Chewy Harvest Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

An old-school Half Baked Harvest classic, these chewy oatmeal cookies are made with a few special ingredients that make them extra delicious. Sweet apple butter, chewy dates, plenty of chocolate chips, and a touch of cinnamon. Each cookie is dipped in melted dark chocolate, then finished with salty maple-toasted pumpkin seeds and pretty flakes of sea salt. So delicious!

If September had a cookie, this would be it! These have been one of my most cherished, special cookies since 2012, when I first baked them. They’re my mom’s favorite for many reasons, but most importantly because they’re just YUMMY.

My old-school, younger self was truly fearless in the kitchen, creating and sharing recipes with you all. When I first began writing recipes for the world, I had nothing to lose. No one knew me. It was just the beginning!

With less worry and self-doubt, I shared the recipes that felt the most exciting—the complicated, the oh-so-flavorful, and the simple too. I just moved with the flow of my creativity, and it was magic.

I’m working on bringing that fearless Tieghan back into the picture, and I’m feeling so excited.

It’s kind of a funny cookie. The base is my mom’s really, really good oatmeal cookies that we all love, but these have less sugar and some of my favorite harvest-style mix-ins: apple butter, sweet dates, pumpkin seeds, and plenty of chocolate. Plus, a dip in dark chocolate that’s undeniably delicious.

The apple butter was the starting point. You all know how much I love baking with apple butter this time of year. It adds sweetness and warmth and keeps the cookies soft and chewy without making them overly apple-y.

Then I added brown sugar, cinnamon, chopped Medjool dates, and plenty of chocolate chunks. The dates are subtle, but they add a really nice caramel-like sweetness that works so well with the oats and chocolate.

As the cookies bake, they make the house smell like fall, with hints of cinnamon spice and sweetness. They come out with chewy centers, crisp edges, and pockets of warm, melty chocolate. Scrumptious!

Then we dip them in dark chocolate and finish with maple-toasted pumpkin seeds and big flakes of sea salt. It’s optional, but completely recommended.

These are a little nostalgic for me, very September, and still one of my mom’s most-loved cookies all these years later.

Here are the details

Ingredients

• old-fashioned oats
• all-purpose flour
• baking soda
• cinnamon
• coconut oil, melted
• brown sugar
• thick apple butter – I like to make my homemade apple butter
• eggs
• vanilla
• Medjool dates
• dark chocolate chips
• semi-sweet or dark chocolate

Salted Maple Pepitas

• raw pepitas
• maple syrup
• flaky sea salt

The Steps

Step 1: Make the cookie dough

This is a very simple cookie dough. Everything except the chocolate chips goes into one mixing bowl and gets mixed together.

I use my mom’s oatmeal cookie recipe as the base, and this is exactly how she does it! Once the dough comes together, mix in the finely chopped dates and chocolate chunks. You can use chocolate chips too—I love dark chocolate here.

Tip: Make sure the dates are chopped pretty finely. This way, they melt into the cookies as they bake, adding little pockets of caramel-like sweetness without anyone really knowing they’re there.

Step 2: Scoop and bake

Scoop the dough into rounded tablespoon-size balls and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball with your hand. These cookies don’t spread a ton on their own, so giving them a little press helps create the best shape.

Bake until the edges are set but the centers still look soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Tip: Don’t overbake these. Pulling them from the oven while the centers are still soft is the secret to a chewy oatmeal cookie. They’ll continue to set up as they cool on the baking sheet.

Step 3: Make the maple pumpkin seeds

While the cookies cool, add the pumpkin seeds to a skillet and toast until they smell nutty and are lightly golden.

Add the maple syrup and cook for another minute or two, until the seeds are glossy and the maple syrup has caramelized around them. Finish with a pinch of sea salt.

Tip: Spread the seeds onto a piece of parchment right away. As the maple cools, they’ll crisp up and become crunchy, sweet, and salty.

These are so delicious just on their own too!

Step 4: Dip in chocolate

Melt the dark chocolate, then dip each cooled cookie into the chocolate. You can dip half of the cookie, just the bottom, or simply drizzle the chocolate over top.

Before the chocolate sets, sprinkle each cookie with the maple pumpkin seeds and flaky sea salt.

Let the chocolate set, then enjoy!

They’re sweet, salty, chocolatey, a little unexpected, and so very September!