but not stiff. (The recipe then calls for you to beat the filling on high speed until light in color and very fluffy, about three minutes. I accidentally missed that step. Oops. So it's up to you, but I'd recommend NOT skipping that step.)
  2. Spread about 1½ tablespoons of the filling on the underside of half of the cookies and then top with the remaining cookies. These can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
Serves 25
Recipe by DessertedPlanet.com at http://dessertedplanet.com/pumpkin-oatmeal-cookies-with-malted-butterscotch-filling/