Butterscotch Cookies

Been making these cookies for over a year and they are a family favorite. I haven’t used any other cookie recipe ever since. I use all types of chips with this recipe. Amazing!

— Savannah

There’s nothing better than the smell of freshly-baked cookies coming out of the oven, but these soft & chewy butterscotch cookies are made extra delicious with the addition of butterscotch, the best and most underrated morsel in the baking aisle! If you go crazy over sweet & salty desserts, this recipe has your name written all over it.

This irresistible treat is perfect for the holidays, parties, impromptu cookie cravings or a lunchbox surprise. I’m bringing this recipe to you just in time for holiday baking season and it will be a crowd pleasing addition to your Christmas dessert tray! With the perfect balance of sweet and salty, these are always a hit and I can’t wait for you all to try them!

Ingredients needed

The ingredient list is very simple and includes all of the basics that you’d expect to find in most cookie recipes. It’s the ratio of ingredients that’s important to yield that soft and chewy texture with the perfect sweet and salty flavor. The trick? Extra flour, more brown sugar than granulated sugar, a good amount of vanilla extract and just enough salt to balance the sweetness. Here’s the lineup:

• All-purpose flour. The most commonly used flour for baking because of its mild flavor and versatility. Flour gives the cookies structure and depending on its ratio to the other ingredients, will make them chewy, fluffy, cake-y, crisp, or crumbly. These are definitely chewy!
• Baking powder + baking soda. The combination of these two leavening agents gives the best “lift” while maintaining a pleasant flavor.
• Salt. A must for any sweet treat! Salt enhances other flavors while also balancing out the sweetness from the sugars and butterscotch chips.
• Ground cinnamon. For a hint of warm flavor.
• Unsalted butter. Use room temperature butter. Set the butter out 1-2 hours before you begin this recipe. However, if you forget, like I often do, you can soften butter quickly with this trick.
• Sugars. Granulated sugar promotes nice browning while the molasses content in brown sugar makes these chewy and moist. Both add sweetness.
• Eggs. Eggs provide shape and structure, and also fat and additional moisture to keep these tender.
• Pure vanilla extract. Adds flavor depth and a touch of sweetness.
• Butterscotch chips. Also called “butterscotch morsels,” according to this review, Guittard brand has the best flavor and I would have to agree. Guittard uses real vanilla and, while sweet, their butterscotch chips don’t have an artificial super-sweetness to them that some other butterscotch chips do. In fact, they’re delicious eaten straight out of the bag! You can find this brand at most grocery stores in the baking aisle.
• Maldon sea salt. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sea salt right after they come out of the oven for a great salty crunch to contrast the sweet flavors.

How to make this recipe

This chewy butterscotch cookie recipe is simple, straightforward and will be your new go-to! Just follow these easy steps…

Please see the recipe card for the full, printable recipe with all of the details.

• Prep. About an hour before starting, remove the egg and butter from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven and line your baking pans with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
• Dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
• Butter + sugar. In a large bowl, using a stand mixer or a hand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars for about 2 minutes and until it’s light in color and creamy.
• Egg + vanilla. Next, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until combined. With the last egg, add the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Combine dry + wet ingredients. On low speed, gradually add in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the butterscotch and mix on low until combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough. Overmixing any batter can lead to toughness.
• Scoop cookie dough balls. Use a large spoon or cookie scoop to make dough balls (mine were about 2 tablespoons full). The dough doesn’t have to be perfectly formed into balls. Drop onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Bake. Place in the oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes. Do NOT overbake! Remove from the oven right when edges start looking set and golden. The centers may look slightly underbaked, but they will continue to cook even after they are removed from the oven.
• Cool. While still warm, press a few extra butterscotch chips into the tops and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to continue to cool.

Chilling the dough

I’ve had success with this recipe without chilling the dough. However, I definitely find that chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes (or longer, if you have the time) yields the best results in most cookie recipes.

I just about always recommend chilling cookie dough before baking because it creates thicker, chewier cookies, which is exactly how I like them. Not only will there be less spreading, but during the chill time all of the flavors will mingle with one another and intensify.

Two options:

1. After you make the dough, you can cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes (2-3 hours is even better) and up to 3-4 days. If your cookie dough has been in the fridge longer than 30 minutes, you’ll need to let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before trying to scoop and roll the dough.
2. Another option is to go ahead and scoop the dough and place it on the baking sheets and then refrigerate the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes or longer, if you have the time.

Frequently asked questions

Variations

These butterscotch cookies are pretty much perfect as-is, but feel free to get creative and experiment with your favorite ingredients! Here’s some options:

• Baking chips. Try adding about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of butterscotch morsels with about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. A mix of butterscotch with chocolate is a winning combination! Feel free to add in other favorite baking chips as well.
• Nuts. I think adding in about 1 cup of chopped pecans would be amazing in these. You can also try adding walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, and/or macadamia nuts. Just be sure to use unsalted nuts, to avoid these cookies turning out too salty.
• Dried fruit. Try adding about 1 cup dried cherries, cranberries, chopped apricots, or chopped dates for an extra pizzaz of flavor.
• Sprinkles or M&M’s. Add in a handful of colored sprinkles or about 1 cup miniature or regular M&M’s, if you’d like to make these extra fun!

Pro tip: If you decide to add a cup of nuts or M&M’s, I would reduce the amount of butterscotch chips in the recipe to about 3/4 cup.

Expert baking tips

There are tons of tips and tricks for baking the perfect cookies, but follow the suggestions below and you’re sure to have some amazing cookies!

• Measure flour correctly. Using a food scale is the most precise method for measuring ingredients, especially flour. If you don’t have one available, lightly spoon flour (don’t pack) into a measuring cup and without shaking the cup, use the straight side of a butter knife to level the flour across the measuring cup.
• Fresh baking soda & baking powder. Be sure that your baking soda and baking powder are fresh! They lose potency over time. When I open a new can, I always write the date on the lid with a Sharpie. Discard the opened can after 6 months.
• Chill the dough. As mentioned previously, these bake up fine without taking the time to chill the dough. However, we prefer the texture and heightened flavor of these when the dough has been chilled.
• Bake on parchment or silicone. Parchment or a silicone baking mat makes for the most perfect cookies. Greasing the baking sheet creates an overly greasy foundation, which will cause these to spread too much. Silicone baking mats will grip onto the bottom of your cookies to prevent them from spreading too much. The mats also promote even browning.
• Don’t overbake. I recommend experimenting with a couple of cookies before baking the entire batch. This will help you find that sweet spot when it comes to bake time in your oven and your preferred level of doneness. Remember they continue to bake for a short time, even after they’ve been removed from the oven. And, as they cool, they will become more chewy than doughy.

Storing & freezing recommendations

• Freezing dough. Scoop out balls of dough and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Chill the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will flash-freeze the dough, so the dough balls don’t stick together. Once firm, you can transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. Frozen dough will keep well for up to 3 months. Be sure to label your bag with the date.
• Bake from frozen. Baking from frozen will work just fine. The tops of your cookies may darken a bit more, but they will still be delicious. Follow all of the cooking instructions, but add a minute or two onto the bake time.
• Freezing baked cookies. Store in a freezer-safe container or baggie and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Storing. Baked cookies will keep in an airtight container or zip-top baggie at room temperature for about 1 week, but I can’t imagine them lasting that long!

You won’t be able to eat just one of these amazing soft and chewy butterscotch cookies, I promise you that. I apologize in advance, if your pants fit a little tighter! 😉

More favorite cookie recipes

• White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
• Best Peanut Butter Cookies
• Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
• No Bake Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you try these, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves them as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.