Butterscotch Cookies
Butterscotch cookies are a simple pleasure that are a breeze to bake. Take a short cut to the deep butterscotch flavor by using butterscotch chips melted into the batter. No need to fuss with making butterscotch from scratch today! Learn to make easy butterscotch cookies that will disappear even faster than you bake them.
How do you make butterscotch cookies?
- Melt the butterscotch chips in the microwave, let cool.
- Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl.
- Add the egg and continue beating.
- Mix in the dry ingredients.
- Form balls of dough and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for 12 - 15 minutes.
- Cool completely before eating.
Cookies are comfort food!
What does comfort food mean to you?
Comfort Food for me is a dish that you prepare with a reliable recipe knowing that you cannot go wrong. It's a food that makes the whole house smell good; and most importantly, comfort food tastes really, really good.
These chewy butterscotch cookies tick off all of those boxes and more.
This is a simple cookie that doesn't try to be fancy or showy, just the basics-- chewy, soft and all around an ideal cookie.
I used a recipe from the October/November issue of Cook's Country. You might be familiar with the PBS show, America's Test Kitchen, which is home to Cook's Country and Cook's Illustrated magazines.
These recipes are tested and tested again, you can't stumble if you follow along with the instructions and added tips.
Butterscotch Cookie Recipe
Even without the added step of making butterscotch from scratch, these cookies taste like old fashioned butterscotch cookies. You know, the kind that you can picture your grandmother baking and sharing.
My only adjustment to this butterscotch cookie recipe was to skip the step of making a log of cookie dough that you later slice and bake; instead, I rolled the dough into small balls and dropped them on my baking sheet.
This yielded a softer version of a butterscotch cookie that was a bit thicker in the middle than the slice and bake method. A chewy center remained with a slight crunch on the outer edges-- perfection!
Other chewy cookie recipes and bars that you'll enjoy baking include:
Butterscotch Cookies
This recipe is adapted from the October/November 2012 issue of Cook's Country, page 17.
Ingredients
- ½ cup butterscotch chips
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter plus 9 tablespoons cut into 9 pieces, chilled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- First place the butterscotch chips and the first 3 tablespoons of butter into a glass bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Stir between each 30 seconds. This should take one minute to one and a half minutes. Add the vanilla and stir until smooth; let cool for 15 minutes.
- Beat the second amount of measured butter (9 tablespoons) with the sugar. An electric mixer would work but a stand mixer is preferred. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the cooled butterscotch mixture and continue to mix until combined. Add egg yolk then reduce to a lower speed to add the dry ingredients of flour, salt, and baking powder. A dough will come together and that is your signal to stop mixing.
- Pinch off enough dough to make approximately one inch balls. Place on a parchment lined baking tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges just start to brown. Cool on wire racks.
Notes
You could make these as slice and bake cookies and roll the dough into a log shape. Refrigerate then slice into rounds.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
32Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 70Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 55mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g
This data is provided by Nutrionix and is an estimate only.
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Holly Baker started the food blog, A Baker's House, in 2011. She is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer for the site. Holly loves to bake and shares recipes for gluten free food, canning recipes, as well as traditional desserts too. Her recipes and food photography have been highlighted by BuzzFeed, Reader's Digest, and She Knows.
Butterscotch cookies are one of the things my Godmother used to make especially for me. I haven't baked any ever... and I have NO idea why! Your recipe has been pinned!
Oh I love when food brings up memories of family. I hope you can make these butterscotch cookies, Becca.
I've always enjoyed butterscotch oatmeal cookies and now I have another butterscotch cookie recipe to try. I love how it is more like a sugar cookie.
That is exactly it, Renee, this is like a sugar cookie dunked in butterscotch flavor. So good.
Love the melted butterscotch chips in these, Holly. Bet that makes them even chewier. For my money, a chewy cookie is the only cookie.
Some might say that melted chips are cheating but I like to think of them as a happy short cut. Anything to make a tasty cookie is fine by me!
Yum! Love your rules for comfort food--I totally agree!
Thanks, Laura, what a great month for baking cookies!
Holly.. meet you halfway! I want those! They look absolutely delicious.
You got it, Ansh, tell me when and where and I'll be there!
Ohh these look scrumptious! Gotta love butterscotch in the fall! 🙂
Thanks, Sophie, yes these may become my go-to cookies all year round! They were really good and would please any crowd.
I will be joining you and Ansh...butterscotch is one of my FAVORITE things. My turn to lament we are not closer. 🙂
We'll have to make a list of foods we need to share at our next get together. Distance does not make the heart grow fonder-- it makes the stomach hungrier!!! : )
I bet these cookies are soft and chewy! I cannot resist a butterscotch cookie. They look great, Holly!
Thanks for reading, Julie, and yes, these butterscotch cookies were tasty!
I trust ATK completely. Any recipe that they endorse is fine by me. Kind of like Southern Living, they are usually foolproof. These look amazing.
I agree with you, Karen, ATK and Southern Living are the best. I have a stack of both on my shelf at all times.
Wow, I just love the sound of your cookies and the look pretty also.
Thanks, Jill, we really enjoyed these cookies at my house.
Holly, these sound like the perfect comfort cookie! I love butterscotch. Pinned!
Thanks for pinning, Karen!
My neighbor brought me a tray of cookies as a welcome to the neighborhood. Maybe I'll return the favor by making a batch of these. Love butterscotch cookies.
Lea Ann, you have moved into the right neighborhood if people are bringing cookies- yay!! I hope you are enjoying your new home!
I've never had a butterscotch cookie before, they look delicious and very comforting.
Yes, these butterscotch cookies are definitely worth a try. Enjoy, Laura!
Never made or try butterscotch before, thank you for sharing I will give then a try.
I hope you find time to make these, Kathia, they are among my favorites!
Great source for recipes, Holly! Totally love anything with brown sugar. These sound great! That group sounds like fun, but I'm not sure that would be good for my diet. Though I bake at least once a month anyway! LOL!
yes, brown sugar makes these butterscotch cookies soft and chewy- so good!
Tara, if you like butterscotch you would certainly enjoy these cookies!
I got everything sitting in my pantry!! These look super delish!
Your pin is for Crispy Potato Chip Cookies, but it brings me here, to butterscotch cookies, and when I search for Crispy Potato Chip Cookies, there search yields 0. Bummer.
Hi there, that is a bummer. It must be a glitch in Pinterest. I don't have any recipes for crispy potato chip cookies but that sounds tasty!