Spiced Oatmeal Cookies- Fall In A Cookie

I wanted to make a fall treat that didn't involve pumpkin. Don't get me wrong, I like pumpkin as much as the next guy, but let's be honest- it's EVERYWHERE right now. So, it was time to do something different. I wanted to stay with the spiciness that makes me think specifically: FALL so I thought of making hermit cookies, but with a twist. While chatting with my mom earlier today I mentioned baking cookies and she tossed out the idea of oatmeal. I'm not a fan of raisins in my cookies and I didn't have chocolate chips on hand so I thought- why not mix my original idea with her suggestion and bam! Spiced Oatmeal cookies were born!

They're chewy in the middle, slightly crispy on the outside, delicious and taste like the spiciness of an autumn day!

What you need:

1 cup of softened or room temperature butter. I do salted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup tightly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons of good quality vanilla extract

Parchment paper (for the baking process)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt (I use sea salt)
1/8 teaspoon clove
1/8 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I use Saigon cinnamon)
3 cups of oats (the original recipe called for quick cooking which I don't have. I used rolled oats. They were just fine)

a little cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling. (equal parts)




What you do:

In a mixer, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture. Add vanilla and mix.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Mix. Add spices and mix. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir. Slowly mix in oats.  Cover mixture and set aside in refrigerator for about half an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Roll out parchment paper onto cookie sheets. (If you don't have parchment paper then grease the cookie sheets and then remind yourself to invest in parchment paper! This is the secret to all of my cookies!)

Roll dough into balls. I roll mine about the size of a walnut in it's shell- perhaps a bit bigger. Flatten slightly. Using a mixture of equal parts cinnamon and granulated sugar, sprinkle a small amount atop the cookie dough and then bake.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. I baked mine for 8 minutes. You want them slightly undercooked because they will continue cooking while on the baking sheet after you've taken them out of the oven. If you like a crunchy cookie then bake closer to 10 minutes. Transfer warm cookies to cooling racks. Cool cookies and enjoy!

A mound of fall spices.

Round balls of dough ready for baking.

The rack of cooling cookies. YUM!!