WWII Oatmeal Molasses Cookies
These WWII Oatmeal Molasses Cookies are so delicious. They are crispy on the outside with perfectly gooey centers.
History of WWII Oatmeal Molasses Cookies
Along with the hardships in World War II came food rationing. Among the things rationed were food staples used in baked goods like butter, canned milk, and brown sugar. Because of this, bakers decided to get creative and start making cookies for the soldiers without those ingredients. That’s how these yummy molasses oatmeal cookies came to be! The molasses keeps them sturdy for shipping, yet gooey on the inside, & the shortening gives them a nice crunch. If you want to read more about the history of food rationing during the war, you can find out all the information I found here.
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Ingredients & Substitutes
- palm shortening. I don’t recommend coconut oil for this recipe because it hardens more than palm oil. If you do use coconut oil, expect a more crispy cookie.
- light molasses. This is the key ingredient for these delicious cookies! Perfectly sweet and strong flavored.
- vanilla extract. I love vanilla. If you’re like me, you can even go for a full tablespoon of vanilla in this recipe.
- white chocolate chips. You can use any type of allergy friendly white chocolate chips for this recipe. Sometimes we even make our own white chocolate chips! They are delicious and less expensive. You can find my recipe here.
- water + baking powder + olive oil. The water/baking powder/oil mixture perfectly mimics the texture of 2 eggs in this recipe. I do not recommend any other egg substitutes in this particular recipe as it will significantly change the cookies texture & flavor.
- 2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour.
- 2 cups gf oatmeal. This adds the bulk and fluffy texture to your cookie.
- sugar.
- baking powder.
- baking soda.
- salt.
- raisins, optional. If you want to make this kinda like a cowboy cookie, then raisins are a great addition to this recipe!
How to Make WWII Oatmeal Molasses Cookies
You can mix all wet ingredients and then dry ingredients in a kitchen aid. I highly recommend weighing your gluten free flour because if you don’t you will end up with super dry cookies that don’t spread. The dough should be scoop-able and formable, but a bit crumbly like this:
Seran wrap your dough and let it chill in fridge for at least 2 hours, or till dough is firm and holds shape. I know you want to just bake your mixture right away, but don’t do it! Gluten free flours absorb liquid less quickly, thus resting your cookie dough is vital in helping all the ingredients to blend together. The result of resting your dough is that your cookies will not have a dry and gritty texture.
Preheat oven to 350. Line 4 baking sheets with parchment and scoop out 2 TB of dough into balls. Then, place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
Press a few white chocolate chips into the dough balls, so the tops of the cookies look perfectly decorated after baking. Let dough balls come to room temperature for 10-15 mins. Also, to make sure your cookies spread out, it’s very important to let your dough come back to room temperature before
Bake the cookies 9-12 mins or till the edges are slightly golden brown. If you want a crunchier, firmer, and less soft cookie, I definitely recommend baking for the full 12 mins.
Cool in pan for 5-10 mins and then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.
Other Favorite Allergy Friendly Cookie Recipes
- Snickerdoodle Cookies (link coming soon)
- Chocolate Chip Cookies (link coming soon!)
- Pinwheel Cookies (link coming soon!)
Vegan White Chocolate WWII Oatmeal Molasses Cookies (Gluten, Soy, & Nut Free!)
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 30–32 (2 TB sized) cookies 1x
Ingredients
- ¾ cup palm shortening
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 5 TB light molasses
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 TB water + 1 TB baking powder + 2 tsp olive oil, mixed together *See notes
Remaining dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
- 2 cups gf oatmeal
- 1 tsp more baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, enjoy life brand
- 1/2 cup raisins, optional
Instructions
- In a kitchen aid or large bowl, mix the shortening, sugar, molasses, and vanilla together, till whipped.
- Stir in the water/baking powder/oil mixture, till thoroughly combined.
- Mix the remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then slowly combine into the wet ingredients, till cookie dough is scoop-able and formable, but a bit crumbly.
- Seran wrap your dough and let it chill in fridge for at least 2 hours, or till dough is firm and holds shape. *See notes.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Line 4 baking sheets with parchment and scoop out 2 TB of dough into balls. Then, place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Press a few white chocolate chips into the dough balls, so the tops of the cookies look perfectly decorated after baking. Let dough balls come to room temperature for 5-10 mins. **See notes
- Bake the cookies 9-12 mins or till the edges are slightly golden brown. If you want a crunchier, firmer, and less soft cookie, I definitely recommend baking for the full 12 mins.
- Cool in pan for 5-10 mins and then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
*The water/baking powder/oil mixture perfectly mimics the texture of 2 eggs in this recipe. I do not recommend any other egg substitutes in this particular recipe as it will significantly change the cookies texture & flavor.
**I know you want to just bake your mixture right away, but don’t do it! Gluten free flours absorb liquid less quickly, thus resting your cookie dough is vital in helping all the ingredients to blend together. The result of resting your dough is that your cookies will not have a dry and gritty texture.
***Also, to make sure your cookies spread out, it’s very important to let your dough come back to room temperature before baking.
- Prep Time: 10
- Chill Time: 120
- Cook Time: 10