#2,813: Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast is the one meal I really struggle to eat sometimes because I don't sit down and eat.  I'm always either eating on the go, or while doing something else (lately it's usually cooking!), so anything that is pre-made for me and quick is what I'll gravitate towards.  I found a recipe for healthy breakfast cookie...all you had to say way "cookie" and my ears would perk up.  Adding the word pumpkin in there makes me listen even harder.  I've got to say, these are a bit strange but I like them.  I'd like them more if they were loaded with chocolate chunks and peanut butter, but I suppose that wouldn't be the same.  I still did like these though, and they are making an easy breakfast for me!  My kids wouldn't even try them, but I really didn't expect them to.  

1/4 cup coconut oil melted

1/4 cup honey

1 cup rolled old-fashioned oats

1 cup quick cooking oats

2/3 cup dried cranberries unsweetened

2/3 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 eggs beaten

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet.

In a small bowl warm coconut oil and honey (either microwave, inside preheating oven or on the stove top).

In a large bowl combine both kinds of oats, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, ground flax, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Add pumpkin puree, eggs and warmed coconut oil and honey. Stir until fully combined.

Drop about 1/8 cup sized scoops of the mixture onto a cookie sheet and flatten (cookies won't spread while baking). Bake for about 15-20 minutes until edges are lightly browned.

Let cookies cool on baking sheet before moving to an airtight storage container.

#2,793: Almond flour chocolate chip cookies

I don't know if you all enjoy the taste of almond flour as much as I do, but I might get a little too excited when I see it used in a recipe.  So since I happened to have some on hand (I usually do!), I figured I'd give these almond flour chocolate chip cookies a try.  I'm a fan of raw cookie dough, and this cookie dough was no exception (I know...you aren't supposed to eat raw cookie dough!!).  These are quite good...they are NOT as good however when you forget they are in the oven until you smell them burning and are shocked to see you never took the last batch out!  I might have almost cried (and then got Young Living Purification Oil going in my diffuser to get that burned smell out of my house).  

Although mine look NOTHING like the original posters recipe, I'll still make (and eat) them again.  

1 + 1/4 cups almond flour

1/2 cup ground flaxseed meal

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/4 cup avocado oil (or baking oil of choice)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Mix until ingredients are well combined.

In a separate medium bowl, combine egg, oil and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, gently folding all the ingredients together until well combined.

Fold in mini chocolate chips.

Cover dough and place in fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or reusable silicone mat.

Using your hands, roll about 1-inch dough balls and place on baking sheet. The cookies will not spread, so they do not need much space between them.

Gently press each dough ball to slightly flatten it (do not flatten all the way, just a little).

Bake for 7-9 minutes until tops begin to brown and dough is set.

Allow cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooking rack to cool completely.

#2,784: Gluten Free Black Bean Cookies

These cookies were really easy to make, but they are quite different. I loved the concept of being made with black beans and sneaking in some healthier ingredients for my kids, but I'll be honest, I didn't love these....however my kids did.  I was super shocked!  Personally, I think this recipe needed more sugar, but if my kids are fans, I'll take it! 

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 egg (50 g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled briefly

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the black beans, butter and egg and pulse until mostly smooth. Add the vanilla, sugar, baking soda, salt and melted chocolate, and pulse again until smooth. The cookie dough at this point should be the consistency of hummus. Add the cocoa powder and pulse until the mixture is well-combined. The consistency should be more like fudge. Add most of the chocolate chips (about 3 ounces) and mix by hand until the chips are evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.

Using a spring-loaded cookie scoop or two spoons, scoop portions of the dough about 2 tablespoons each and place about 2 inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheet. Using the back of a moistened spoon, spread each portion of cookie dough into a round about 1/2-inch thick. Sprinkle the top of each piece of dough with a few more chocolate chips. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill for about 10 minutes or until mostly firm to the touch.

Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cookies have taken on a crackled appearance and are mostly firm to the touch, about 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet. They’ll be quite fragile when they’re warm.

#2,783: Apple Sauce Puffs

This got super mixed reviews in our house.  I thought these were dry and just OK, but my kids loved them.  I'll be honest, I'm not really sure why?!  On the first bite, when you get the cinnamon and sugar topping, it's so good, but then you keep eating it and it's super dry.  The kids asked me to make them again though so they must have really liked them and were not just being nice.  Let's be honest, they will always tell me if something is just OK or if they don't like them! Would I make these again, probably not.  They were definitely easy though.  I made homemade biscuit mix because I didn't have any on hand (and it's cheaper) and I also tried making these with a homemade gluten free biscuit mix (those were even drier!). 

2 c. Bisquick

¾ c. sugar (divided)

3 t. cinnamon (divided)

½ c. applesauce

¼ c. milk

1 egg

2 T. oil

5 T. melted butter

Combine Bisquick, ¼ cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Stir in applesauce, milk, egg and oil until well mixed. Fill greased muffin pan ⅔ full (I put parchment paper on my baking pan and just used a cookie scoop AND I tried making these as muffins.  The cookies were better and easier in my opinion).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 min or until lightly browned on the bottom.

In a bowl mix ½ c. sugar with 2 t. cinnamon.

Dip hot puffs in bowl of melted butter and then in bowl of cinnamon sugar.

#2,673: No-Bake Coconut Almond Keto Cookies

The actual name of this recipe is coconut fat bombs, but that just sounds so unhealthy so I cannot and will not call them that.  I'm going with No Bake Coconut Almond Keto Cookies instead.  :)  These cookies are so simple to make and I just leave them in my freezer and grab a cookie whenever the mood strikes me.  Actually, I still have quite a few of these in my freezer still (you really only need one at a time...unlike something like Oreos which I can never seem to just eat one of).  My kids haven't tried these because I haven't let them.  LOL  I'm not into sharing cookies!  Kind of like the Friends episode where Joey doesn't share his food!.  

1 cup shredded coconut unsweetened

3 tbsp virgin coconut oil

1 tbsp stevia or granulated sugar sweetener of choice
2 oz softened cream cheese

½ tsp vanilla extract

1/8 cup sliced almonds

Put the coconut, coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla in a blender and mix them together.  Add the cream cheese and mix again.  Mix in your almonds with a spoon (don't blend it!).  I used a cookie scoop but you can just use your hands to roll into small balls (think just smaller than a ping pong ball).

Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and freeze for several hours.  I personally like these directly out of the freezer but you could keep them in the fridge too. 

#2,665: Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

I needed a recipe to take to book club a few weeks ago, so I figured I'd give these guys a try.  Let me tell you, I put some leftover ones in my freezer, and these are good frozen.  Don't tell my kids or they might try to start sneaking one every now and then.  These are super easy to make and I love the texture of the almond meal because it gives it a little bit of a crunch.  Definitely on my "make-again" list! Ok, I don't really have a make again list because it gives me an excuse to keep trying new recipes, but I WOULD make this again.  HA! 

1/2 cup softened salted butter (I used unsalted...it was all I had)

1/3 cup sweetener of choice (I used swerve sugar substitute)

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350º F and spray two baking sheets with coconut oil baking spray. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer, beat together butter and sweetener. Add eggs one at a time, beating for one minute and scraping the bowl after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.

Add almond flour and baking soda and mix until thoroughly combined. Fold in chocolate chips with a spatula.

Use a cookie scoop to portion out 18 cookies, dividing them between the two prepared pans. (My scoop must be smaller because I got more like 3 dozen cookies!) It's alright if they're fairly close together because they won't spread much.

Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes (mine needed a good 10!), cool on pans for five minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or in the freezer.

