In the Oven: Pumpkin Harvest Dunking Cookies

Our next challenge is for Pumpkin Harvest Dunking Cookies – just in time for Autumn.

The next posting date is Sunday, 5 October.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup pumpkin puree (page 100)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces (1 cup) dried cranberries
6 ounces (about 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the egg, pumpkin, and and vanilla until incorporated.

Add half of the dry ingredients and mix for 15 seconds.  Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and beat for 5 more seconds.  Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the cranberries and chocolate chips.  Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a small ice cream scoop with release mechanism to scoop out dough in a2 tablespoon-size balls (or use a tablespoon measure) and place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart.  Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies are brown.

Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Use a spatula to transfer the individual cookies to the rack to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.

Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.  Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.