Step 1

Start by placing the old-fashioned rolled oats (1 cup/80g) into a food processor or high speed blender and pulse until they have a variety of texture; mostly oat flour, but some pieces of chopped oats as well.

Step 2

Then in a large bowl whisk together the pulsed oats, flour (1 ½ cups/188g), baking soda (1 ½ teaspoons), kosher salt (½ teaspoon), ground cinnamon (1 ½ teaspoons), ground ginger (1 teaspoon) and ground cloves (½ teaspoon). Set aside.

Step 3

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand held mixer, cream together the unsalted butter (¾ cup/170g), dark brown sugar (½ cup/100g) and granulated sugar (¼ cup/50g) on medium speed (speed 6 on a KitchenAid mixer) for 2 minutes. Scrape up and down the bowl and add in the egg (1 large), molasses (¼ cup/60mL/70g) and vanilla (2 teaspoons) and beat on medium until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl if needed until combined.

Step 4

Add the dry ingredients in two additions on low speed, mixing until just combined. The dough will be thick and sticky. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (can chill for up to 2 days). If chilled for longer than 1 hour, allow it to sit on the counter for 20 -30 minutes or the dough will be too hard.

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Step 6

Scoop the cookie dough, about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and place 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until the edges are set. The middles may look slightly underdone.

Step 7

Remove the cookies from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 8

Once the cookies are cool, make the icing. Place the confectioners’ sugar (1 cup/120g) in a small to medium size bowl. Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of milk. Use a spoon to mix until combined, but it will not truly be a glaze yet as there isn’t enough liquid (see photo in the post if you need a visual). Add only enough extra milk (I do ½ teaspoon at a time) until you have a very thick icing.

Step 9

Very lightly dip the top of the cookie into the icing. If you drop the cookie in, you will likely break it taking it out. If you would rather, you can lightly spread the icing on the cookies as well. The icing sets after a few hours.