Last year I improvised a cookie recipe on a dark and wintery night. I was craving warm, chocolatey oatmeal cookies, but with a dark caramelized brown butter flavor. I threw in some molasses and spices to infuse them with a slight gingerbread-like flavor. Then I rolled my dough into a log. Which I sliced and baked throughout the new year. They were perfectly toasty, spiced, rich with flavor, and chewy from the oats. Filled with melted chocolate and topped with flakes of sea salt. This week I decided to remake them to help get through the hardest part of the year. And a few snow storms. These are my beloved molasses brown butter oatmeal cookies with orange chocolate!

Recreating my Favorite Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I remember making these last year with no recipe, just trusting my gut and throwing things into a big pot. Starting with deeply browned butter. Mixed with brown sugar and eggs. I experimented with adding my spices directly to the brown butter instead of in the dry ingredients to wake them up a little bit. I also added in a teaspoon or two of fresh stem ginger and a couple tablespoons of molasses. This was a throw everything in and hope for the best recipe, which usually goes well for me. I really wanted them to have the warmth and chew of brown butter oatmeal cookies, so I put in a couple big cups full of oats, along with flour, baking soda, chopped dark chocolate and salt. It came together in a big ball and I rolled it into a thick log, slicing before wrapping with plastic.

It was my go-to self care routine for a while. Light a candle. Take a shower. Get in my most comfortable clothes, sit under a blanket, and throw a slice of my brown butter oatmeal cookies in the oven. They take 12 minutes, so I would make a cup of tea, too, while I waited. My favorite is orange and cinnamon flavored, which pairs beautifully. I watch a good show or listen to music. Do some writing. While wrapped up in my fortress of solitude, happy as can be. This week was especially cold, as winter is reaching a peak here in Maine. Temperatures are in the teens. And I was without my car for 2 weeks, so I felt especially stir-crazy. I hunkered down and planned some recipes and spent a beautiful day with my mom for her birthday.

Birthday Tarts + Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies

We held up during a light snow storm and watched some TV. I made her favorite dinner recipe, my tomato tart. Which is better in the summer when I can pick up fresh farm tomatoes. But it was still a knockout, with tender shortbread crust and lemony ricotta filling. I’ve been doing a lot of planning and reflecting, and once again slipping into that winter self care routine with hot showers, hot tea, hot candles, and hot cookies. I almost didn’t let myself put in molasses and spices, because some people think they only belong in the fall or around the holidays. But I listened to my palate and said screw it.

I woke up on Thursday in a good mood, after a pleasant dream. Thinking of oatmeal brown butter cookies while snacking on a leftover black sesame bagel with coffee for breakfast. I dug through the kitchen cabinets and found a container of oats, mostly full. I checked to make sure I had enough butter. And I hunted for chocolate. Ideally, I would chop up a bar of special dark chocolate shards, which create jagged and random shapes throughout the cookie dough. But all I had was a sad looking end of a bag of chocolate chips. But, I couldn’t drive to the store, so I had to get creative. Determined to bake and taste my favorite chocolatey oatmeal brown butter cookies.

Chocolate Oranges in Cookies

That’s when I found a Christmas gift my mom got that she didn’t want, and sat lonely in the kitchen for the past month. A Terry’s Chocolate Orange. My first question, admittedly, was if it was an actual orange covered in chocolate or a chocolate ball scented with orange. I unwrapped the gold-foil ball and gave it a smell. Nice and fragrant. And I lit up with excitement at the trompe-l’oeil chocolate orange set like citrus segments. You can see the pulp, the rind, and the seeds. I tasted a small piece and a pang of excitement and nostalgia shot through me. I don’t think I’d ever eaten one before. But it reminded me of the clementines my grandparents used to leave in the bottom of our Christmas stockings. And a rich, dark, chocolate bar.

I chopped it up and felt a little short in terms of chocolate. It had to be intense, rich, and packed with chocolate shards. Non-negotiable. So, I decided to bake a half batch. Which is easier anyway. This recipe ended up making 7 brown butter oatmeal cookies, which is perfect because I baked one straight away and kept 3 to develop flavor in the fridge. 3 to freeze. I put my chopped chocolate orange pieces on a plate, and found myself back at the stove melting butter. Waiting for that nutty, caramelized brown butter smell. Dreaming of brown butter oatmeal cookies with a chewy, rich dough and melted dark chocolate.

Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough

After the butter was perfect, I added in nutmeg, cinnamon, a little bit of clove, and ground ginger, as well as a little fresh ginger, which splattered violently. It melded together into a gorgeous amber liquid and I let it cool while as I measured brown sugar and my dry ingredients. After about 10 minutes, I whisked in an egg and brown sugar, which initially seemed to separate. But after a minute or two of determination, I had a dark, rich, spiced butter and sugar sauce. Finally, I added my oats and distributed them evenly. Finishing with my dry flour, salt, and baking soda/powder mixture. Enough to make a stiff, thick cookie dough. I added my chocolate pieces too.

