One taste and you’ll wonder why it took so long to combine the flavors of gingerbread into a cookie. Gingerbread oatmeal cookies! Amazing!
These might look like your average, every day soft and chewy oatmeal cookies, but I promise you they are anything but average. I hinted last week about them, and I have been really, really, really excited to share the recipe with you.
They are amazing. Spectacular. I made myself commit that I wouldn’t type “lifechanging” even once, not once!, in this post. But I don’t know if I can do it. Because these cookies are pretty much the epitome of the “L” word.
If you appreciate a really soft oatmeal cookie, you’re going to love these. And if you crave the warm flavors of gingerbread during the holiday season (or any time!), you’re going to super love these.
I have made these wonderful little cookies several times over the last few months and stashed them in the freezer. For two reasons: because 1) they are incredible eaten straight from the freezer (I almost wish I hadn’t discovered that) and 2) so I can be that crazy lady who, in the name of research and development, begs you to try one when you come to my house. A quick 10-second blitz in the microwave gets them from freezer to tastebuds in no time flat.
The verdict? They’re good. Like, really good.
I even convinced some 20-something missionaries to hang around for a minute and let me experiment with sandwiching some soft vanilla ice cream in the middle of these gingerbread oatmeal cookies, and whoa. Life changer. (Sorry, I had to say it.)
A toffee or cinnamon or COOKIE BUTTER ice cream would be phenomenal here as well. But plain ol’ vanilla ice cream nearly made me and the missionaries weep with joy, so the bar is pretty low when it comes to choosing a flavor for an ice cream sandwich.
Even in their humble, simple, no-ice-cream form, these gingerbread oatmeal cookies would be perfect for a holiday cookie plate or neighbor gift. They stay soft for days and freeze amazingly well, so they are a great make-ahead cookie.
The gingerbread notes are subtle, not overpowering, adding a little boost to the hearty oatmeal cookie flavor. Along with a touch of molasses and ground ginger, the warm, gingerbread flavor is helped along by a healthy dose of cookie butter. Clearly, something named something so advantageous as cookie butter was meant to belong in cookie dough, right??
The unique consistency and taste of cookie butter sets these oatmeal cookies apart in a big way. And I also think it’s what contributes to them being so incredibly soft. Finally, I just really love cookie butter. That is all.
Where Can I Find Cookie Butter?
The two most popular and widely available brands of cookie butter are Lotus’ Biscoff cookie butter and Trader Joe’s Speculoos cookie butter. I’ve seen Biscoff at my small town grocery store, Target, etc. Both are also available on Amazon (although TJ’s cookie butter is crazy expensive online so I wouldn’t recommend buying it there). If you find it other places, comment below and help a cookie butter seeker out!
I haven’t done a side by side comparison, but a quick internet search tells me that a lot of people prefer the Biscoff cookie butter; it’s slightly sweeter than Trader Joe’s cookie butter but much easier to find locally if you don’t have a TJ’s nearby.
I have only made these cookies with Trader Joe’s cookie butter since I keep that stuff stocked all the time, but the Biscoff cookie butter should sub great! You really can’t go wrong with either other than hoping there’s some cookie butter left to make it into the cookie dough (around here, we eat the stuff with a spoon).
If you don’t want to use cookie butter and want some substitution advice, all I can say is that the cookie butter flavor is pretty integral to this recipe and I haven’t tried making the cookies without it. I guess that’s my gentle way of saying, you should probably look for another recipe if you have issues with the cookie butter.
But you are also a free agent, so feel free to experiment as you please (just don’t get mad at me if subbing in chocolate pudding or sweet corn or refried beans for the cookie butter doesn’t work out so well).
Keep in mind these cookies are meant to be more thin than thick and chewy. I’ve given several tips in the recipe below how to troubleshoot cookies that are flattening too much (start with oven temperature and flour). But if you want them slightly thicker, add a couple tablespoons additional flour for a puffier gingerbread oatmeal cookie.
I like them on the thin and chewy side of things. Both for every day eating and also for their ice cream sandwich potential.
I know you may not have cookie butter laying around waiting to be used (I mean, having a case on hand at all times isn’t really all that normal or sensible, not that I would know, ahem), but if you can get your hands on it, make these cookies! I love that even though they don’t shimmer and sparkle and glitter and shine, they are still very worthy of favorite holiday cookie status.
Humble cookies unite! Dipped in a cold glass of milk, they are pure magic.
One Year Ago: Easy Pecan Pie Bars {+ Chocolate Variation!}
Two Years Ago: One Pot Creamy White Lasagna Chicken Soup
Three Years Ago: Overnight Cinnamon and Sugar Sweet Rolls
Four Years Ago: Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Pretzel Bark {Snappers Knock Off}
Five Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Toffee Blondie Mix in a Jar
Yield:
3-4 dozen
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
12 minutes
Total Time:
32 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 2/3 cup (14-ounce jar) cookie butter (see note)
- 3/4 cup (5.5 ounces) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (5.5 ounces) packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (7 ounces) quick oats (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer), cream together the butter, cookie butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ginger until creamy and fluffy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the molasses, vanilla and eggs and mix until well-combined, 1-2 minutes, Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour and quick oats and mix until combined (don’t over mix, just mix until evenly combined and no dry streaks remain).
- Scoop the dough into balls about 2 tablespoons each (I use my #40 cookie scoop) and place a couple inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes until set around the edges with a few cracks on top but still soft in the middle. Let the cookies rest for a few minutes on the baking sheets.
- Remove the cookies to a cooling rack. The cookies stay soft for a couple days stored well-covered at room temperature and freeze well, too, for several months.
Notes
Both the Biscoff brand and Trader Joe’s brands of cookie butter come in 14-ounce jars. I use the whole jar (no need to measure out the 1 2/3 cup).
If you don’t have quick oats, pulse old-fashioned rolled oats in a blender or food processor until coarsely chopped but not pulverized.
If your cookies are spreading too much while baking, first try varying oven temperature – either use convection bake (if you have that option) at 325 – 350 degrees F or increase the baking temperature to 375 degrees F (watch the baking time carefully). You can also try adding extra flour, but usually increasing oven temperature just slightly will work. Keep in mind these cookies are meant to be thin and chewy.
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*I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites
Recipe Source: inspired by a recipe at Taste of Home (changed almost all the ingredient amounts, added molasses, changed mixing method)
