Soft Gingersnaps with Butterscotch Chips.

If posting two butterscotch recipes in a row is wrong, then I don’t want to be right.

Creamy, buttery, and smooth, butterscotch has been one of my favorite flavors since I was little. Poured over ice cream and overloaded into oatmeal cookies are the best ways to eat it –  I can literally never turn down a butterscotch dessert!

And today my previous #1 cookie on the blog, Oatmeal Scotchies, is meeting its match.  Naming a favorite cookie is quite the high praise considering that I can’t even pick a favorite scarf from my 50+ collection -> yes, I have a fashion scarf addiction.

Anyway.

I’ve been on a mission to find the perfect gingersnap recipe for ages.  A gingersnap cookie that stands the true cookie test – remaining soft even the next day.  A gingersnap cookie that’s thick, puffy, and won’t get all snappy on me.

My mom’s homemade gingersnap cookies are beyond perfection. (Hi Mom!)  No one can make them quite as lovely as she, so I began my recipe testing in hopes to find a recipe that would impress.  Using more flour, less flour, more molasses, less molasses, brown sugar, white sugar, more eggs, less eggs, butter or shortening – I can happily rest knowing that I’ve found the one.

These are theeeeee most perfect, soft and pillowy gingernsaps! And I loaded them with creamy dreamy butterscotch morsels.  I can’t even contain myself!!

The dough is made from your typical cookie dough suspects: butter, brown sugar, baking soda, and flour.  Notice the absence of white sugar here – there is simply no need for it.  As I told you before, brown sugar retains much more moisture from the air than white sugar in the baking process.  The cookies are left incredibly soft and chewy, even the next day.  I left the white sugar out completely from my gingersnap dough recipe – it is only used for rolling.

Use dark brown sugar in this recipe.  Dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light (aka golden) brown sugar.  The extra molasses in dark brown sugar gives cookies a richer, deeper flavor as opposed to the mild flavor in light brown sugar.  I prefer to use dark brown sugar in my cookie recipes.

We’re getting a double dose of molasses in today’s cookies.  Not only are we getting an extra kick of the good stuff with the dark brown sugar, but you’ll be adding 1/3 cup of pure molasses to the dough as well.  I used dark molasses in these cookies, which has a much more robust flavor than light molasses (comparable to the taste difference between light brown sugar and dark brown sugar). 

I prefer dark molasses over blackstrap molasses- which is the darkest variety.  Blackstrap molasses is too bitter for me and light molasses is too mild.  Regular dark molasses is just right!

*Tip: spraying your measuring cup with non-stick spray before measuring the molasses will save you a lot of sticky trouble!

With all that dark brown sugar and molasses, you can imagine how soft and chewy these cookies are.  Each bite will completely melt in your mouth.

Sometimes gingersnap cookies are made with shortening, sometimes they are made with butter.  Shortening makes the cookies unbelievably thick and puffy, but I love the flavor that pure butter lends.  There is butter-flavored shortening out there, but I find that it just isn’t the same as the real thing.  I creamed 1.5 sticks of butter in these gingersnaps.  I love buttery cookies and I’m not afraid to say it!

Butter is the culprit behind your cookies spreading in the oven, so to avoid the gingersnaps from flattening out completely, I increased the amount of flour and baking soda.  Not too much, though – we don’t want any chemical aftertastes here.  3 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon of baking soda is just right for the amount of butter in the dough.

Let’s talk spice!  Because you know it can’t be a gingersnap without any GINGER, right?!

To the dough, you’re going to add a whopping 2 teaspoons of ground ginger.  It doesn’t sound like much, but when you consider how pungent the taste of ginger is – you’ll realize how much this is.  Don’t be afraid – you’re making GINGERsnaps.  Two teaspoons is perfect.

Along with ginger, you’re going to add cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  The trifecta of autumn spices in my world.  I am completely obsessed with cinnamon and layer it onto anything and everything I can.  Cinnamon apple dip, anyone?!

With all of this fragrant spice, you can imagine how incredible your kitchen is going to smell as the cookies bake.  Move over Ralph Lauren, I want to bottle up the scent of gingersnaps baking.  ;)

There are two very critical notes on this recipe.  First, make sure you CHILL the dough.  Prepare ahead of time so that the dough can chill 4 hours or overnight.  Your cookies will NOT be as thick as mine unless the dough has been sufficiently chilled. 

Second, the amount of time you bake your gingersnaps is imperative- so so important to the texture of your finished cookie.  Be sure to bake for only 8-10 minutes.  Lean towards the 8 minute side.  The cookies will appear soft and may look undone.  Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and I assure you, they will be done.

Don’t forget that butterscotch!!  As the cookies cool on the baking sheet, lightly press your finger into the cookie to make an indent – then stick 5-8 morsels into the middles.  Kind of like you do with peanut butter blossoms.

The caramelly butterscotch, the spicy molasses, the pungent spices – your head is going to explode with all of the flavor in these soft, pillowy cookies!  And just look how thick they are – I’m smitten.

Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve found a new favorite cookie!

Do you prefer your cookies soft or crispy?  I’m a softie!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies - the one & only recipe you’ll need.

Peppermint Patty Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – SO soft and gooey.

Peanut Butter M&M Cookies - these will melt in your mouth!

Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies - soft like muffin tops – low fat too!

XXL Buttery Soft Sugar Cookie – one giant cookie, baked to soft perfection!

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Tagged as: butterscotch, cinnamon, Cookies