I know that I just posted a recipe for Key Lime Pie Ice Cream earlier this week, but the truth is I am already WAY into fall baking mode. After having several days of degrees well above 100 this summer, anything less than that seems cool and fall-ish in comparison even if it is still in the upper 80s! So now that it’s September, I am opening up the flood gates on everything pumpkin, apple and maple and the recipes are gonna come pouring out!
Let’s start with this recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. I initially wanted a chewy cookie but these were some of the puffiest, softest cake-like cookies that I have ever made. And that was ok by me. And they weren’t too sweet which was perfect because the butterscotch filling more than made up for any lack of sweetness in the cookie. I took these to a get-together and they got rave reviews all around and not one made it back home with me. Always a good sign.
Let the fall baking begin!
- 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
- 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
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.
*Malted Butterscotch Filling Adapted from The All-American Cookie Book
