Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Cookies

You know what? I love Target. Not a surprise, because I think we all feel that way. You can buy almost anything there, and now with the semi-recent additions of a grocery section you can justify a  trip there almost daily -- much to my husband's chagrin. But don't worry, I usually only make it there once a week.

Anyway, what I really love most about good 'ol Target is that they always seem to have the newest grocery products. I can always count on them to have the newest seasonably appropriate flavors of International Delight coffee creamers, the trendy Chobani Greek Yogurt Flips and of course the best selection of holiday appropriate candy!

Enter the Toll House Pumpkin Spice baking morsels (I hate that word, morsels. Yuck):



My mother-in-law told me about them last week and so I had to run out on Saturday and pick me up a bag. And what do you do with baking morsels? You bake! So I decided to whip up some Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice cookies with them. And you guys, they did NOT disappoint!

They're soft and chewy in all the right ways and perfectly pumpkiny! I hope you're ready for Fall and all things pumpkin because you're going to want to make these!

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INGREDIENTS: 
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 white flour
1 1/2 cups oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
1 cup Nestle Toll House Pumpkin Pie Spice baking morsels
3/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)
3/4 cup chocolate chunks (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. First take out all of your ingredients, preheat your oven and make sure your butter is sitting out. Next put the oats, flours, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium size bowl -- stir to combine. Set aside.

2. Combine sugars and butter in a large bowl and use a hand mixer, or a stand mixer if you have it, to beat them together. Do this just until they are well mixed and fluffy.

3. Next add the egg, vanilla, pumpkin and beat together until combined.

At this point in the cookie making process I started to worry that the cookies might be too pumpkin flavored (is that possible?), so I thought some chocolate would help cut the flavors a bit. I didn't have chocolate chips on hand, so I used what I had, which was two 1.5 oz Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars. I unwrapped them and threw them in the blender for a few seconds to create chunks. This step is totally optional though.

4. Now you can mix in your Pumpkin Spice Morsels and whatever other add ins you desire -- I added 3/4 cup chocolate chunks and 3/4 dried cranberries. Make sure you mix these ingredients by hand using a wooden spoon -- the paddles on a mixer are too harsh and might break down the chips.

5. Now scoop them out onto a prepared baking sheet. I like to use my MIU baking mats to line my cookie sheets, but you could also use parchment paper. Scoop out balls of cookie dough using either a tablespoon or cookie scoop.

6. Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Let cool on a baking rack before serving.

These go perfectly with a hot cup of coffee! Enjoy!