My son needed some cookies for his school lunches and I really wanted to make something a little new for a change. With pumpkin season upon us, he has been keen to roast pumpkin seeds, so I thought the addition of pumpkin seeds to a chocolate chip cookie might fit the bill. I came across a recipe for Seeded Chocolate Chip Cookies by Martha Rose Schulman at the New York Times, and adapted it to what I was looking for.
I love the result; the pumpkin seeds add a lovely crunch to the texture of the cookies, the oatmeal is scant enough that they are not like an oatmeal cookie but still have the benefit in their texture, and there is a lot of chocolate for my little chocolate lover. With my scoop, I got two dozen cookies from this recipe. Next time, I might double the recipe!
Pumpkin Seed and Chocolate Chip Cookies
6 tablespoons/48 grams whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds*
½ cup/65 grams all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon/2 grams baking soda
½ cup (1 stick)/ 115 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup/50 grams granulated sugar
½ cup/80 grams packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla/5 milliliters
¼ cup/100 grams pumpkin seeds
½ cup (scant)/50 grams rolled oats
½ teaspoon coarsely ground sea salt
1 cup/225 grams chocolate chips (or more if desired)
* If you don’t have flax seeds on hand, you can substitute with an equivalent amount of whole-wheat flour, hemp hearts, or wheat germ.
Heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit with racks adjusted to the lower third and middle of the oven if your oven is large enough to take 2 sheets at a time. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Stir the flours, ground flax seed and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
In bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until lemony yellow, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl and paddle. Add the sugars. Continue creaming mixture on medium speed until it is lump free, about 1 minute. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of the bowl and the paddle.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Scrape down sides of the bowl and paddle.
On low speed, add sifted flour mixture. Beat slowly until all of the flour mixture is incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add the seeds, oats, chocolate chips and salt and mix in.
Spoon dough by heaped tablespoons or a scoop at least 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
Bake 9 to 14 minutes, depending on your oven, until lightly browned, turning the baking sheets from front to back halfway through the baking. If you cook two sheets at the same time, also rotate them from top to bottom and vice versa.
Remove from oven and slide parchment off the baking sheet and onto a work surface. Allow cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving, or for at least 20 minutes before storing in an airtight container.
A Pat & A Pinch 
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