These old-fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies are soft, chewy, and coated in a sweet vanilla icing. This recipe is flourless, gluten free, and packed with cozy spices.

Cookies

• Butter – adds flavor and tenderness. In this cookie recipe, butter is kept chilled which results in a very thick cookie. Using unsalted butter allows you to control how much salt goes into the recipe. If salted butter is the only butter available, simply reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon per 1/2 cup of butter called for.
• Brown Sugar – contains molasses which yields a rich flavor and moist, chewy cookie. Dark brown sugar is approximately 20% molasses and light brown sugar is 10%. Dark brown sugar is called for in the recipe, but either can be used. Typically cookies are made with a combination of brown and granulated sugar, but using just brown sugar prevents the cookies from spreading too much and also enhances the warm, cozy flavor.
• Vanilla – adds a sweet flavor and depth. Without it, the cookies will taste bland. Pure vanilla extract is always preferred, but imitation will be fine in a pinch. Pure vanilla is made with vanilla bean, water, and alcohol whereas imitation vanilla is made without vanilla beans. Imitation is cheaper and often does not taste any different than pure vanilla extract in baked goods, so the choice is yours! I prefer pure vanilla extract, because it’s actually made with vanilla beans.
• Molasses – keeps the cookies soft while also providing a warm, rich, sweet flavor. Look for a light or dark unsulphured molasses, but do not use blackstrap — its flavor is much too strong and bitter.
• Egg – helps bind the cookie together while also adding a chewy texture. Because we’re using cold butter, you’ll need to use cold eggs. Same temperature ingredients combine better. Not all eggs are the same size; today’s recipe calls for large eggs, so be sure to check the carton!
• Old Fashioned Oats – aka rolled oats are used two ways in this recipe: whole and ground. Whole old fashioned oats provide a chewy texture and ground old fashioned oats replace the flour you’d typically find a cookie recipe that adds structure and gives the cookies shape.
• Spices: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, and Salt – our homemade spice mixture! This combination of spices gives a warm, cozy flavor and also helps to balance out the sweetness from the brown sugar. Feel free to use a store-bought seasoning blend like “pumpkin pie spice” to replace the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Baking Soda – our leavening agent. Baking soda gives these cookies a “lift” and prevents them from becoming too dense. It also promotes a nice, chewy texture.

Icing

• Powdered Sugar – the base of our glaze. Powdered sugar aka confectioners’ sugar is the best sweetener for glazes, frosting, and icings, because it’s ultra smooth. Granulated or brown sugar would give a gritty texture.
• Salt – balances out the sweetness of the powdered sugar to give this icing the perfect sweet, but not too sweet flavor.
• Milk – thins the icing ever so slightly. We’re looking for a relatively thick icing that will eventually harden on the cookies. Adding too much milk won’t allow the icing to set. Use milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half.
• Vanilla – optional, but highly recommended. It will make the icing slightly brown in color (vs white), but it does provide the icing with additional flavor.

Cookies

• ▢1/2 cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
• ▢3/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
• ▢1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢1 tablespoon molasses
• ▢1 large egg cold
• ▢2 cups old fashioned oats ground in food processor until it resembles flour (certified GF if necessary)
• ▢1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats left whole (certified GF if necessary)
• ▢1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢1/4 teaspoon cloves
• ▢1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Icing

• ▢2 cups powdered sugar sifted
• ▢1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢3 tablespoons milk
• ▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions Cookies

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats.
• In your stand mixer, beat butter and brown sugar together until fluffy — this may take a few minutes because the butter is cold.

• Beat in vanilla, molasses, and egg.
• Add ground oats, whole oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and baking soda, then mix until well combined.
• Use a large cookie scoop to scoop out 16 dough balls — place 8 onto each prepared baking sheet.*
• Bake in preheated oven to 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
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• Remove from oven, then allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before icing.
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Icing

• Place powered sugar, salt, milk, and vanilla into a medium sized bowl then whisk until smooth.
• Dunk the tops of the completely cooled cookies into the icing.
• Place back onto the wire cooling rack to allow the icing to set.

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This Instant Pot Mongolian Beef is tastier and cheaper than takeout!  Tender steak is coated in a brown sugar, ginger, garlic sauce and served over rice.

