Pumpkin Oatmeal Cherry Walnut Cookies

So, I made pumpkin pancakes and I still have a big can practically full. I was going to make oatmeal cookies, but took a little detour.

I recently bought some dried organic cherries and I don't know why I bought them. The little old man said they are "all organic, great with everything". OK, the cherries were $7.66 for maybe 1 cup of dried cherries. I suppose if the cherries weren't dried I'd have a whole bowl of cherries and feel I was getting my monies worth...anyway.

My point was, I wanted to make use of some of the items that are in the cupboard and refrigerator, so nothing went o waste, however, I needed to make something a little healthy. Add flax, add oats, a few spices...voila!!! Yummy seasonal cookies. Not bad. I plan on having a few of these little pumpkin-oat gems in my gym bag everyday this week. Hopefully, they will stop me from eating left-over Halloween candy.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cherry Walnut Cookies
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups oats, uncooked (quick or old-fashioned)
1/4 cup ground flax

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon clove

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup dried cherries, chopped

1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, oats, pumpkin pie spice,baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin, beating until smooth.
Scrape down the bowl again to make sure everything is well combined.
Stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated.
Stir in any additions you are using.
Drop by heaping tablespoons (or medium-size cookie scoops) onto lined cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes or just until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and the centers are set and no longer look like raw dough.
Cool on baking sheets for a couple of minutes then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
This recipe yields about 48 pumpkin oatmeal cookies.