#2,663: Flourless (GF) Pumpkin Cookies

Ignore the weird orange color these cookies give off.  Yes they really do look like that, but I'll be a tiny bit honest...that makes me happy because that means the kids are actually going to get a veggie in them when they eat these!  :)  My kids love helping make no-bake oatmeal balls and ask to make them often.  I love that this is even easier because there's less ingredients and they don't make as much of a mess on their hands trying to form them.  

We really like these!  And if you freeze them to eat later, make sure you let them thaw first or pop them into the microwave for a few seconds, otherwise you won't even be able to bite into them! 

2 cups gluten free quick oats (or whatever oats you have on hand!)

1 cup pumpkin puree 

1/4 cup granulated sweetener of choice (I used swerve sugar substitute)

Cinnamon (optional; I just sprinkled a little bit in)

Chocolate chips or nuts (optional, I threw in some mini chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a baking tray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, pumpkin, cinnamon (if using), and granulated sweetener of choice and mix well. Add the chocolate chips or nuts if desired. 

I changed this step so my suggestion is next!  Using your hands, form into small balls and place on the baking tray and press each ball into a cookie shape. 

Forget that....that's too messy.  I used a cookie scoop and just portioned out mounds of dough.  Then I flattened with my hand at the end and just made sure each one was relatively compacted.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Remove and allow to cool completely.  You can store in a container up to a week (yeah right!), or just throw them in the freezer after they cool completely.  

#2,652: 5 Minute Keto No Bake Cookies

I needed a dessert to take to a friends house and I was making it super last minute (like 20 minutes before I walked out the door!).  I had just about everything I needed for this recipe (I was a little short on the coconut) so I figured I'd give it a try!  I love these little no bake cookies.  I actually keep them in my freezer and just grab one out every once in a while.  :)  They are right next to the kids no-bake energy balls so they better not be sneaking them!  I literally whipped this recipe up in about 10 minutes (from start to finish).  So good!  Ps...the recipe below makes about 18 little cookies. 

2 tablespoons real butter

2/3 cup all natural peanut butter or your choice of nut butter

1 cup unsweetened all natural shredded coconut

4 drops of vanilla stevia or sweetener of your choice (I used 1 packet of stevia)
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)

Melt butter in microwave.  Stir in peanut butter.  Add sweetener and coconut. Add in the cocoa powder if you want to make these chocolate-y!  (I did!) Mix well.

Spoon about a ping pong ball size amount of batter onto sheet pan that has been lined with wax paper.  Freeze for 5-10 minutes.

You can store these in the refrigerator or freezer. 

#2,727: Leftover Frosting Cookies

So after I reused the leftover cake from my husband's grandmas 92nd birthday, I could NOT just throw away the frosting.  And I certainly didn't need to make myself sick eating it all.  So I went on a hunt to find a way to use up the frosting.  Clearly there had to be a recipe out there that uses leftover frosting!  I knew I couldn't just freeze it, and I couldn't use it on other baked goods (since it was already decorated), so I found a way to bake with it!  

Although these aren't the best (nor the sweetest) cookies I've ever had, they reminded us all of the ricotta cookies we make at Christmas, AND no one in my family objected to these, and they seemed to disappear quite quickly.  I made a glaze out of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla, and dipped each cookie in the frosting before adding some sprinkles for color.  You will notice that the cookies have a little bit of a grey tint to it...that's because there was a little bit of leftover cake stuck to the frosting (obviously it's from the chocolate cake pieces!), so if you used plain leftover frosting, or actually got all of the cake pieces off your frosting, it probably would be a bit lighter/brighter/whiter.  :)

As I stated above, you would think these would be sickly sweet, but it really isn't.  So if you like less-sweet cookies, you might really, really enjoy these!  Personally, I think the glaze/colored sugar helps.  Also, I doubled the recipe below and I got four dozen cookies out of it.  

1/2 cup of leftover frosting

1 cup flour

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix everything together.  Place 12 roughly even scoops of cookie dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned. Cool on a cooling rack. 

