Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffin Top Cookies
Brown butter pumpkin oatmeal muffin top cookies, with M&M’s® Pumpkin Spice Latte and pecans. Moist and cakey, these cookies taste exactly like the top of a muffin!
I don’t have a fear of heights or flying or snakes. But I do have one irrational fear. I am terrified of driving up steep roads.
Terrified! And not just regular old incline roads. I mean those super steep driveways or streets that are so steep you feel like you are driving straight up and down. I feel like the car is just going to flip right over and I am going to go tumbling down the hill.
Have you been to San Francisco? Those are some STEEP streets. Whenever family or friends come to visit us from out of town and we do a day trip to San Francisco, I know I am going to have to brave the oh so steep Lombard street. I get a little nervous heartbeat going, and have to tell myself that everything is ok.
Well last week I did a newborn photoshoot, and when I got to house I panicked when I got to the address. Their driveway had to be a 60 degree angle. It was as steep as a double black diamond ski run. Panic! I actually sat at the bottom of the driveway and contemplated just parking at the bottom of the street and hiking my way to the top. But I have so many props I bring to a newborn shoot, and it was 105 degrees outside, and I’m pregnant. So I braved driving the steep driveway.
I got to the top, and to my shock there was a gate that I had to MANUALLY unlatch and open myself. Which meant I had to park my car at the steepest part of the driveway and get out. I’ve never pushed my e-brake in harder. I was sure my car would roll down the hill.
I used to have a smaller, lesser fear of baking fails. But one of my recent “fails” turned out to be my new favorite fall baking treat!
I was trying to create a pumpkin oatmeal cookie, because doesn’t that just sound like the epitome of fall? But when these came out, they looked much too puffy and cakey. I’m a crispy and gooey cookie gal myself. Shawn and I tried these, and he said, “these don’t quite taste like cookies, they taste more like mini pumpkin breads or muffins.”
Oh my gosh, he was right! They tasted exactly like the top of a muffin! And isn’t that everyone’s favorite part of the muffin? I’ll often pop the top of the muffin right off and eat just that.
No need to do that anymore! Now I can bake up these pumpkin oatmeal muffin top cookies and enjoy the best part of a muffin.
To make these have even more pumpkin flavor, I added in M&M’S® Pumpkin Spice Latte. Yes, that’s right. Pumpkin Spice Latte flavored M&M’S®. They are amazing! Everything you want a fall candy to be. I found these beauties when I was shopping at Target. Don’t you just love Target? I was able to get Shawn new shampoo, some maternity stretchy pants for myself, and groceries all in one stop. Can’t beat it!
Is there such a thing as pumpkin overload? Because I don’t think it’s possible. It’s fall, put pumpkin in all the things!
Of course I had to use brown butter in these muffin top cookies. Brown butter is always better than regular butter. It gives such a deeper and nuttier flavor. Really complements the pumpkin and oatmeal. Along with the M&M’S® Pumpkin Spice Latte, I also added in some chopped pecans for extra crunch.
And since these taste like muffin tops, it’s okay that I ate these cookies for breakfast the next day, right?
Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffin Top Cookies
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cup white, unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 stick, 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup M&M's® Pumpkin Spice Latte
- 1/2 cup roasted, unsalted pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Make the brown butter by heating a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, and allow it to melt. Stir occasionally. The butter will foam up, and start "crackling", then back down and start slowly turning a light gold color. Watch it constantly. When it turns medium brown, and starts to smell nutty and amazing, pull it off the heat and transfer it to a small bowl. Allow it to cool to room temperature and solidify. Will take about an hour. (If you use the butter when it's warm and liquid, the cookies will spread too thin when baking, so important to wait. Darn!)
- In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle brush attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream the room temperature brown butter, brown sugar and white sugar for 3 minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat another minute. Add the pumpkin puree. Beat another minute. Scrape down the bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and beat until the flour and oats are just incorporated, about 45 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. Add the M&M'S® and pecans, then fold into the cookie batter by hand. I like to do this so the M&M'S® and pecans don't get crushed by the paddle mixer.
- Scoop the batter right when it's done mixing and still soft, then freeze the portioned scoops. I use a medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons), and scoop them all out on a parchment lined baking sheet, then pop it in the freezer. Once they're fully frozen, about 1 hour later, I move the frozen balls to a freezer safe ziploc bag. The frozen cookies will keep for up to 6 months, and when I want a cookie, I can bake up just 2 or 4 at a time, rather than all 30 at once. I like them warm and fresh!
