What does the molasses do in this cookie recipe?

The single tablespoon of unsulphured dark molasses acts as a flavor amplifier that deepens and enriches the combined flavors of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a way that no other single ingredient can replicate. Molasses adds a warm, slightly caramel, and deeply savory background note that makes every person who tastes these cookies immediately sense that something beautifully different and more complex is happening without being able to identify the specific ingredient responsible.

Why use more brown sugar than granulated?

Brown sugar contains molasses naturally from the refining process and therefore has a significantly richer and more complex flavor than granulated white sugar. Brown sugar also contains more moisture than granulated sugar and produces a softer and more moist finished cookie that stays chewy and tender for longer. Using more brown sugar than granulated guarantees the most flavorful and most beautifully moist and chewy oatmeal raisin cookie possible.

Can I skip the cookie dough chilling step?

The 30-minute chilling period is strongly recommended for the most beautifully shaped and most properly textured oatmeal raisin cookie. Without chilling, the dough is too soft and sticky to form into neat balls and the cookies spread too aggressively during baking, producing thin and flat rather than the most thick and chewy result the recipe is designed to deliver.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Easy Soft Chewy Molasses Classic Recipe

Description

The most soft and chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies made by creaming room temperature butter with brown and granulated sugar 3 minutes then beating in room temperature eggs vanilla and a secret tablespoon of molasses combining with flour baking soda cinnamon and salt beating in old-fashioned rolled oats and plump warm-water-soaked raisins chilling 30 to 60 minutes rolling into balls and baking at 350°F for 12 to 14 minutes until edges golden and centers still very soft cooled on sheet 5 minutes. A completely extraordinary classic oatmeal cookie recipe.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup 226g Unsalted Butter softened to room temperature

1 cup 200g Packed Light or Dark Brown Sugar

1/4 cup 50g Granulated Sugar

2 large Eggs room temperature

2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 tbsp 15ml Unsulphured or Dark Molasses not blackstrap

1 2/3 cups 209g All-Purpose Flour spooned and leveled

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Salt

3 cups 255g Old-Fashioned Whole Rolled Oats

1 cup 140g Raisins soaked in warm water 10 minutes then blotted dry

1/2 cup 64g Chopped Toasted Walnuts optional

Instructions

1. Soak raisins in warm water 10 minutes. Drain and blot thoroughly dry. Set aside.

2. Cream softened butter with brown and granulated sugar on medium 3 minutes until smooth.

3. Add room temperature eggs. Mix on high 1 minute until combined. Scrape bowl.

4. Add vanilla and molasses. Mix on high until combined. Set aside.

5. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in separate bowl.

6. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients on low until combined.

7. Beat in oats, soaked raisins, and optional walnuts on low. Dough will be thick and very sticky.

8. Chill dough in refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes.

9. Preheat oven to 350°F 177°C. Line two large sheets with parchment.

10. Roll approximately 2 tbsp dough per cookie into balls.

11. Place 2 inches apart on prepared sheets.

12. Bake 12 to 14 minutes until lightly golden on sides with very soft centers.

13. Cool on sheet 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack.

Prep Time: 45 minutes including chilling
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Category: Dessert, Cookies
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 185
Sugar: 14g
Sodium: 95mg
Fat: 9g
Saturated Fat: 5g
Unsaturated Fat: 3g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 25g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 3g
Cholesterol: 35mg

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