Chewy Oatmeal Molasses Cookies

These oatmeal molasses cookies are wonderfully chewy and make a delicious addition to your cookie jar recipe arsenal. The cookies are filled with the fragrant flavors of dried ginger and cinnamon and have just the right amount of spice. They make a great breakfast cookie served with some fruit, in addition to being an ideal lunch box treat or coffee break pick-me-up. Oatmeal cookies are a staple in American kitchens, and everyone has a favorite combination. Our simple recipe can be used as a template for you to experiment with to add ingredients like chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, or macadamia nuts. Add semisweet chocolate chips, raisins, dates, or Craisins, too. Or use sunflower seeds or pepitas if you want to keep the cookies allergen free. These vegetarian cookies are dairy free and use vegetable shortening instead of butter, so they are great to offer to people who abstain from eating dairy for personal or dietary reasons. If you want to serve a vegan version, replace the egg with half a mashed banana or 1/4 cup of applesauce.

Oatmeal is a wonderful and versatile ingredient to have at hand. Commonly known as a breakfast ingredient, oatmeal is versatile in baking as it adds texture and flavor to quick bread, muffins, and cookies. Besides providing great amounts of fiber, oatmeal is also high in protein and is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. One cup of quick-cooking oats like the ones used in this recipe provides 300 calories, 12 grams of protein, and 7.4 grams of fiber.

Our other key ingredient for these delicious cookies is molasses, a syrupy product derived from boiling sugarcane to a thick consistency. You could use any molasses for the recipe, but blackstrap will give a richer flavor. Blackstrap molasses has also caught more bakers' eyes because its nutritional benefits are numerous. It is, for example, a great source of selenium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. Half a cup of molasses, like the serving used in these cookies, provides 408 milligrams of magnesium, or more than a 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of 400 milligrams per day for men and well more than the 310 milligrams daily for women. And there is 2,470 milligrams of vitamin K, also over 100 percent of the daily recommendation of 1,600 to 2,000 milligrams per day for adults.

This recipe makes three to four dozen cookies depending on the size. Any cookies that aren't eaten fresh can be kept in a tightly covered container or food storage bag for up to five days or frozen for up to three months. To eat cookies after they've been frozen, thaw at room temperature.