Ingredients for the Cookie Dough:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup pure pumpkin puree, pressed and reduced to ⅓ cup (80g)
- 1 large egg yolk, at ambient temperature
- 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mixed pumpkin spices
- ¾ cup plain flour
- 1 cup traditional rolled oats, briefly blitzed
- ¾ cup butterscotch morsels
- Sea salt flakes, for topping
Directions:
- Begin by caramelizing the butter over medium flame until it reaches a golden hue with a deep, nutty fragrance, then cool it off entirely.
- Warm the oven to 350°F (177°C). Prep baking sheets with parchment.
- Pat the pumpkin puree on a paper plate with paper towels to wick away excess moisture until it's concentrated to about ⅓ cup (80g).
- Whisk the cooled brown butter with both sugars in a mixing bowl. Incorporate the thickened pumpkin, egg yolk, and vanilla into this sweet base.
- In another vessel, whisk the flour with bicarbonate of soda, salt, pumpkin spices, and cinnamon. Integrate this with the wet mixture gently to avoid overworking the dough.
- Pulse the oats in a blender until they're coarsely ground, then fold them into the batter along with the butterscotch chips.
- Using a scoop, form the dough into robust balls, dotting each with additional butterscotch chips and a sprinkle of sea salt as desired.
- Bake the cookies until they're just right - typically between 11-14 minutes. Allow them to cool on the tray to preserve their form.
Baker's Notes:
- Pressing the pumpkin is crucial to achieving a chewy texture as opposed to a cake-like one.
- Since the butter browning and pumpkin pressing can yield varied results, if the dough is too dry, mix in a little more pumpkin to reach a malleable consistency.
- Coarsely blending the oats contributes to a full-bodied texture with wholesome oat pieces in each bite.
- Using grams for measurements can enhance precision, particularly with flour. If without a scale, the spoon-and-level method is a reliable fallback to prevent overpacking.
Delight in the harmonious blend of spices, pumpkin, and sweet butterscotch in these cookies that capture the essence of fall.
