oatmeal cookies (regular and healthy options)

healthy oatmeal cookies

today when i picked up dinah from preschool, her teacher told me she ate three (three!!!) helpings of lunch and then as i was buckling her into her carseat (about fifteen minutes after she had finished her third helping of lunch), she asked if i had anything for her to eat. whoa, this almost-four-year-old girl must be growing.

she ate an apple and some cheese as a snack as soon as we got home, but she wouldn't stop pestering me for something sweet to eat, "like cookies! yep, i need a cookie, mama!" since we had nothing on our agenda this afternoon and we're eating leftovers for dinner and it's even a cloudy cool day (perfect baking weather). so, i agreed, on the condition that they were healthy cookies. i got a thumbs up from dinah. as long as it's called a cookie and sort of resembles a cookie, healthy or not, dinah's happy.

these cookies use banana and molasses as sweeteners. okay, yeah. so, i realize molasses is sugar, BUT unlike refined sugars, it contains significant amounts of potassium, vitamin B6 and minerals like calcium, magnesium, and iron. so, although it is a sugar, it's a nutrient packed healthy one.

oh, these healthy cookies passed the charlie test too

i made these molasses cookies today, and for being a healthy (aka boring) cookie, they're awesome and sweet and flavorful. but if you want a real oatmeal cookie, just keep reading....

healthy oatmeal molasses cookies

1 egg
1 banana, smashed
1 c. whole-wheat flour
1 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. blackstrap molasses
3 tsp. cinnamon
1.5 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. dried cranberries or nuts or chips (optional)

preheat oven to 350 degrees. in a medium mixing bowl, combine the egg, banana, and molasses and mix on high until well-combined. in another medium sized bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, and spices and mix with a spoon until well combined. add dry ingredients to wet, then add cranberries or nuts or chips, if you would like. mix until well combined. scoop out spoonfuls of batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (these cookies are sticky). bake for 15 minutes. this should make about 24 cookies.

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classic oatmeal cookies

okay. so, you want a real oatmeal cookie? these are amazing. literally, THE best oatmeal cookie i have ever had in all of my life. they are soft, sweet, hearty, chewy, chunky, not dry, not crumbly. perfect. i made them last week to take to a friend who just had a baby. i saved back a few for us, but we could have quite easily scarfed down the entire almost three dozen in an afternoon, no problem. they are that awesome. seriously. i got the recipe from sally's baking addiction, but used butterscotch chips and dried cranberries instead of raisins and nuts. 

also, something important to remember about these cookies. it's important to to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, because the dough is very sticky. it's supposed to be sticky. also, the cookies will look very soft and underbaked when they are done. don't leave them in the oven too long, but do leave them on the hot baking sheet to cool off for about five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. 

classic oatmeal cookies

1 c. butter, softened to room temperature

1 c. light brown sugar, packed

1/4 c. white sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 TBS vanilla extract (yes, a tablespoon)

1 TBS molasses

1.5 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

1 c. dried cranberries

1 c. butterscotch chips

preheat oven to 350 degrees. in a medium mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. add the eggs and mix until well combined. add vanilla and molasses and mix on high until well combined. in a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. add to wet ingredients, and mix on medium until well combined. add oats, cranberries, and butterscotch chips and mix on low speed. the dough will be thick and sticky and will need to be chilled for at least 30 minutes. roll balls of dough (about 2 TBS of dough per cookie and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. bake for 11 minutes until very lightly browned on the sides. the cookies will look soft and undone. let them cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. makes about 32 cookies.