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. 

holiday cookies (chocolate chip, cranberry white chip, gingersnaps, and sugar cookies)

this year, along with several batches of fudge and caramel corn (recipe for those here), dinah and i made cookies. lots of cookies! all wonderful and delicious perfect-for-the-holiday cookies. we made chocolate chip, christmas cranberry, gingersnaps, and some really festive sugar cookies.

we had family friends over for a grazing style christmas dinner of tamales and posole yesterday, so instead of making a pie or cake for dessert, like I would for a more formal sit-down meal, i just laid out a platter of christmas cookies. the tray was bare, aside from a few crumbs, by the end of the evening, so they were a hit, i think. everyone loves holiday cookies, right?! 

THE chocolate chip cookies

chocolate chip cookies are probably the most common and well loved cookie there is, especially in my house. they are my husband's absolute favorite. there are a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, and probably most are perfectly fine, but this one, from sally's baking addiction, are, as she says, THE chocolate chip cookie. they are so easy and so, so, so good. rich and sweet. so soft and chewy and perfect. cornstarch is the key ingredient - that's what makes them so soft! i didn't change much to the original recipe. i use light brown sugar instead of dark and i used less salt than what's called for (because i never have unsalted butter on hand) and i shaved one minute off the baking time. 

THE chocolate chip cookies recipe

3/4 c. butter, at room temperature
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

in a large bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy, then add in the sugars and mix until fluffy and light in color. mix in egg and vanilla. scrape down the sides, mix again. in a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture until well combined. add chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.

cover dough and chill for at least one hour (and up to two days). preheat oven to 350 degrees. remove cookie dough and allow to set out at room temperature for ten minutes. line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. each ball of dough should be about 1.5 tablespoons each. bake for 9-11 minutes or until barely golden brown. allow at least five minutes to cool on the baking sheet. this makes about 24 cookies. 

soft-baked christmas cranberry cookies

these cookies are essentially the same recipe as the chocolate chip cookie recipe i used above, but i use white chocolate chips and dried cranberries instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips. i haven't tried this yet, because i never seem to have pistachios on hand, but i think pistachios would have been a perfect addition to these already delicious christmas cookies. not only would they taste amazing together, but with the green nut, the red berry, and white chip together, it would look so festive too. alas, i had no nuts, but they were awesome without them. i had no complaints.

i got this recipe from sally's baking addiction as well. basically, i get all my cookie recipes from her. i hardly changed a thing. i used light brown sugar instead of dark and less salt and one minute less on the baking time. these are thick, fluffy, chunky. again, the cornstarch is the secret ingredient!

soft-baked christmas cranberry cookies recipe

3/4 c. butter, at room temperature
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. white sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c. white chocolate chips
3/4 c. dried cranberries

in a large bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy, then add in the sugars and mix until fluffy and light in color. mix in egg and vanilla. scrape down the sides, mix again. in a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture until well combined. add white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and mix until evenly distributed.

cover dough and chill for at least one hour (and up to two days). preheat oven to 350 degrees. remove cookie dough and allow to set out at room temperature for ten minutes. line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. each ball of dough should be about 1.5 tablespoons each. bake for 9-11 minutes or until barely golden brown. allow at least five minutes to cool on the baking sheet. this makes about 24 cookies.

soft gingersnaps

i found this recipe from sunset magazine a few years ago and have been making them every christmas ever since. they are THE best gingersnap cookie i have ever had. they are, in dinah's words, "really, really, really spicy, and super, super, super good!" and she's right! i increased the spices by about a 1/4 teaspoon each from the original recipe, because i like things a little spicier than most recipes call for and the crystalized ginger in the cookies makes them spicier than the average gingersnap. also, they are soft-baked, so they are chewy and moist, which i prefer to crunchy or hard cookies. every bite is packed with robust ginger flavor. and they're even pretty! really, they are probably my favorite holiday cookie.

