Easy Oatmeal Cookies with Ginger and Molasses

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4.85 from 13 votes

Easy Oatmeal Cookies with Ginger and Molasses

These easy Oatmeal Cookies with ginger and molasses are soft, chewy and full of warm spices!

Course Cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword chewy oatmeal cookies, easy oatmeal cookies

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 9

Cooling Time 30

Total Time 54

Servings cookies

Calories 102.8kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

¾ cup salted butter (1 ½ sticks), softened at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon cloves
¾ teaspoon ginger
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
Add egg and molasses. Mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and blend until combined.
Stir in oatmeal.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets that have been lined with parchment paper or silicone mats. The cookies will spread in the oven, so I recommend only placing 9 cookies on each baking sheet.
Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. The cookies will still look soft, which is fine. They will firm up a little bit as they cool, but they will still be soft and chewy!
Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes

You don't have to chill the dough before baking; however, you can refrigerate the dough if it's more convenient. Either way, the cookies will spread quite a bit in the oven, so I recommend spacing them out generously (and only baking about 9 cookies per tray).
Can oatmeal cookie dough be frozen? Yes! This dough freezes best if you portion it into dough balls before freezing. Arrange the dough balls on baking sheets, freeze, and then wrap tightly in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. When ready to bake, just pull a couple of frozen dough balls from the oven and bake in a 350 degree F oven. You'll need to add about 1-2 more minutes to the baking time since you're starting with frozen dough.
How do you make oatmeal cookies soft and chewy? These simple oatmeal cookies stay incredibly soft and chewy for a couple of reasons. The molasses helps, and so does a short baking time. If you pull them out of the oven when they're still soft, they will firm up slightly, but stay soft and chewy when cooled.
Why are my oatmeal cookies flat? This particular recipe yields thin, chewy cookies. This is because there is little flour relative to the amount of butter in the dough. It's a delicious, light texture! However, to avoid excessive spreading, make sure that your oven is the correct temperature, that your dough isn't too warm, and that your baking sheets are cool.
What kind of oats do you use for cookies? I recommend using Quaker Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats in this recipe. I do not recommend using quick-cooking oats or steel cut oats, as those will yield a different texture in the finished cookie.
How long will these Easy Oatmeal Cookies stay fresh? Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh on the counter for about 3 days. To extend the life of your cookies, wrap them tightly and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Are oatmeal cookies healthy? Not particularly. While they're made with whole grains and they have just 102 calories per cookie, these are definitely treats! They include plenty of butter and sugar, and they only have less than 1 gram of fiber per serving. Enjoy the dessert, but don't consider it a nutritious meal. Hah!

Nutrition