Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies

Name: Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 24 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 Cups flour; 2 teaspoon baking soda; 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup butter, softened; 1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; 1 egg; 1/3 cup molasses; 1 11oz package butterscotch chips

November 8, 2012 by Tanya Schroeder · 40 Comments · Last updated: December 11, 2021

Jump to Recipe

Soft gingerbread cookies are studded with loads of butterscotch chips.

The combination sounds unusual, but they are perfect partners!

Gingerbread is one of the most popular holiday cookie flavors and it’s not hard to see why, but I bet you’ve never tried gingerbread-like this before. Studded with butterscotch chips these gingerbread cookies are a spectacular twist on a classic. This butterscotch gingerbread cookie dough is so good and it’s not just because I love the ginger and cinnamon flavor combination. Everything about these cookies is perfect.

The Perfect Seasonal Cookie

These cookies are the best of both worlds and are truly my favorite holiday cookie from now until eternity. At first bite, you’re hit with the flavor and depth of molasses and then the sweet butterscotch takes over and adds its own perspective. I guarantee you’ll find them extremely addicting and satisfying! Serve these cookies up for holiday cookie exchanges or at parties and watch how fast they disappear. Don’t be surprised when people start asking for the recipe, they’re just too good to not share!

Ingredients

All-purpose flour
Baking soda
Ground cinnamon
Ground ginger
Ground cloves
Salt
Softened butter
Packed brown sugar
Egg
Molasses
Butterscotch chips

For the exact amount needed, please see the recipe card below.

How to Make Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy.
Add in the eggs and molasses and mix well.
Slowly blend in the flour mixture until combined.
Stir in the butterscotch chips until distributed.
Drop the dough by the spoonfuls onto your baking sheets.
Bake in the oven for 9-11 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
Let the cookies cool on the sheet for about 2 minutes before removing them from the rack.
Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

Molasses is what gives gingerbread cookies their traditional flavoring, dark coloring, and chewy goodness in every bite. I recommend using molasses and not an alternative (like honey) in this recipe for the best tasting results. My favorite molasses brand to use is Grandma’s brand Molasses, it’s always giving just the right amount of thickness and flavor to my baked goods. Black strap molasses is fine, but not my favorite as it doesn’t always hold up as well as Grandma’s.

Brown sugar is sugar in a more raw state than granulated, which is sugar but with the molasses removed. If you find that you have molasses and white sugar on hand you can make these cookies even if you lack brown sugar in the pantry. Simply DIY your won brown sugar by mixing one cup of granulated white sugar with 1 tablespoon of molasses until mixed. What you are doing is essentially adding in the molasses that was removed during the refinement process. Now you can take the homemade brown sugar and use it as directed in the recipe card.

FAQs

How long are gingerbread cookies good for?

These cookies can be kept stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. I recommend eating them within 3 or 4 days for the best tasting results as cookies may become stale as they age.

Can I freeze butterscotch chip cookies?

Absolutely! These cookies freeze very well and can be kept stored in the freezer for up to 3 months inside of an airtight container. When ready to eat simply place the cookies on the counter and allow them to thaw for a few minutes before eating. Enjoy!

Can I make the cookie dough in advance?

If desired you can make the cookie dough for these gingerbread soft cookies in advance. Simply keep the dough in a covered bowl in the fridge for up to 2 days. When ready to bake, take the bowl out of the fridge and allow it to soften for about 10 minutes before scooping and baking as directed.

You can also scoop the dough into round balls ready to bake, freeze them on a baking sheet and then place into an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to bake simply take out however many cookies you want, place them on your baking sheet as the oven preheats, and bake. You may need to add an extra minute or two to the baking time as a result but this means you can have 1, 2, or more, freshly baked cookies whenever the mood strikes.

And if you love gingerbread as much as we do then you have to try my Gingerbread Texas Sheet Cake, Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes, or Gingerbread Cookie Balls!

Yield: 24 cookies