soft gingersnaps recipe

1/2 c. chopped crystallized ginger
about 3/4 c. white sugar, divided
6 TBS butter, at room temperature
1/4 c. molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg 

in a food processor, whirl chopped crystalized ginger and 1/3 cup of sugar until ginger is finely ground. remove from container. back in the food processor, whirl butter and 1/3 cup of sugar until fluffy. add ginger mixture, molasses, and egg to sugar and butter and whirl to mix. in a mixing bowl, add flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix until combined. then add the butter mixture and mix until well combined.

cover dough and chill until firm, about one hour. preheat oven to 350 degrees. shape dough into 1-inch balls and coat tops with the remaining sugar. place balls two to three inches apart on a non-stick baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper. bake until slightly darker brown, about ten minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through cooking. i let mine cool about five minutes on the baking sheet. 

christmas sugar cookies

this is the absolute best sugar cookie recipe i've ever found. the almond and vanilla extract create a wonderfully light and delicate flavor. they are also soft as opposed to hard and crispy like a lot of sugar cookies I've tried. they maintain their shape and they don't crumble easily, which is a good thing when baking and decorating cookies with an almost four year old. also, the icing has the same delightful vanilla/almond flavor. i used this recipe from sally's baking addiction, and didn't change a thing, except i didn't use salt and added a little bit of almond extract to the icing.

before adding the flour, the dough is so light and fluffy

dinah's sweet little helping hands

ready for the oven!

dinah and i had so much fun decorating together. she really has a knack for cookie decorating; decorating anything, really. my girl has a lot of flare when it comes to decorating. she seems to know just what sprinkles to use and how much will work for each cookie. she's also very understanding and respectful of my anal-retentive tendencies and that i need an orderly work station or i may go nuts. :) i really look forward to the next holiday we can decorate cookies together again. 

oh, and just a note, this recipe requires a little forethought, so be sure you give yourself enough time to make these cookies. the cookie dough needs to chill for at least an hour, the baked cookies need to cool for at least an hour before icing them, and the icing needs at least 24 hours to set.

the decorating committee

charlie even got in on the action. he's the official taste-tester, i guess.

finished product. dinah and i were so proud of our cookies this year!

christmas sugar cookies recipe

cookies:

3/4 c. butter, at room temperature

3/4 c. white sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

icing:

1 1/2 c powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 tsp light corn syrup

2 TBS warm tap water 

in a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth and then add sugar and beat until light and fluffy - about three minutes. scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. add the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and beat until well combined - about two minutes. 

whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. add half the mixture into the wet ingredients. beat until well combined and add the remaining half. if the dough seems too soft, add one tablespoon of flour at a time until it reaches the right consistency for rolling.

divide the dough into two equal parts. roll each portion out onto a piece of parchment paper until 1/4 inch thick. stack the pieces in between paper and chill for at least one hour. 

once chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. remove one dough piece from the refrigerator and using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes and place them on the baking sheet. re-roll the remaining dough until all is used. repeat for the second piece of dough. 

bake for 9-11 minutes or until very lightly colored on top and around edges. rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking time. allow to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before icing. about an hour.

for the icing, whisk sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, corn syrup, and water in a mixing bowl. it should be thick. try drizzling a little of the icing with the whisk. the ribbon of icing should hold for a few seconds before melting back into the icing. this will keep in the fridge for up to two days, if you're not using it right away. decorate cookies and allow 24 hours for icing to harden. 

skinny no-bake cookies

dinah's been going through some big emotional crud lately. i think it's a combination of a lot of things: adjusting to real life after vacation, missing her best friend (who is now gone on vacation with her family), jealous of baby brother, hot weather discomfort, and as far as i can tell, being three, in general, just ain't easy.

she's always been prone to meltdowns and big feelings (a girl after my own heart), but they have grown bigger and stronger this year than in the past. her meltdowns take many forms and they're always a delightful surprise :), but usually, they come in the form of anger. abrupt, intense, and violent rage. it starts with an ear piercing, blood curdling scream. then comes the grinding of her teeth, red face, tense body, throwing of objects, kicking whatever (or whoever) is nearby, and then finally, she ends by flinging herself facedown wherever she is and sobs and sobs. then she'll look up to make sure i'm still paying attention and dramatically pleads for me to "puh-leeeeze be nice" to her, even though i was never mean to her in the first place. well, unless turning off the tv or suggesting she tidy up her things or asking her to please not draw on the furniture or not cutting her toast properly is being mean? totally.