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar

milk

splash of vanilla

sprinkles or colored sugar

In a small bowl slowly stir milk into the powdered sugar until it creates a glaze thin enough to be spread over the cookies (like maybe 1/8 cup). Dip the cooled cookies into the glaze, and then top with sprinkles/colored sugar.

#2,724: Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies (Eggless)

I'm pretty sure I found this recipe somewhere floating around facebook.  Since we always have an abundance of over-ripe bananas, this looked super easy and quite yummy.  I ran out of regular chocolate chips so I just threw in mini chocolate chips.  Then I realized I didn't buy just peanut butter chips, I bought a milk chocolate/peanut butter combo.  I could have just used the whole bag of those!  Whatever...instead we have some mini chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips.

These are delicious!  They are super moist and soft and my kids loved them.  It made over 4 dozen cookies so I have a bunch in our freezer now to ration them out.  :)  I will definitely be making these again! 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp corn starch

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 medium ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter chips

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, corn starch, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Cream butter, bananas, and sugars together until combined.  Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.  Stir in chocolate and peanut butter chips.  Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Use a cookie scoop to scoop out cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or just until they start to turn light, golden brown on top.

Let cookies cool completely on cookie sheets (I let it cool for about 5-10 minutes then moved them to a cooling rack).  Store in airtight containers for up to a week.

#2,693: Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

Like I mentioned in my previous recipe/post, I was told to bring a dessert to Easter this year, and since the traditional Lamb Cake was already being made, I wanted to make some sort of cookie.  Not being the best baker (because I don't do well with exact measurements), I figured this recipe looked easy enough for me to handle, and for the kids to help out with. This dough needs to be chilled for at least 2 hours in the fridge, but can be made up to 5 days in advance (although that seems like an awfully long time to prep it and then leave it in the fridge.  We wouldn't have any dough left if I waited 5 days to make it.  

To make this easier to handle when cold, right after you make this dough (prior to refrigerating it) portion out each cookie amount and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet (with each cookie dough ball right next to one another so you could get a lot on one sheet), then cover it with foil and put it in the fridge until the next day.  

When ready to bake, pull them out of the fridge for about 10 minutes and then place on a separate cookie sheet spread out so they were about 2 inches apart from one another.   

By the way, these are REALLY good cookies.  There are a lot of M and M's in this dough (an entire bag of them!!), and I made these more on the smaller side for a cookie, but it was a great grab-and-go snack/dessert.  

PS: I'm super thankful that this isn't my year to make the Lamb Cake and that I have probably 3 more years until I have to do it again!  Here's a pic of my Lamb Cake the last time I had to make it.  That poor lamb.  His head kept leaning more and more until it completely fell off! 

  

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch salt, optional and to taste

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate M and Ms (or another variety of M and Ms, or chocolate chips may be substituted)

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes).

Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.  Add the M and Ms and fold in by hand.

Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping mounds. Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds very slightly with your palm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread.

Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat, parchment, or spray with cooking spray, and place them on the baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly under cooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than ten minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool.

Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

#2,040: Ricotta Cheese Cookies

For the past 2 years, my daughter needed to bring cookies for a cookie exchange to her religious ed class.  I needed to find recipes that were nut free, didn't use a ton of ingredients, and were easy enough for her to do by herself so that I didn't have an extra "to-do" list item on my own busy schedule!  I found this recipe which not only required getting some ricotta cheese (everything else I had on hand), but also claimed to make 100 cookies, so I knew we'd have plenty for a cookie exchange.  I got all of the ingredients ready for her and set her out to make these herself! 

These were really easy to make, but we only got about 60 out of these, compared to the 100 that the recipe claims to make.  I also did not heat up the milk and powder sugar mixture, as I figured it would be harder for my kids to frost on their own.  Plus, I didn't think heating it up would make that much of a difference to just stirring it together cold.    

We were definitely fans of these cookies though.  They aren't my favorite Christmas cookie, but I would certainly eat and make these again. 

