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    The Bossy Kitchen > Recipes > Sweet Recipes > Cookies

    Thanksgiving Weekend Cookies

    Published by: Gabriela November 22, 2022 · Last modified: August 25, 2023 Leave a comment
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    These Thanksgiving weekend cookies are perfect for sharing and easy to double-batch for a crowd. The recipe features pumpkin puree and cranberry sauce, an ideal opportunity to use leftover ingredients.

    Jump to Recipe
    Thanksgiving Weekend Cookies with cranberries in the background0
    Jump to:
    • What are Thanksgiving weekend cookies?
    • What ingredients do you need?
    • How to make these cookies
    • Storing Instructions
    • Freezing the cookies
    • More recipes to enjoy
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    What are Thanksgiving weekend cookies?

    These cookies are drop cookies, usually made with leftover ingredients used to make dishes for the Thanksgiving meal. Cranberry sauce, pumpkin puree, nuts, warm spices, chocolate chips, brown sugar, and butter are all mixed into a delicious cookie that everyone will love.

    These cookies are perfect to gift, but they are also suitable for a snack after a long shopping day. (Black Friday, anyone?)

    Drop cookies are probably the simplest cookies to make. Their name comes from the dough that is soft enough to drop off the spoon and onto the baking sheet.

    The basic mixture is often made by the creaming method, where butter and sugar are beaten together until light and fluffy. Eggs are added, followed by flour, raising agents, and flavors.

    What ingredients do you need?

    • Unsalted butter- I always use unsalted butter in my baking, as I like to control the amount of salt I use inside the recipes. However, if salted butter is all you have in the fridge, use it, but skip the salt in the recipe.
    • Dark brown sugar- I like the depth of flavor that dark brown sugar brings to the recipe. However, you can use instead light brown sugar.
    • Granulated sugar- comes to complement dark brown sugar. Both sugars are needed in the recipe as they have different amounts of moisture.
    • Canned pumpkin puree- remember that almost used can of pumpkin puree sitting in the back of the fridge, totally abandoned? This is the perfect occasion to use it to make these cookies.
    • Cranberry sauce- any leftover cranberry sauce is good, even slightly spicy. I used a somewhat spicy cranberry sauce in the past, and the cookies were divine. The spiciness makes them more interesting.
    • Vanilla extract- Use the best vanilla extract you can find. You will thank me later!
    • Large eggs- are standard for baking in the US, and this is what we use. You will need only one egg.
    • All-purpose flour- Please do not replace it with self-rising flour. If you do not have flour in your pantry, buy some.
    • Old-fashioned oats- Rolled oats or quick oats are perfect for this recipe.
    • Spices- ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves bring flavor and the warmth of late Fall. Delicious!
    • Baking soda- please do not confuse it with baking powder. They do different things in a recipe.
    • Salt- all baked goods need a pinch of salt to balance the sugars and the flavors. Please do not skip it unless you use salted butter.
    • Chopped nuts- walnuts, pecans, and almonds are good, but they are optional if you need to skip them.
    • Semisweet chocolate chips- chocolate chips are always good in cookies, and I would not commit them. You can replace them with dark chocolate chips.
    Ingredients for the cookies0

    How to make these cookies

    Step 1. In a standup mixer, place the butter and sugar in the cream butter and the two types of sugar until light and fluffy. You can do this step using a hand mixer or a whisk.

    Butter and sugars in a mixing bowl

    Step 2. Add the egg, pumpkin puree, cranberry sauce, and vanilla one by one. Mix after each addition.

    Adding ingredients to the butter and sugar

    Step 3. Whisk together flour, oats, spices, salt, and baking soda in a separate large bowl. Gradually add them to the creamed mixture.

    Adding dry ingredients to the cookie batter

    Step 4. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts until incorporated. Do not overmix.

    cookie batter for Thanksgiving weekend cookies0

    Step 5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about an hour or until firm.

    Step 6. Preheat oven.

    Step 7. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons on ungreased baking sheets, or use an ice cream scoop to form a more even cookie. Leave a distance of about 1-2 inches between the cookies.

    Unbaked cookies on baking tray0

    Step 8. Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. Cool the cookies on pans for a few minutes, then move them to cool on wire racks.

    Baked cookies on baking tray0

    Storing Instructions

    These cookies are best eaten on the day that they are made. They are moist, soft cookies that are delicious when slightly warm from the oven.

    Thanksgiving Weekend Cookies on trays0

    They need to be cooled completely before storing them. If you are not planning to eat them straight away, store them as soon as they have cooled.

    Store them in an airtight container, and if possible, they should also be stored in the refrigerator to retain the freshly baked flavor for up to a week.

    Freezing the cookies

    The best way is to freeze the cookies on trays, then pack them into an airtight container with parchment paper or wax paper between layers. To thaw, leave them at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

    Serve them with coffee, tea, or your favorite drink. I like them with a glass of wine sometimes. Also, these cookies are perfect for gifting.

    I plan, for example, to fill little bags with cookies and gift them to my guests when they go home after Thanksgiving.

    Instagram photo for cookies0
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    Check out the web story for this recipe: Pumpkin Cranberries Cookies For Thanksgiving Weekend

    📖 Recipe

    Thanksgiving Weekend Cookies with cup of coffee0

    Thanksgiving Weekend Cookies

    Make this recipe for this Thanksgiving weekend. These cookies are perfect for sharing and easy to double-batch for a crowd. The recipe features pumpkin puree and cranberry sauce, an ideal opportunity to use leftover ingredients.
    5 from 3 votes
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    Course: Cookies
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: cookies, Thanksgiving
    Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 17 minutes minutes
    Chilling time: 2 hours hours
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 42 minutes minutes
    Servings: 60 cookies
    Calories: 97kcal
    Author: Gabriela

    Equipment

    • KitchenAid Mixer
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
    • ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree
    • ½ cup cranberry sauce
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 large egg at room temperature
    • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
    • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup chopped nuts walnuts, pecans, almonds
    • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

    Instructions

    • In a large bowl of a standup mixer, cream butter with sugars until light and fluffy, about 6-7 minutes. (if you don't have a KitchenAid, use a hand mixer or a whisk).
    • One by one beat in the egg, pumpkin puree, cranberry sauce, and vanilla.
    • Grab a large bowl and whisk together flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add them to the creamed mixture.
    • Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
    • Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about an hour or until firm.
    • Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
    • Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons on ungreased baking sheets. Leave a distance of about two inches between the cookies.
    • Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, for about 16-17 minutes. Cool the cookies on pans for 5 minutes, then remove them to cool on wire racks.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 578IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
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    Gabriela the creator of The Bossy Kitchen

    Hi! I am Gabriela and this is my virtual home. I am a self-taught cook and a trained Pastry Chef. I inherited the cooking genes from my maternal grandma and the love for baking from my paternal grandma.

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