Ingredients (~18 cookies)
For the Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp unsulphured molasses
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
For the Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp whole milk
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Brown the Butter and Prepare the Oats
In a light-colored saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the butter foams, then subsides, and you see browned milk solids at the bottom of the pan. It should smell nutty.
Scrape all of the butter and the browned bits into a mixing bowl and let it cool to room temperature. If the butter is hot when you mix the dough, the cookies will spread too much.
While the butter cools, place the rolled oats in a food processor or blender. Pulse until about half of the oats have been broken down into a coarse flour, with the other half remaining in smaller, whole pieces.
Make and Chill the Dough
Once the brown butter is cool, add the light brown sugar and granulated sugar to the bowl. Whisk vigorously for about a minute until the mixture is well combined.
Whisk in the egg, vanilla extract, and molasses until just combined.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the pulverized oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until just combined.
Use a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) to portion the dough into balls and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze the dough balls for at least 3-4 hours, or overnight for the best results.
This chilling step is essential to prevent the cookies from spreading.
Bake and Ice the Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Place the frozen dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.
Bake for ~10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown but the centers still look soft and slightly underdone.
Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before icing them. If the cookies are warm, the icing will melt and slide off.
For the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. It should be thick but still pourable.
Quickly dip just the top of each cooled cookie into the icing. Let the excess drip off, then place the cookies on a wire rack to let the icing set, which will take about 1-2 hours at room temperature.’
Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp unsulphured molasses
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
For the Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp whole milk
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Brown butter in saucepan over medium heat until nutty and golden. Cool to room temperature.
- Pulse oats in food processor until half are finely ground.
- Whisk cooled brown butter with both sugars for 1 minute.
- Mix in egg, vanilla, and molasses.
- Fold in ground oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined.
- Scoop 2-tablespoon dough balls onto parchment-lined sheet. Freeze 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Arrange frozen dough balls 2 inches apart on parchment-lined sheet.
- Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are golden but centers soft.
- Cool completely on baking sheet.
- Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla for icing until pourable.
- Dip cookie tops in icing, let excess drip off.
- Place on wire rack until icing sets.
