It all started with an innocent question: “Have you ever made oatmeal raisin cookies, just without the raisins?”
The answer? I’d never made oatmeal cookies in my life because I never liked them. I remember the feeling of disappointment from childhood when you knew there were cookies at a birthday party or a family function, but they were oatmeal raisin. UGH! What a waste of a cookie. When oatmeal raisin cookies are “crunchy,” it usually means that they are dry and crumbly. When the cookie is “chewy,” and then you add in chewy raisins, they can taste really gummy. In case you haven’t caught on yet — not a fan.
But I’d never considered just making oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and leaving out the raisins altogether. It’s a simple enough substitution, but it was enough to change my opinion on oatmeal cookies forever! I think the real secret to these cookies is the molasses. It keeps them soft and chewy even after they’ve cooled, which I think is the better consistency for oatmeal cookies.
Chewy (Raisin-less) Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 2.5 dozen
Ingredients
1/2 c. butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. rolled/quick-cooking oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment for the stand mixer, or an electric hand mixer, cream together the ingredients until they are fully combined, light, and fluffy. Don’t skimp on this step — it’s the key to good texture in the finished product!
Add in the egg, molasses, and vanilla — beat until everything is combined well.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1/3 at a time, mixing well between each addition until a dough is formed. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix the chocolate chips into the dough by hand.
If the dough is very soft, I recommend sticking the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes before forming the cookies. This will keep the cookies from melting and spreading too quickly in the oven. Drop mounds of dough in rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake each sheet of cookies for 10-12 minutes until golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to sit for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet before removing with a spatula to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
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