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

1 (15 ounce) container of ricotta cheese

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups all-purpose flour

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

milk
I also added a little bit of lemon juice to the mixture

sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all of the cookie ingredients well until the dough sticks together into a big ball. It will be sticky. Drop by teaspoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until the bottoms turn golden brown. Let cool for 1 minute and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

In a small saucepan slowly stir milk into the powdered sugar until it creates a glaze thin enough to be spread over the cookies. Stir over low heat then spread over cooled cookies. Quickly top with sprinkles.

#2,036: Two-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

I needed to bring something to work for a potluck/snack-type event, and wanted something that was super easy to throw together, that wouldn't require me being in the kitchen for very long.  I found this recipe which used a tub of Pillsbury Gluten Free Cookie Dough and peanut butter cups.  Uh, yes please, this sounded easy enough!  I doubled the recipe to use a 9x13 pan, and also used 2 tubes of regular chocolate chip cookie dough instead of the gluten free version.  I cut the dough into equal size circles and let them sit out on the counter for a few minutes to soften up.  Then I laid them in the pan and pushed them together to form one large cookie bar.  

These seriously are super delicious!  I had to put the leftovers in a container to take to work because we would have eaten them all!  

2 tubes (16.5 oz each) of chocolate chip cookie dough
11 oz package of mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped (you will need about half of the package)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.

Press three-quarters of the dough into the base of the pan to create a smooth, flat, even base layer. Reserve the remainder.

Evenly place peanut butter cups on top of dough, about 1 inch apart.  

Haphazardly crumble the reserved dough over the top in marble-sized pieces.

Bake for 13 to 14 minutes, or until edges have set and top is just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center.  (I cooked mine for about 16 minutes because they seemed too soft.  They are slightly undercooked, but SO good this way!)  Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing. As you can see from the photo above my chocolate was still soft and melty.  After I sliced them, I carefully placed them on a plate and put it in the fridge to finish cooling and firm up.  I left them in the fridge overnight. 

Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

#2,035: 3 Ingredient Cake Mix Cookies

I was looking for easy Christmas cookie recipes, and my co-worker/friend suggested these 3 ingredient cookies using cake mix and vegetable oil.  Ok, so it's 4 ingredients because you probably want to top with some sort of frosting or glaze.  I rolled mine in powder sugar before I baked them.  These are so simple, and very moist...and my kids are loving them.  I had 2 different cake mixes on hand, so I made a batch of German chocolate cookies, and fudge cake mix cookies.  We can definitely tell a difference in the two, and we all prefer the chocolate fudge ones more.  If you don't want to dip these in powder sugar, you could drizzle on (or dip them in) a powder sugar/milk glaze.  I also thought about sandwiching 2 of them with some vanilla frosting...maybe next time.  :) 

1 (18 1/4 ounce) box cake mix (any kind)

1⁄2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

confectioners' sugar or granulated sugar, for rolling (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir dry cake mix, oil, and eggs in a large bowl until dough forms.  Shape dough into 1" balls.  Roll balls in confectioners' sugar and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until center is JUST SET.

Remove from pans after a minute or so and cool on wire racks. 

#2,019: Banana Breakfast Cookies

I had a huge amount of bananas getting very ripe on my counter, so after making banana bread, I decided to try and find a healthier breakfast cookie recipe for my kids.  I loved this recipe because it only requires ripe bananas and rolled oats...no eggs, butter, sugar, etc.  I made half of the batch with just the bananas, oats, and some spices, and in the other half I also added some dark chocolate chips.  Although we enjoyed both versions immensely, we surprisingly all enjoyed the ones without chocolate chips better.  (Shocking!!) 

2 ripe bananas

1 cup rolled oats
I also added a few shakes of cinnamon and about 1 tbsp of vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a bowl mash the bananas until they’re all smashed.  Add in the oats, cinnamon, and vanilla.  (This is also where you would add in a handful or two of any desired additional add in such as chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, etc.).  Stir until fully combined.  

Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet, lightly spray with cooking spray.  Place 1 tbsp (I just use a smaller cookie scoop), of batter onto the parchment paper, per cookie.  These do not spread out so they can be closer together on your cookie sheet.  (Definitely don't overcrowd them though).  
Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are brown.  Let it sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.  

#1,876: Pumpkin and Oat Cookies

This recipe has been posted on my fridge for weeks now, just waiting for me to make it.  I found it in a recent issue of a magazine that was sent by our local grocery store.  I kept avoiding making this recipe because I figured I would love it.  Then my 10 year old asked if we could make it and I gave in.  I shouldn't have because I could have eaten all of these myself!  We ended up giving some away, and I let the kids eat a few for breakfast, packed up a bunch for their lunch, and kept letting them have one as a snack so I wouldn't eat any more.  The kids loved these as much as I did!  Hey at least the kids are getting in some pumpkin and oatmeal with these cookies!  Maybe that can ofset the sugar a little bit!!  :) 

2 1/2 c flour

1 1/4 c old fashioned oats

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

10 tbsp butter, softened

1 c brown sugar

2/3 c granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 c pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla

1 c chocolate chips 

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl beat the butter until creamy.  Add sugars and beat until fluffy.  Beat in egg, then pumpkin and vanilla.

Add flour mixture; mix until soft dough forms.  Beat in chocolate chips.  Refrigerate dough for 1 hour. 

Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and place on prepared baking sheets (12 to a sheet).  Bake until cookies are puffy and firm to the touch (12-15 minutes).  Cool on sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cookies will keep tightly covered in container for about 5 days.  

#1,850: Crackle Cookies

Here's what I love about this recipe....you can make it ahead of time and freeze (yes with the powedered sugar already on it) and it doesn't make a gigantic amount of cookies.

Here's what I hate about this recipe...it only makes 15 cookies!  Pay attention to that when you are making this recipe!  I did not pay attention to this in the original recipe and was shocked that I got so few cookies out of this.  Had I known, I would have doubled the batch (at least).  However, this probably played into my favor because I did not have any leftover batter to eat from the bowl, or to sneak a cookie off the tray here or there.

As soon as these cooled, I put them on a serving tray, wrapped them in plastic wrap AND foil, and stuck them in the freezer until Christmas Eve.  

These have the perfect chocolate flavor and a nice chewy consistency.  I am a huge fan!!  And it doesn't get powdered sugar all over the place when you eat it like some cookies do.  I will definitely be making these again!

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

Confectioners' sugar

In a bowl, beat sugar, oil, chocolate and vanilla until blended. Beat in egg. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into sugar mixture. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours or until firm enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 350°. With sugared hands (mine were not sugared and they turned out just fine), shape dough into 1-in. balls; roll in confectioners' sugar. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. 

Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. 

Yield: about 1-1/2 dozen.

#1,848: M&M Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

This batch made a lot of cookies (or I made them smaller than I should have!).  I needed 3 dozen cookies, so I made a batch and a half just to make sure I got enough...I probably got more like 8-9 dozen!  I had so many I was able to give extra to Allison's religious education class, plus make up 2 trays for Brian and I to take to school, put some in the freezer, AND threw away the first batch that burned.  We were making cookies forever!  

With that said though, these were really good.  I think I could have used more M and M's so that they were more dispersed throughout the cookies, but they were still good as is.  I would definitely make this again!

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter

1 tablespoon light corn syrup (such as Karo)

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 teaspoons baking soda

6 ounces chocolate chips

2/3 cup MandM's candies

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream sugars, butter, peanut butter and corn syrup on high speed until well combined. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, mix together oats and baking soda. Stir into peanut butter mixture until combined. Mix in chocolate chips and M and M's.

Using a standard-size ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets (about 9 per sheet). Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.