i understand meltdowns and big feelings are inevitable, she's only three after all. they are also a normal part of her brain development. these meltdowns will occur no matter what i do to avoid them. however, how i react and how i help her navigate these big emotions is very important for her longterm emotional intelligence.

when she has these angry outbursts they are a signal to me that she needs some connection and a little extra one-on-one care from her mama. a quick snuggle is all it takes some days. other days, the process is a little more heavy and demanding. sometimes i can't do it and i yell too. other days, like today, i'm calm and respectful of her and i'm able to hold her until she calms down. today as i wiped away her tears for the umpteenth time, i asked what might help her feel better. "cookies." duh. they make everyone feel better. good answer, dinah. but in reality, does my already emotionally wrecked little girl need loads of white flour or refined white sugar? umm, noooo. our oven is also on the fritz and we needed something simple and quick, since my girl was extra fragile today. so we made healthy no-bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies. no refined sugar, high in protein (from the peanuts) and high in fiber (from the oats). and super yummy. win-win-win.

skinny no-bake cookies

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1 small very ripe banana

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa

1/4 c. milk

2.5 c. oats

line a baking sheet with wax paper. melt peanut butter and mashed banana toether in a large pot over low heat until fully melted and combined. remove from heat. add honey, cocoa powder, milk, and oats. mix until fully combined and then drop on the baking sheet with a spoon and mold into the desired shape. refrigerate for about two hours. or if you're like me and dinah, just enjoy right away, but they'll be crumbly!

holiday treats (caramel corn, gingersnaps, and fudge)

there has been a flurry of holiday baking the last couple of weeks. making christmas treats is one of my favorite things and i look forward to it all year. most holiday seasons, i make about four batches of fudge, caramel corn, and many cookies. someday i will add divinity, peanut brittle, and salted caramel to the mix.

this is a three part post to highlight the three best christmas treats i made this year: caramel corn, gingersnaps, and fudge.

pecan caramel corn

earlier this week, dinah and i whipped up a batch of caramel corn to take to her preschool teachers at sweethearts as our christmas gift and our way of saying thank you for taking such good care of our girl all year. before this, dinah has never really tried popcorn, and now i think she assumes all popcorn is caramel corn. she may be mighty disappointed at her first trip to the movies.

we also made previous batches for sending to the grandparents and other family.

pecan caramel corn

15-18 cups of popped popcorn

2 cups whole pecans

1.5 cups packed brown sugar (i use dark)

3/4 cups butter (i use salted sweet cream)

almost 1/2 cup light corn syrup

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

pop popcorn and place it and the pecans in a large roasting pan (i use the kind you might use for baking a turkey). heat brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. once it starts bubbling around the edges, continue cooking over medium heat without stirring for 5 minutes. remove from heat and stir in baking soda until foamy. pour caramel mixture over popcorn and toss until evenly coated. bake 1 to 2 hours at 200 degrees. stir every 20 minutes. spread out on wax paper and let it cool completely before storing. 

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gingersnaps

i discovered this recipe in an issue of sunset magazine and have been making them every year since. though, i have adjusted the spices a bit. i tend to add about a 1/4 tsp more than recipes call for. anyway, these are the best gingersnap cookie i've ever had in my entire life. ever! they are like heaven (if you like ginger, that is.) they are so spicy. you get a really robust ginger flavor with every bight. and the texture is fantastic: soft and chewy in the middle and crisp and crunchy on the outside edges. our kitchen smelled just like christmas while we baked. when i think of christmas, the scent of ginger baking is always a strong memory.

mega-ginger gingersnaps

1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

about 3/4 cups sugar, divided

6 TBS butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup molasses

1 large egg

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

in a food processor, whirl chopped ginger and 1/3 cup of sugar until ginger is finely ground. remove from container. back in the food processor, whirl butter and 1/3 cup of sugar until fluffy. add ginger mixture, molasses, and egg and whirl to mix. in a mixing bowl, mix flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. then whirl into the butter mixture. cover dough and chill until firm, about 1 hour. shape dough into 1-inch balls and coat with remaining sugar. place balls 2 to 3 inches apart on a non stick or greased cookie sheet. bake at 350 degrees until slightly darker brown, about 11 to 12 minutes, switching positions of baking sheets halfway through.

