(dairy-free, egg-free, corn-free, vegan)
Do you ever wish you could make some cookies for a fundraiser and still have leftover for home? I often double recipes to achieve this end and this recipe for pumpkin oatmeal cookies lends itself particularly well to baking for a crowd. Omit the walnuts for school fundraisers.
I find molasses and pumpkin to be an irresistible flavor together, which is why I altered this Post Punk Kitchen recipe to have even more molasses.
Ingredients
2 tbsp flax seeds
6 tbsp water
2 cups whole wheat (or whole wheat pastry) flour
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda, sifted through a mesh strainer
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 to 1 cup unprocessed sugar* (1 cup for school fundraisers, 2/3 cups for home consumption)
2/3 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons molasses
1 cup canned pumpkin or roasted pumpkin, pureed without skin or seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped (optional, omit for schools)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare 2 baking sheets, either greased or with a parchment or Silpat liner.
In a small bowl, mix together the flax seed with water and let stand. This will thicken substantially over time.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, salt and spices.
In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, oil, molasses, pumpkin and vanilla until very well combined. Fold in the flax seed mixture. Fold the wet ingredients into the wet. Fold in the walnuts, if using.
The dough will be quite thick. Use one tablespoon to scoop and one to help the dough slide off onto greased cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a sheet for a total of 24. Bake for 25 minutes at 350.
* Sucanat, coconut sugar or evaporated cane juice. My preference has always been for the first two – they give an excellent flavor.