I had a thick mixture that reminded me of protein balls, or “earth balls” as they call them at our local bakery. Scoopable and plentiful with oats and chocolate. This is when the scent comes alive for the first time, that synergistic mixture of spices, chocolate, brown butter oats, and the welcome addition of citrus. I portioned out my cookie dough balls with an ice cream scoop, since I’m a fan of obscenely large cookies. I covered them and let them rest in the fridge. Then, with my last ball, I heard the ding of the preheated oven and placed it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Baking Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

After about 8 minutes I popped open the oven to check on my single brown butter oatmeal cookie and a wave of spiced gingerbread, brown butter, and rich chocolate chip cookies washed over me. I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it smelled. But I realized I forgot to squish the thick, cold puck of dough down before baking it, so I took a saucer and carefully pressed down. I could have used some non-stick spray, probably, to keep the melted chocolate from sticking. But after it finished, around the 12 minute mark, I banged my pan on the counter, too, to flatten it further. I finished with a perfect, round, craggy and thick oatmeal brown butter cookie that looked straight out of a magazine.

It took all of my self control to not burn my mouth and scarf down the whole thing immediately. So I let it cool for the sake of good photos, and passed the time by shaking it in a ring cutter to achieve a perfectly round shape. I made a quick lunch while darting my eyes towards my cookie every now and then. I sprinkled some sea salt on top while it was still warm. Then I sat down to eat and felt like a dog training to not eat until the owner says so. The house was filled with that incredible oatmeal brown butter cookies scent and I was transported back to last winter.

Orange, molasses, spices, brown butter..

I was so elated to remake the recipe, but better, and to write it down this time. Just like before, I loved the texture. A chewy, oat-filled dough that gets even chewier after resting. You can taste the slightly spicy brown butter, which, paired with the warm spices, tickles your tongue and warms your body. It reminds me of a chewy molasses cookie, ripe with spices, but then mixed with a batch of the most perfect oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough. The kind you dream of from childhood, when you bite into a warm one straight out of the oven. You expect the dark brown spots to be raisins and then your teeth sink into molten, dark chocolate freckled with pops of sea salt.

The best part is the chocolate orange shards. Which I can’t believe I’ve never tried before. It’s completely game-changing. I’ve been obsessed with chocolate chip cookies all of my life, and I am so loyal to my mom’s old fashioned, simple recipe. But there is room in my heart for classic brown butter oatmeal cookies made with Terry’s Chocolate oranges. It’s the perfect way to impart acid and fruitiness into oatmeal brown butter cookies without adding moisture. Which would change the texture. I’m kind of mind blown, honestly, and I’m so grateful for the accidental discovery. The orange scent, the acidity and perfume pairs so well with the subtle molasses, spices, and brown butter.

Half-batch Cookie Recipe

I’m also really glad this recipe makes a half batch. It only uses one stick of butter, and you can use any scraps of chocolate bars or chips you have on hand. But if you are an orange chocolate person, you have to try using a chocolate orange. It’s definitely a flavor I will dream of, and something that has inspired many other recipes in my head. Chocolate orange tarts. Chocolate orange cake. Gelato with orange stracciatella. The possibilities are making me so excited. And this is what I live for. Creative cooking. Accidentally discovering one of my favorite foods because I can’t go to the grocery store and I just use what I have on hand.

This is, besides my mom’s chocolate chip cookies, the best cookie recipe I’ve ever had. It’s perfect for me, and tailored to my palate. But I really believe anyone who likes fruit and chocolate, molasses cookies, or brown butter oatmeal cookies, would love these. I seriously can’t speak highly enough of how delicious these smelled before even baking. And they’re so easy to make and store. I’m dreaming of raspberry chocolate and blueberry chocolate now. I thought of putting orange zest on top, for color, but the flavors are balanced on a razor’s edge and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Thank you for reading! Be sure to check out my Etsy store for 25% off my recipe cards and art prints of over 100 foods. Use code THEFORKEDRING.

Print Pin

Oatmeal Brown Butter Cookies with Orange Chocolate, Molasses, and Spices

Hard to say but easy to make, with Terry's Chocolate Oranges, brown butter, spices, and oats. Makes a half batch!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate chip cookies, molasses cookies, oatmeal cookies

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 7

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cups AP flour
• 3/4 cups bread flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt + more for garnish
• 1 1/2 cups chopped chocolate oranges

Instructions

• Brown butter in a large saucepan or stock pot over medium heat until bubbly and amber-colored.
• Remove from heat and add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and fresh ginger and stir to combine. Then, add molasses and mix.
• Once your butter mixture is lukewarm or cool to the touch, add your brown sugar, white sugar, and egg and mix until homogenous.
• In a separate large bowl, sift together AP flour, bread flour, baking powder, and baking soda. After sifting, add your oats and sea salt.
• Add your dry ingredients and chopped chocolate to your brown butter mixture and work together with a spatula or wooden spoon. You can use your hands if easier.
• Portion dough into 7 large balls with an ice cream scoop and place on a baking sheet, covered.
• Let dough balls rest in the fridge for at least 10-15 minutes before baking, ideally for 24 hours for best results, air-tight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Let the dough balls come to room temperature and flatten with your hands or a non-stick plate.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes. Half-way through baking remove cookies from oven and bang the pan to help spread.
• Remove cookies from oven and bang one more time to help flatten. Sprinkle with a touch of coarse sea salt and let cool for 10-20 minutes until firm.