Featuring a soft and chewy inside, crispy edges, and plenty of melted butterscotch chips, this butterscotch chip cookies recipe is indulgent, comforting, and easy to put together!
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Soft and tender Butterscotch Cookies Recipe
I’m on a cookie roll recently! I enjoy spending time in my kitchen, and it’s also a fun activity I can do with my kids.
It keeps them occupied for at least an hour, and they’re always so proud of the way their creations come out.
Lately, we’ve been experimenting with flavors like chewy peanut butter, chocolate marshmallow, fruitcake cookies, strawberry cheesecake, and sugar cookies with Hershey Kisses. Next up? These butterscotch chip cookies!
When I make too many, I’m sure to pack a plate for my kids’ teachers, and I sneak a few into my hubs’ lunchbox too. Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a food blogger! We always have extra snacks on hand.
I love this butterscotch chip cookie recipe because it’s a fun and unique take on your more classic chocolate chip cookie.
I’m using butterscotch chips (which are easily found in the supermarket) instead of chocolate.
Thanks to the butterscotch, the cookies are buttery and have an almost brown sugar-like taste to them. Sign me up; I’m officially sold!
Filled with butter, light brown sugar, a touch of vanilla, and (of course) plenty of butterscotch chips, this unique butterscotch chip cookie recipe is about to become your new go-to!
Butterscotch Cookie Recipe Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Butterscotch chips
- Flaky sea salt – for garnish
How to Make Butterscotch Chip Cookies
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
STEP ONE: Place the butter and light brown sugar into a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Then, add the egg and vanilla, and use your whisk to mix. Next up are the flour and baking soda. Mix until there are no remaining clumps of flour. Now it’s time for the star of your butterscotch chip cookie recipe — the chips! Gently fold them into the cookie dough.
STEP TWO: Let the cookie dough chill, covered, in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. In the meantime, you can preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and prepare your baking sheets. Line with parchment paper so that your cookies won’t stick!
STEP THREE: Once your dough has chilled, begin scooping out 2 tablespoon-sized portions of cookie dough onto the baking sheet. You can press them down a bit with a fork or spoon to form a disc.
STEP FOUR: Bake your butterscotch cookies for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. You can garnish with a sprinkle of flakey sea salt if you’d like! After your butterscotch cookie recipe has completely cooled, you can store them in an airtight container in your pantry or on your counter for up to 4 days.
Tips for making Cookies with Butterscotch Chips
- Choose high-quality butterscotch chips for the best flavor. These butterscotch cookies come together with minimal ingredients —with the chips as the star of the show — so it’s important to use the best quality you can find. Options made with real butter are your best bet.
- Don’t skip the flaky sea salt! The added salt pairs so well with the rich butterscotch. The combination of sweet and savory flavors is truly delicious!
Is It Better To Refrigerate Cookie Dough Before Baking?
One of the critical steps for this butterscotch chip cookie recipe is to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking.
This helps to solidify the fat in the cookies and prevent spread so that you don’t end up with one giant cookie!
How to Store Butterscotch Cookies
Store your butterscotch cookies in an airtight container after they’ve cooled completely. They can be kept at room temperature for about one week, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or frozen in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Butterscotch Cookie FAQs
The most important ingredient in my butterscotch cookies is the butterscotch chips! They are made from light brown sugar and are made in the same form as classic chocolate chips.
They are often seen in baked goods like muffins and cookies and even as a topping on ice cream or cheesecake.
This type of sweet garnish is often compared to caramel, although caramel is made out of granulated sugar instead of brown.
You can buy them right at the grocery store and even Tollhouse makes them!
When you follow my recipe to a tee, you should end up with perfectly moist, tender, and chewy butterscotch cookies.
If you’re looking for even softer cookies with butterscotch chips, one trick of the trade is to add another egg yolk. You can even omit the egg whites and simply include the yolks.
Egg whites can dry out when baked, which is sometimes the culprit for too-hard cookies. Now you know!
You shouldn’t have any issue with melting the chips for your butterscotch chip cookies recipe, as the fat from the other ingredients will help it along.
Some chefs complain that butterscotch chips take a long time to melt on the stovetop, but you won’t have to worry about that for my recipe.
Other Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:
- Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
- Slice and Bake Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookies
- Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
- Vanilla Crinkle Cookies
- Easy Christmas Cookie Ideas
- Hershey Kiss Cookies Without Peanut Butter
Butterscotch Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- Flakey sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and light brown sugar until well combined.
- Next, add the egg and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Add the flour and baking soda and mix just until no large lumps of flour remain.
- Finally, add the butterscotch chips and fold them into the cookie dough.
- Cover the cookie dough and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 375F.
- When the dough has chilled, prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop out 2-tablespoon sized portions onto the baking sheet and press them down to form a ½” thick disc.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and the centers are just set.
- Sprinkle over flakey sea salt, if using and allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan.
Can you freeze the cookie dough and cook later. If so can dough be cooked frozen.
Yes! You can freeze the cookie dough uncooked or cooked frozen, but I do not recommend baking the cookies from frozen dough.
Yes! You can freeze the cookie dough uncooked or cooked frozen, but I do not recommend baking the cookies from frozen.