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walnut fudge

my fondest memories of fudge are of my brother swift and i making it at christmas together. we were quite young. probably younger than i'd allow my kids to be making fudge independently, but whatevs, it was a simpler time back then. :) anyway, i was young enough to push a chair up to the counter to help. and i helped by, like, you know, licking the spoon and sneaking handfuls of chocolate chips and finger dips of marshmallow cream. my brother did all the hard work: the relentless stirring. i swear after a holiday season of making fudge, i could win any arm wrestling match with my massive biceps. anyway, i was my older brother and dinah was me in this year's fudge-making extravaganza. 

i think there are about a million different ways to make fudge, but i've quite honestly never tasted any quite as rich and delicious as me and my brother's version using jet-puffed marshmallow creme. i've also done a million different varieties using various flavored chips. mint-chocolate (with swirls of green mint chocolate on top), peanut butter, white chocolate, butterscotch...the list goes on. but this year, i kept it classic: chocolate walnut fudge.

walnut fudge

3 cups sugar

a pinch of cream of tartar*

3/4 cup butter

2/3 cups evaporated milk

12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips

7 ounces of jet-puffed marshmallow cream

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp vanilla

grease a cake pan with butter (use a 13x9 for thinner pieces of fudge or a 8x8 for thicker pieces). then in a heavy medium sized saucepan, over medium heat, bring butter, evaporated milk, and sugar to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. boil 4 to 6 minutes, until it reaches a soft ball stage in cold water or reaches 234 degrees on a candy thermometer. remove from heat and stir in marshmallow creme and chocolate chips. once melted, add vanilla and nuts. pour into your prepared baking dish and let cool completely. 

*the pinch of cream of tartar is a relatively recent discovery for me. after years and years of making fudge, last year i made a terrible batch where the sugar crystalized and the texture was gritty. fudge is such a simple recipe, but the chemistry of it is complex. for the next batch, i added a pinch of cream of tartar and its texture was perfect. by adding acid, such as cream of tartar, some of the sucrose will break down into glucose and fructose, resulting in great smooth texture. 

gingerbread men

gingerbread cookies

today, dinah and i invited friends over for a little holiday baking. three wild preschoolers, two babies, and three frazzled mamas shoved into a hot kitchen baking and decorating christmas cookies together makes a for a chaotic, but pretty fun holiday experience. it was even cloudy out, which made it feel even more like it's christmastime. the tree was lit, the christmas music was playing, and the kids, as they should be this time of year, were completely out of control.

kids in the kitchen

as i mixed the ingredients together in my trusty kitchenaid, several times, i had to shoo away three sets of sticky grabby hands: "get those fingers outa here! quit eating the dough!" with what little dough we had left, we were able to roll it out on the countertop and cut out stars and gingerbread men. the men definitely weren't pretty. most were missing a limb, if not their entire head, but, nonetheless, they made it onto the baking sheet and into the oven. 

meanwhile, we whipped up some healthy frosting ('cuz lord knows these kids don't need any more sugar...) and set up the decorating station. according to the kids' big smiles, this was was best part. not sure how much frosting or toppings actually made it onto the cookies instead of being shoved into little mouths, but the cookies were decorated and finished. ahhh, yes. messy perfection.

messy perfection

gingerbread men

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

in a medium sized bowl, mix together dry ingredients. set aside. in a mixing bowl, mix butter, sugar, molasses, egg, and vanilla. add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. on a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about a 1/4 inch thick, and cut shapes. bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet.

honey icing

1 cup coconut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp almond extract

whisk all ingredients until fluffy.