INGREDIENTSIf you love Asian inspired cooking, then you likely have these pantry staples at home already!

• Soy Sauce – soaks into the beef to give a salty, rich umami flavor. Use a low sodium soy sauce if you’re watching your intake. Gluten free? Use tamari or coconut aminos instead.
• Beef Broth – the base of our sauce. Beef broth can be found in a can, carton, and can also be made using beef bouillon cubes. As with the soy sauce, feel free to use a low sodium variety.
• Brown Sugar – gives the Mongolian beef it’s classic, sweet flavor. Dark brown sugar is approximately 20% molasses and light brown sugar is 10%. Dark brown sugar is called for in the recipe, but either can be used.
• Seasoned Rice Vinegar – balances out the rich flavors of soy sauce and beef broth with a bright, tangy flavor. Seasoned rice vinegar has the addition of salt and sugar, so if you need to substitute with another vinegar (like apple cider vinegar), use half the amount called for so it doesn’t overpower the other flavors.
• Sesame Oil – adds a rich, nutty flavor. Be sure you’re using toasted sesame oil which has a deeper, roasted flavor than “regular” sesame oil.
• Red Pepper Flakes – Mongolian beef isn’t typically spicy, but just a few red pepper flakes provides a mild spicy flavor to contrast the sweet brown sugar.
• Ground Ginger – adds a bit of spiciness and a refreshing flavor. Feel free to use freshly grated or minced ginger instead. I never have fresh on hand, but if you prefer the flavor, use 1 tablespoon minced ginger to replace the 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger in the original recipe.
• Garlic – gives a subtle kick of nutty flavor. Use pre-minced jarred garlic for easy prep. If fresh is all you have on hand, you’ll need about 3-6 cloves to equal the 1 tablespoon called for in the original recipe.
• Flank Steak –  halved lengthwise, then sliced against the grain into 1/2 inch thick strips. Flank steak is very lean so it’s important to not slice it too thick or overcook it.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – a high quality unrefined oil that’s used to cook the yellow onion. It has a fairly low smoke point, but it’s fine for the Instant Pot. Feel free to substitute with whatever oil you have on hand such as coconut oil, avocado oil, canola oil, etc.
• Yellow Onion – yellow onion is used in the recipe, but feel free to use white or red onion. Yellow and red onions will yield a sweeter flavor whereas white onion will have more of a “bite” to it.
• Cornstarch – whisked together with some reserved beef broth to make a slurry. Once the slurry is made, it’s slowly whisked into the cooking liquid and simmered until it has thickened. Without a slurry, the sauce would be too thin.

IngredientsUS Customary - Metric

• ▢3/4 cups soy sauce use a gluten free variety, if necessary
• ▢3/4 cups beef broth divided
• ▢1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
• ▢2 tablespoons hoisin sauce use a gluten free variety, if necessary
• ▢2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• ▢2 tablespoons sesame oil
• ▢1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes more or less depending on your heat preference
• ▢1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢2 pounds flank steak halved lengthwise, then sliced against the grain into 1/2 inch thick strips
• ▢1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢1 large yellow onion sliced
• ▢1/4 cup cornstarch
• ▢Instant pot rice for serving
• ▢Chopped green onions for garnish
• ▢Asian roasted broccoli for serving

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, 1/2 cup broth, brown sugar, hoisin, vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, ginger, and garlic until well combined.
• Stir in steak, then cover and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or (preferably) in the fridge for up to 8 hours.
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• Hit SAUTE on a 6 quart Instant Pot.
• Once it reads HOT, add in extra virgin olive oil and sliced onion, then sauté for 5 minutes.
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• Hit CANCEL, then pour steak and marinade into the IP. Be sure to scrape any brown bits off the bottom to prevent a BURN reading.
• Cover and lock the lid (make sure the steam releasing handle is pointing to sealing), then cook on HIGH pressure for 6 minutes.
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• When the time is up, allow a natural release for 15 minutes, then flip the valve to release the remaining pressure.
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• Hit SAUTE on the Instant Pot.
• In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup broth until smooth, slowly whisk into the Instant Pot, then allow to simmer until sauce has thickened to your liking.
• Taste and re-season, if necessary, then serve over rice with chopped green onions and a side of roasted broccoli and enjoy!

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