Soft and spiced gingerbread cookies enriched with butterscotch pudding mix ready in under two hours.
In my Austin kitchen, holiday baking is less about adhering to rigid traditions and more about finding ways to make classic flavors even better. While I respect a traditional molasses-heavy gingerbread man, I often find them to be a bit tough or dry. This recipe solves that problem by borrowing a trick from old Southern community cookbooks: adding dry pudding mix to the dough. The "cook-and-serve" butterscotch pudding not only amplifies the warm, caramelized notes of the brown sugar but also introduces cornstarch into the flour blend. This results in a cutout cookie that holds its sharp shape perfectly while remaining tender and soft in the center, offering a cozy twist on the standard winter spice cookie.
Crucially, you must use "cook-and-serve" pudding mix, not the instant variety. Instant pudding contains modified food starches that absorb liquid differently and can make the dough gummy or overly sticky. The cook-and-serve variety acts more like a traditional starch and sugar binder, ensuring the cookies bake up with the correct structure.
A Twist on the Classic Gingerbread Man
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Softer Texture: The cornstarch in the pudding mix tenderizes the gluten, preventing the cookies from becoming rock-hard like traditional gingerbread.
- No Molasses Mess: This recipe relies on brown sugar and butterscotch for that deep flavor profile, eliminating the sticky task of measuring molasses.
- Easy Handling: The dough is sturdy and forgiving, making it an excellent choice for baking with children or creating intricate shapes.
- Warm Flavor Profile: The butterscotch bridges the gap between the spicy ginger and the sweet cinnamon, creating a mellower, more buttery spice cookie.
Ingredients
The magic of this recipe lies in the specific type of pudding used. Here is what you need:
- Butter: 1 cup (2 sticks), softened to room temperature.
- Brown Sugar: 1 cup packed. Light or dark brown sugar works, though dark will yield a color closer to traditional gingerbread.
- Eggs: 2 large eggs, room temperature.
- All-Purpose Flour: 3 cups. Spoon and level the flour to avoid a dry dough.
- Pudding Mix: 2 packages (3-½ ounces each) of cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding mix. Do not use sugar-free or instant versions.
- Spices: 3 teaspoons ground ginger and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Leavening: 1 teaspoon baking powder gives the cookies a slight puff without distorting the shape.
How to Make Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies
Cream the Base
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the softened butter and packed brown sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 5 to 7 minutes. You want the mixture to be pale and aerated. This step dissolves the sugar and ensures a light texture.
Incorporate Eggs and Dry Ingredients
Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring they are fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, the dry pudding mix powder, ginger, baking powder, and cinnamon. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed. The dough will be thick and fragrant.
Chill the Dough
Form the dough into a disk and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Because of the butter content, this dough must be cold to roll out successfully. If you skip this, the dough will stick to your rolling pin.
Roll and Cut
Preheat your oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness. If you roll them too thin, they will be crisp; ¼ inch ensures that soft center. Dip your cookie cutters into flour, then cut out your desired shapes.
Bake
Place the cutouts 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. You are looking for the cookies to feel firm to the touch, though they may not change color significantly. Do not overbake.
Cool
Remove the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. They will be fragile while hot but will firm up as they cool. Decorate with royal icing or buttercream once they are room temperature.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using Instant Pudding: As noted, instant pudding will ruin the texture. Check the box carefully for the words "Cook & Serve."
- Overbaking: Because these cookies are already brown from the spices and pudding, it is difficult to see them "brown" in the oven. Rely on touch-if the edge is set, pull them out.
- Crowding the Scraps: When re-rolling scraps, try to do it only once. Overworking the dough develops gluten and makes the second batch of cookies tough.
Tips and Tricks for Success
- Parchment Rolling: To use less flour (and keep the cookies tender), roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. This also prevents sticking.
- Spice Check: Make sure your ground ginger is fresh. If it has been sitting in the cupboard for three years, it will lack the necessary bite to cut through the sweet butterscotch.
- Freezer Chill: If your kitchen is warm, pop the baking sheet with the cut-out shapes into the freezer for 5 minutes before baking. This helps them hold sharp edges.
Variations
- Chocolate Gingerbread: Swap one package of butterscotch pudding for chocolate cook-and-serve pudding for a deeper, earthier flavor.
- Extra Spice: For a "hot" gingerbread, add ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves and a pinch of black pepper.
- Sandwich Cookies: Use a small round cutter and sandwich two baked cookies together with a simple vanilla buttercream or lemon curd.
How to Serve
These cookies are sturdy enough to be dunked. Serve them with hot cocoa or a chai latte. They are also excellent for decorating parties as the flat surface provides a perfect canvas for icing.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Dough: The raw dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.
- Baked Cookies: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. They stay soft longer than standard sugar cookies.
- Freezing: Baked, undecorated cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes / What I Learned
I learned that the butterscotch pudding mix contains salt and vanilla flavoring already, which is why this recipe does not call for added salt or vanilla extract. The balance is built right into the box.
Nutrition Snapshot
One cookie contains approximately 85 calories, 4g fat, and 12g carbohydrates.
Butterscotch Gingerbread Cookies
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Electric mixer
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie cutters
- Ungreased baking sheets
- Wire racks
Ingredients
Group: Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 packages (3-½ ounces each) cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding mix
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in the eggs.
- Combine the flour, pudding mixes, ginger, baking powder and cinnamon; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to ¼-in. thickness. Cut with lightly floured cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until firm. Remove to wire racks to cool. Decorate as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
Can I use margarine?
I do not recommend it. The water content in margarine can cause the cookies to spread too much. Stick to real butter.
Why did my cookies spread and lose their shape?
The dough likely got too warm before baking. Ensure you chill the dough thoroughly and consider chilling the cut shapes on the pan before putting them in the oven.
Do these taste like traditional gingerbread?
They are milder. They have the spice of gingerbread but lack the bitter, dark note of molasses. They taste more like a spiced butter cookie.
