No Bake Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

momstown Oakville's monthly Junior Chef program aspires to get kids as young as 18 months in the kitchen and involved in food preparation.  This month, Oakville moms and kids tried out a no bake pumpkin cookie recipe.

To make this quick and easy recipe at home with your Junior Chefs, here is what you need:

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup oats
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Topping (optional):
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/8 cup powdered sugar
1 Tsbp whipping cream

Toddlers and preschoolers enjoyed measuring, pouring and mixing the ingredients.

Mix together all the dry ingredients and then add in the vanilla and the pumpkin.  Take a spoonful of dough and roll it into a small ball.  Mix together the three topping ingredients using a hand or stand mixer.  Put a dollop of the topping onto each ball (you can put the topping into a ziploc bag and cut off a corner as a make shift pipping bag if you'd like).

These cookies are ready to eat as soon as the work is done but you can also pop them into the fridge to get them to firm up a bit.  This recipe makes for a great after school snack not just during pumpkin season but any time of year!