- (Or you can chill the dough for at least 30 minutes in the fridge, so the batter can firm up, and the oats can soften and absorb the liquid. Once it's cold and firm, use a medium size cookie scoop, and scoop out the batter to a parchment lined baking sheet).
- Bake the cookies up to 12 per cookie sheet on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-14 minutes. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Enjoy warm, or room temperature. Will keep in an air tight container for up to 1 week.
More Fall Baked Treats
This post is sponsored by M&Ms. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me!
25 Comments on “Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffin Top Cookies”
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What great cookies for fall! I can’t wait to try them!
Oh my gosh, the first time I ever visited San Francisco with a girlfriend, we got a rental car and they gave us a MUSTANG! We totally couldn’t even see over the dashboard on the hills! LOL, it was terrifying. Now when I visit I try to stick to walking and the trolley. :P These cookies look soooo yummy. I’m so ready for fall and all the pumpkin!
Oh my, steep roads? You conquered your fear, Natalie! Hooray! It’s not the steep roads that get me, but flying down a hill on skis that make my stomach weak. I did it a few times and I just don’t do it anymore! These cookies look fabulous! Muffin top cookies? I’ve never heard of such deliciousness! Lots of pumpkin packed in, so I know I’d love em’! I’ve not tried Pumpkin MnMs, but Rob is a big fan of MnMs so I know he’d love em!
Oh my gosh I am with you on the steep driveway thing…my old ski coach had the STEEPEST driveway that led down a hill to her house…and then a lake. And in the winter, it was always iced over…so scary!! These pumpkin cookies/muffin tops, whatever you want to call them…they look amazing! And I”m kind of dying over the fact that pumpkin spice M & M’s exist!
Lombard street is one of my most vivid memories is of my visit to San Francisco manyyyy years ago! I loved it haha. It’s so funny how we all have our little fears. So glad you made it up that scary driveway! These muffin top cookies look AMAZING! I just love when baking fails turn into successes :) Also, so genius to use brown butter!
I have such memories about driving down Lombard street! Still can’t believe my dad let me drive the rental car down it at all haha. These cookies/muffin tops look incredible. I can’t believe I didn’t even know PSL m&m’s existed. I will be buying some of those ASAP!
Oh my gosh I have that fear too! Steep driveways are the worst! I am so afraid my car will roll away! Maybe 1, or 5, or 19 of these cookies will make me feel better ;) They look delish! I love how they are kinda like muffins!
Oh no, that sounds terrible! I hate steep roads like that too! I’m always convinced that the car isn’t going to stay on its wheels! I love these muffin top cookies, I bet they are so moist! I need to start baking with brown butter!
So many things about this post I love! First – omg steep hills are the worst. I could never live in SF! Your experience sounds stressful, but man those pictures turned out SO cute!! And these muffin top cookies. I need them. Can we be neighbors and share cookies?! You used brown butter and that made my heart swoon. Love!
Oh my goodness, we rented a car when we visited San Francisco and I was too terrified to drive around because of the steep streets too. Lombard street is sooo cool though! And so are these muffin top cookies! They look perfect! They are totally my favorite part of the muffin too and plus Pumpkin Spice Late M&M’s sound like the best thing ever!
I am in love with these cookies! These looks so perfect and who doesn’t love muffin tops? These look so delicious, Natalie!
I love the soft and ooey gooey cookies, too, but I’ll also happily take the soft and chewy ones, too. These look great! #client
I love the top of the muffin, too! These cookies look perfect!
The muffin tops are my favorite part of a muffin!
These look AMAZINGGGG Natalie! I am all over anything pumpkin! And you added oatmeal so these are practically health food ;-)
Ooh, yes. Bring on the pumpkin spice! These look delicious and definitely perfect for fall.
Oh my goodness — San Francisco streets are crazy! Good for you girl! I personally love these muffin top cookies — they are totally the best part anyways! And that means breakfast, right?? :)
Would you believe that I’ve NEVER tried a muffin top cookie before?? I need to get onboard, because these seriously look so amazing, Nat! Pumpkin + m&ms = automatic winner in my book! ;)
Mmm these muffin top cookies look so good, Natalie! I love the pumpkin and oatmeal combo. I’ve been wanting to try those M&Ms, too, so these cookies give me the perfect excuse to do that! Love it!