Pumpkin Scotchies

How is your October going?  Mine has been fantastic.  I'm burning my cinnamon, fall flavored candles, I'm enjoying the brisk weather, and my scary movie-watching has escalated to crazy person standards.  I've been watching one each day in the month of October, as many other weirdos are wont to do, and it's been a lot of fun.

I haven't been baking quite as much as I ought to be, but I'm keeping busy.  I did manage to find time somewhere between "Insidious" and "The Pact" to bake these up.

At first glance, I wasn't impressed with the recipe.  I thought it needed something else.  Pecans maybe?  But no, as it turns out, pumpkin, oatmeal, and butterscotch chips are the perfect combination that makes for a soft, awesome fall cookie.  They are slightly reminiscent of those Oatmeal Cream Pies from my childhood...and I mean that in the best way possible.

Even if you're not a huge butterscotch fan (I'm not)...give them a try, they are great.

Pumpkin Scotchies

(adapted from the girl who ate everything)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup butter (2 sticks) unsalted, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

3 cups old fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

Preheat the oven to 375.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, at medium speed, beat butter until smooth and fluffy.  Add sugars and beat again on medium until fluffy and blended.  Add eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla.  Mixture should look light and fluffy.

Slowly add flour mixture to the wet ingredients, beating after each addition, only until flour disappears.  After all the flour has been added, stir in oats, then butterscotch chips.

On a cookie sheet lined with parchment, using a cookie scoop (if you don't have a cookie scoop, refrigerate dough about an hour to firm it up, making it easier to work with), drop rounded balls about 1 Tbsp in size onto lined cookie sheet.  

Bake 8-9 minutes, or until just starting to brown.  Remove from oven and allow to sit on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.