Sloth is a sin that seems hardest for me to shake as the days grow darker and shorter. With the warm weather goes my motivation to get out of bed at a reasonable hour, and putting off tasks for another day, or another week, is all the more appealing. It’s easy to see how these bad habits can snowball quickly into a very bad situation, but it turned out that this laziness actually produced something rather delicious. The only problem is… I’m not exactly sure what it is.

Sweet, lightly spiced, crisp on the outside but cakey on the inside, both easy to eat and hearty at the same time, this isn’t a snack that fits easily into any preexisting category. Not wanting to go through the trouble of preheating the oven and pulling out the big baking sheets, but craving cookies, it all began with a quick drop cookie batter, filled with oats, nuts, and that fall baking staple, pumpkin puree. As luck would have it, the waffle iron was still on after a leisurely brunch of “buttermilk” waffles and syrup, so putting two and two together, the batter hit the iron.

Trying to bridge the gap between breakfast treat and dessert a bit further, a light drizzle of chocolate ganache sure complimented these flavors nicely, but didn’t exactly clear up this thing’s identity crisis.

What would you call this? Whatever it might be, it’s worth making and trying for yourself!

Pumpkin Waffle Cookie Treats

1/2 Cup Canola Oil
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, Packed
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
Pinch Ground Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats

Ganache:

1 Cup (6 Ounces) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
2 Tablespoons Soy Creamer

Begin heating up your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth. Sift the spices, flour, baking powder, and salt into the bowl, and stir well, but be careful not to over-beat the batter. A few lumps are just fine. Finally, add in the oats, and mix just enough to distribute them equally through the batter.

Lightly grease your waffle iron before beginning to cook each round. Portion out as much batter in each waffle indent as you would for standard waffles, and spread it out lightly just to make sure it fills the space evenly. Shut the iron and cook for 2 – 5 minutes, depending on your waffle iron, until golden brown all over.

Transfer the hot waffle cookies to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining batter. Once completely cool, prepare the ganache by microwaving the chocolate and soy creamer together in a microwave-safe bowl, in blasts of 30 seconds, stirring thoroughly until smooth. Use a spoon or piping bag to drizzle as desired.

Yield varies depending on the size of your waffle iron, but I got about 9 waffle cookies.

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