Pumpkin oatmeal cookies

Sit down and pay attention.  Please.  Pretty please.  Because this is important.

I think I have a new favorite cookie.

I know, I know.  I spend so much time championing this recipe and that, saying things like, "This one!  You must make this one now!"  And I truly mean it every time.  I love food.  And I only tell you about food that I really, really love.

But, sometimes, I fear that you might see me as the boy who cried wolf, or, um, the girl who cried delicious.  "How can she say everything is so totally awesome?  Does she even realize how often she uses the words super and totally and amaaaaaaaazing with way too many "a"s?  Pfffffft.  I don't know if I believe her."

Well, believe this, sister (and brother): These are the best cookies I've eaten this year.  Certainly the best I've made this year.

If they look familiar, it's because I featured them in last week's Friday five.  And, as the universe would have it, I had all of the ingredients I'd need to make said cookies my reality.  I've said that I believe in divine shopping intervention, and now I believe in the baking variety as well.

It was already shaping up to be a perfect autumn Sunday -- early grocery run completed, great church service (and chocolate covered Oreos at coffee hour!), Matt and his friends in the living room for a day of football -- when I headed into the kitchen to bake my day away... nothing could've made me happier :)

Well, that was until I actually tasted my first pumpkin oatmeal cookie.  If there were a way to make curse words positive and appealing, this would be the time to do it because I'm having a hard time coming up with the words to describe these cookies.  But, until that time, I'm going to have to settle for something like this:

These cookies were so bleepidy bleeping good!

I mean.  Gasp.  I'm all a twitter just thinking about them again.  This had to be the most moist (moistest?) cookie I've ever eaten in my lifetime.  And each bite was bursting with flavors.  Pumpkin spices all over the place studded with slightly tart and chewy cranberries and almost-crunchy white chocolate chips.  All the things.  Allthethings!

I briefly considered eating every single one because the ensuing stomachache would've been totally worth it.  But, I thought better and decided to share.  And then there was an entire apartment full of people who were weak in the presence of these cookies.  None of us could resist them!

Just look at them.  Cute little orange cookies, how bad could they be?

Um, so bad that, um, they were gone in cough24hourscough.  Could've made a full batch.  Should've made a full batch.  Gonna make them again this weekend.  You should, too.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and White Chocolate
(recipe adapted slightly from My Baking Addiction)
-makes 32 cookies

A few notes: I halved the original recipe and, not wanting to divide 1 egg, added extra pumpkin puree and omitted the egg entirely.  This little gamble produced fantastic results, so I changed the master recipe.  Also, I used dried cranberries in place of dried cherries.

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
heaping 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, spices and salt; set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugars on medium high until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add pumpkin and vanilla, mixing until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  On low speed, slowly add flour mixture and mix until all ingredients thoroughly incorporated.  Fold in chocolate and cranberries.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake 12-14 minutes until edges begin to turn golden brown.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes and remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.  Or, freeze with layers of parchment paper between single layers of cookies, in a freezer-safe container; thaw in container at room temperature.