Pawpaw Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pawpaw Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies are so delicious you will be dreaming of pawpaw season every year. Pawpaw lends its uniquely citrusy banana notes to a classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that is to die for. 

Pawpaw Season

I look forward to pawpaw season every year.  I carefully monitor the four small wild groves that we have found on the farm for spring blooms and the tell tell signs of fruit formation. As summer starts to wind down, I visit the groves weekly to check on their progress and start planning how to use these delicious treats.  This year my goal was to preserve the pawpaws that I found so we could enjoy them throughout the winter. 

Finally when early October comes, it is time to start checking the pawpaws everyday.  They turn very quickly and it is best to pick them when they are fully ripened on the tree.  You can also harvest them as soon as they fall, but you have to be quick because the animals love them too! 

When they are ripe, they will feel a little mushy.  There should be no resistance and they should easily separate from the tree.  A gentle shake is all you need to dislodge the beautiful green fruits from their home. 

Then comes the hard part, deciding what deliciousness to make with them.  As I said earlier, we preserved all of the fruit we found early on in the season that was ready to be taken, but there was a pod of three larger fruits that I had been keeping my eye on. This weekend they finally decided to let loose. 

The Last of the Pawpaws

We had foregone the traditional baking extravaganza that I would typically do when pawpaw start filling my kitchen and instead focused on preserving the fruits.  The pawpaw bread that we love will easily be made in the cold of winter now.  

But these last three pawpaws gave me just at a half of cup of pulp.  To celebrate a successful pawpaw season and reward our hard work this harvest, I wanted to make something special that the kids and I would really enjoy.  So we decided on a spin off of banana oat chocolate chip cookies. 

Pawpaw Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am pretty particular about my chocolate chip cookies.  I have used the same chocolate chip cookie recipe for years and believe them to be the absolute best.  However, these are a pretty close second place in the world of chocolate chip cookies. 

Pawpaw is absolutely delicious baked in breads, cakes, and cookies.  You can easily treat it like a banana or mango. You want to be sure to never use the skin or seeds of the pawpaw though as it contains toxins that are harmful to humans. 

These pawpaw oat chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy with just the right amount of bite from the oats.  They are sweet with a little hint of salt to balance everything out. 

All around a great cookie. 

Making Pawpaw Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

You don’t need many ingredients to make this yummy cookie.  Most are pantry staples with the exception of the pawpaw which can be exchanged out for a banana if your heart desires or you sadly do not have any pawpaws left. 

You will start by first processing your pawpaws.  This can be messy, but so rewarding.  I have found that I prefer to either cut the pawpaw crosswise and scoop with a spoon or in the case of these that were at the peak of ripeness; slightly roll them to release the flesh and pull them apart and scoop.  Remove all the seeds and avoid getting the skin in the mix. 

In a separate bowl you will begin creaming the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Once that is done, add in your room temperature egg, vanilla, and reserved pawpaw. Set this mixture aside for a minute while you prep your dry ingredients. 

In a separate bowl, combine the all purpose flour, oats, baking soda and salt. These will then be folded into the wet ingredients. Once fully combined (do not over mix) stir in the chocolate chips. 

Using a scoop, scoop out a tablespoon of dough onto a cookie sheet giving enough space for the cookies to expand. I did twelve on a 13×9 cookie sheet and that was plenty of room. Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Enjoy with a nice cold glass of milk!

Enjoying Pawpaw and Other Foraged Foods

Foraging for food is such a rewarding process! From mushrooms and asparagus to wild berries and fruits like the pawpaw, it is a sustainable way to get foods that otherwise you wouldn’t have access to. Just like any foraged food, if this is your first time trying pawpaw ensure you have no adverse effects by testing a small amount, in other words, don’t eat the whole cookie jar in one sitting (haha).  Some people  do experience cramping and nausea from the pawpaw, but my family and I have never had any ill effects. 

We hope you enjoy this recipe and check out more on Pawpaws on our site!

Did you try this recipe?  Give us a rating and a comment! We would love to hear from you. 

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Pawpaw Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft Chewy and Delicious cookies combine pawpaw with familiar ingredients for one delicious bite.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients

  

• ½ cup pawpaw pulp
• ½ cup brown sugar packed
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 5 tbsp butter softened
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg room temperature
• 1¼ cup All Purpose Flour
• 2 cups Quick Oats
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup Semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy
• Add egg, vanilla, and pawpaw and beat until well combined
• In separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt and mix well
• Fold dry ingredients into wet combining well but making sure not to over mix
• Stir in chocolate chips
• Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, drop the cookies by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet
• Bake at 350 for 10 minutes until golden brown
• Cool on wire rack and store in an airtight container

Keyword Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cookies, dessert, pawpaw,

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