Molasses Oatmeal Cookies

Molasses and maple syrup are two of my favorite sweeteners of all times. I particularly love using them when the weather turns cold because of their smoky, spicy sweetness. This year I didn't end up tapping the trees to get our own syrup, but thankfully Flying Mouse Farms never disappoints in the maple syrup making department. Molasses has great flavor when used in moderation, but can easily overpower your dish with a bitterness that I can always taste. I like to keep it to no more than 1/4-1/3 cup in a recipe. Fun note molasses is made from the juice of sugarcane, or at least thats how they did it on the farm my grandma grew up on. To press the juice out of the sugarcane the horses would be tied to the sugarcane press, then would walk in circles to turn the press and squeeze out  all the juice. It was a win win, the horses would get their exercise, and in return they got the juice to make the molasses!

Wet Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened smooth almond butter

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 large eggs

Mix the above three ingredients with a hand or stand mixer until well combined. Next add in the sweeteners below and mix well.

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup grade b maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup gluten free baking mix or whole grain flour of your choice

2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

3/4 cup raisins  (optional)

Combine all dry ingredients and mix by hand until all ingredients make a well dispersed mixture. Slowly add the  dry to the wet, mixing after each addition. Lastly add in the optional nuts and dried fruit if you are choosing to use them! This batter will be thinner than a traditional cookie. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, checking frequently when it gets close to the end. This makes 12-13 large cookies, or 24 tablespoon sized cookies. Baking time is for the larger size.