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These Molasses Cookies are the BEST holiday cookies – they’re BUTTERSCOTCH Molasses Pudding Cookies! They are a combination of pudding cookies with a classic molasses cookie and bake up puffy and so soft. If you want to try a new twist on molasses cookies you have to try this pudding cookie recipe!
Ever since I started making pudding cookies I’ve basically been obsessed and the obsession continues with these soft molasses cookies. I basically took a classic chewy molasses cookie and amped it up with butterscotch pudding and let me tell you – they are SO good!
They’re soft and chewy with the flavor of butterscotch from the pudding mix and the butterscotch chips. Butterscotch and molasses? It’s an amazing combination – the sweetness from the butterscotch balances the subtle bitterness of the molasses so you end up with a molasses cookie that’s perfectly soft, chewy and spiced with holiday flavors. Whenever I share them people always ask, “how did you make these??”
I love classic cookies, but it’s so fun to pump them up with new twists. So, these cookies have the essence of a simple, classic holiday cookie but updated to feed my pudding cookie obsession!
What is a Pudding Cookie?
Pudding cookies are a type of cookie made with instant pudding mix. The pudding adds flavor but it also gives the cookies a soft texture. Pudding cookies are perfect for the holidays because they stay soft for days. They’re great for cookie platters and holiday gifting!
These molasses cookies have instant butterscotch pudding which pairs really well with the molasses and spices. The butterscotch flavor is subtle, but you can definitely taste it in the cookies.
What is Instant Pudding Mix?
This molasses cookies are traditional with the exception of one ingredient – instant pudding mix. Instant pudding is critical in achieving the puffy, soft texture of the cookies and what makes these cookies extra-special.
- Instant pudding is a type of dry pudding mix that, when mixed with milk, thickens very quickly.
- When you’re at the store be sure to buy INSTANT pudding mix and not regular pudding mix.
- You can substitute sugar-free instant pudding, but instead of three boxes you will only need to use one.
- For this butterscotch pudding cookie recipe, you DON’T have to prepare the instant pudding. All you do is pour the dry pudding mix right into wet ingredients. I repeat: You don’t have to make the pudding!
Best Molasses for Baking
Molasses cookies are made with -surprise! – molasses and dark molasses is the best type to use. It gives the cookies a complex flavor that’s subtly bitter, but still sweet. Dark molasses isn’t as intense as a blackstrap molasses which is very strong. Molasses doesn’t just give the cookies flavor, but it also gives cookies moisture and a chewy texture.
Butterscotch Molasses Pudding Cookies – Just 3 Steps!
Who loves a one-bowl cookie recipe? Well, here you go – you only need one-bowl to make these soft molasses pudding cookies!
- Cream the butter and sugar and add the molasses. Stir until smooth. Add the DRY instant pudding mix and stir again. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
- Mix in the baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Stir in the butterscotch chips. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll them in granulated sugar and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes!
You can keep the cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature or freeze the cookies for later! For freezing, I like to place the cookies between layers of paper towels in a Ziploc bag.
What makes a Cookie Hard or Soft?
What makes these molasses cookies soft is the instant pudding mix, which is added directly the batter (you don’t have to make the pudding first!). The instant pudding mix includes different kinds of starches which give cookies a soft texture that lasts for several days.
Cookies that are hard and crumbly typically have been overmixed, have too much flour or too much sugar. So, always double check your measurements!
I think you’re going to want these soft molasses cookies on your holiday cookie platters this year! Or, maybe keep them all yourself? Seriously, I could eat pudding cookies all day every day and die a happy girl!
We LOVE Pudding Cookies in our house, try these:
- The BEST Pudding Cookie Recipe
- Santa’s Favorite Cookies
- Triple Dark Chocolate Pudding Cookies
- All of my favorite pudding cookie recipes!
Other Christmas Cookies you must try:
- Mom’s Russian Tea Cakes
- Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles
- Christmas Snowball Cookies
- Christmas Sugar Cookies – 3 ways
Have you made this recipe?
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Butterscotch Molasses Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 3.4 ounce box butterscotch instant pudding
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- Additional sugar for rolling if desired
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add molasses and mix until mixture is smooth. Add pudding mix and blend until combined.. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Stir in butterscotch chips. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes (a few hours is preferable).
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place about 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl for rolling, if desired. (Cookies will be a little crunchy on the outside with the sugar, if you use it.)
- Scoop one tablespoon balls of dough and roll in sugar, or just place on cookie sheet. Bake 7-9 minutes until bottoms just begin to get golden. Cool for 5 minutes before moving to a rack to cool completely. Cookies can be frozen for later consumption, if desired. Place in a ziploc bag between layers of paper towel for best results when freezing.
Recipe Nutrition
Making my molasses cookies recipe is always a holiday tradition. We love adding butterscotch pudding to the mix for extra flavor!
I love how chubby these cookies are! I have made 3 different molasses recipes this month…my daughter and husband loooooove them. Yours look so perfect. I will have to try these next!
I hope you like them! I love molasses cookies. Can I come to your house??
Some of my fave flavors all rolled into one. Chewy soft molasses cookies AND butterscotch. Been such a fan of both lately – and your cookies look so soft and puffy!!
My favorites too lately. Thanks Averie!
Pudding cookies are pretty much awesome! And I have a jar of molasses that I need to use up…so, this recipe came at just the right time. 🙂
Enjoy Ashley!:)
Hahaha astute little Jordan! And I need to read those books if ya say they’re so good. I am desperate for a new series! (do you hear me, Ellen Hopkins? Desperate!)
Love these cookies!
I know, she needs to come out with another one! It really is that good!
I love that you are as addicted to pudding cookies as I am:-) These look awesome…great photos! I want to reach right into my computer and grab one! Thanks for the link love too!
Thanks Jocelyn! I’m soo addicted!
I tried this recipe today and they did not look like the photo.They did not spread out. I used 7 boxes of 1 oz pudding dry mix instead of two 3.5 oz boxes. The dough was very dry and crumbly. I can’t figure out what went wrong…Any ideas? Is the written recipe correct? Thank you.
Karen A.
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