Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

For holy goodness. We didn't originally eat these as breakfast cookies, per se. My sister-in-law brought them to our house. She had used them on the plane. So truly, they're travelling cookies. And the perfect ones at that. There's lots of delicious oat, some pumpkin. Happy for the brain, good for the bowels. What more can you ask for? No airport lunch required, thank you very much.

But we've been eating them for breakfast. And they're good for that too. Truthfully, they'r a tiny bit on the sweeter end, although after all the sweets we've been eating they seem downright virtuous in comparison. And they really are pretty virtuous. I mean, it's kind of like pumpkin oatmeal in cookie form. Yeah, you're welcome.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
adapted from  All Recipes
makes 36
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Cost: $3.40 (that's about $.10/cookie; what!!!??? No bowl of cereal can compete with that)
butter: .90, brown sugar: .35, sugar: .15, pumpkin puree: .50, egg: .10, flour: .10, oats: .30, chocolate chips: .90, other stuff: .10

3/4 C butter
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar
1/2 can pumpkin puree (so about 8 oz or a scant cup)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C all-purpose flour
2 C oats, (blended into crumbles or flour; see below)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C dark chocolate chips (I like 60%), optional, but awesome

Preheat oven to 375.

First of all, you're going to give those oats a whiz in your blender or food processor. They don't have to be a completely smooth flour (though they can be), but these are best when they're at least crumbles instead of regular oats. Set that aside when you're done.

Beat butter and sugars together. Add pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients to wet. Blend.

Then add the chocolate chips.

Drop onto baking sheet (my sister sprays hers; she also uses a cookie scoop, which makes these really pretty, but I didn't have one).

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Pumpkin Refrigerator Oatmeal

Refrigerator oatmeal is the best thing ever in the summer when it's too hot to even think about waking up and ingesting something steamy. Also, they're dumb easy and ready for your to stumble into in the morning. I love this recipe because it also packs this huge Vitamin A, beta carotene pumpkin punch.

And mixed. Not as pretty, but still delicious. 

Pumpkin Refrigerator Oatmeal
adapted from
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cost:  $.57
oatmeal: .05, yogurt: .25, pumpkin: .25, other stuff: .02

Note: The sugar will be high for this if you're used to sweet breakfasts and/or sweet yogurt. Rest assured that if you used sweetened yogurt, you'd be eating at least this much sugar.

1/2 C Greek yogurt (regular works too)
1/2 C pumpkin puree
1/4 C oatmeal
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1-2 Tbsp sugar

Combine all ingredients. Leave in refrigerator overnight. (Note: If you use quick oats, you can leave it for about 30 minutes and eat this.)