Sara Foster is known for her cookies at her ever-popular Foster’s Market in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Try this pumpkin cookie recipe and find out why.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butterscotch-flavored pieces
12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup canned pumpkin or cooked and mashed fresh pumpkin
1 cup regular rolled oats
1 1/2 cups white baking pieces or 8 oz. white baking chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Put the flour and baking soda in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse to distribute the baking soda evenly. Add the butterscotch pieces and process until the chips are ground, with some slightly larger bits remaining. Turn out the flour mixture into a large bowl.

2. In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl from time to time, until fluffy. Add the egg and pumpkin and stir to combine.

3. Pour pumpkin mixture into flour mixture and stir to combine. Add oats, white baking pieces, and walnuts; stir until the ingredients are combined and no flour is visible. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

4. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease lightly. Use a 1/4-cup measure or a scoop to drop dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between the cookies.

5. Bake in a 350° oven for 13 to 15 minutes until cookies are light golden brown. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

From the book Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes from Foster’s Market by Sara Foster. Text copyright ©2005 Sara Foster. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers.