I've been wanting to make some kind of 'oatmeal raisin' cookie for a long time now. There is just something about the word 'oatmeal' that seems delicious to me, probably because I love oats. I still haven't quite got my head around what 'oatmeal' actually is, since I originally thought it was the equivalent of porridge. Either way, I found this recipe which has molasses as well, and that was the deal maker. Since I've had a jar of molasses sitting in the cupboard 3/4 full, it was more than time to use it again.
These cookies have a beautiful mix of coconut, white chocolate chips and sultanas with a beautiful cake-like texture. They are quite salty - I'm assuming this is the result of the molasses. Next time I won't add the 1/2 tsp of salt (I have removed this from the recipe) and I will add more sultanas as the sweetness helps to help counteract the salt. I may also add a little less molasses. I happened to use unsalted butter just by chance, and I think I'll use it next time as well.
Ultimately these are beautiful soft cookies that taste wonderful (particularly warmed up with a bit of ice-cream...hmm I wonder who trialed that...).
Ingredients*:
120g flour
1 cup oats
1/2 tsp bi-carb soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
115g unsalted butter, at room temperature
65g sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 (or more) cup sultanas/raisins/currants/dried cranberries
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut/ dessicated coconut/coconut flakes
1/2 tsp bi-carb soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
115g unsalted butter, at room temperature
65g sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 (or more) cup sultanas/raisins/currants/dried cranberries
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut/ dessicated coconut/coconut flakes
Method:
Preheat
oven to 180°C (350°F). Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Sift
flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon into a medium bowl. Whisk
together. Add oats and stir until well combined.
In a
large bowl of a mixer, beat the butter until smooth and pale. Slowly add the
sugar and beat for another minute until fluffy (make sure you remember to
scrape down the sides of the bowl). Add
the egg and beat until combined, then add the molasses and vanilla and beat
until mixed through.
On a
low speed, add the flour mixture in two batches, mixing after each addition.
Scrape down mixer blades, then fold through the choc-chips, sultanas, coconut
and whatever else you would like to add.
Roll
the dough into balls around 1-2 tablespoons in size, depending on how big you
want the cookies. Space them at least 5cm/2in apart.
Bake
for about 10 mins, until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Cool
on trays until you can easily transfer them to the cooling rack.
Makes
about 20 cookies.
* note: while I usually convert all ingredients into grams, I left most of this recipe intact, since I decided it probably wasn't necessary for precise measurement or conversion from US to metric. You can also experiment with adding different ingredients - I threw in a small handful of dried cranberries as well.
Source: Adapted from Omnivorous
