When you're craving something sweet, these chewy butterscotch cookies totally hit the spot. They're soft, melt-in-your-mouth, and loaded with rich, creamy butterscotch in every bite.
The best part? You can easily tweak the recipe to fit your taste or dietary needs.
So, next time you're craving something rich, sweet, and buttery, try this recipe to create the best butterscotch cookies you've ever had!
Table of Contents
Recipe Video
Why This Recipe Works
This easy butterscotch cookie recipe works because, with some simple ingredients, you can create a batch of chewy, soft cookies in under an hour.
Using just 8 pantry staples, you can create these classic butterscotch chip cookies that everyone will love. The butter and brown sugar provide a rich, chewy base, while the eggs bind everything together for a soft, tender cookie. And because the recipe is so simple, it comes together quickly. Less than an hour is all it takes to have these delectable butterscotch cookies hot out of the oven and ready to devour.
Ingredients
Flour:
While all-purpose flour is the typical go-to flour for making these chewy butterscotch cookies, you can opt for almond flour, oat flour, coconut flour, whole wheat flour, chickpea flour, or a gluten-free baking blend for your homemade butterscotch cookies.
Baking Soda:
baking soda acts as a leavening agent, helping the cookies rise and creating soft butterscotch cookies. Alternatively, you can use baking powder, but you will need 3 times as much, and it will result in a fluffier cookie that is less chewy.
Cinnamon:
Cinnamon is often added to butterscotch cookies to provide a warm, aromatic spice that complements the sweetness of the butterscotch. If you don't like or have any cinnamon, you can experiment with other spices like nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice.
Butter:
Softened butter is often added in cookie recipes to create a rich flavor and a soft, chewy texture. However, if you want to eliminate the butter in your homemade cookies, you can substitute it with vegetable oil, canola oil, coconut oil, margarine, Greek yogurt, or applesauce.
Brown Sugar:
Brown sugar is essential for creating soft butterscotch cookies. The molasses added extra moisture to the cookies, making them tender and chewy. If you like crispier cookies, you can replace the brown sugar with regular white sugar. Additionally, maple sugar and coconut sugar also have a high moisture content and will result in soft, chewy cookies.
Egg:
Eggs provide structure and moisture to your butterscotch chip cookies and help bind the ingredients together. If you're looking for an egg replacement, you can use unsweetened applesauce or flaxseed mixed with water.
Butterscotch Chips:
Obviously, butterscotch chips are the star of this recipe. However, you can make a simple swap at any point if you want to experiment with your homemade cookies. Try using chocolate chips, caramel chips, white chocolate chips, mint chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chopped nuts, or coconut flakes.
How to Make Butterscotch Cookies
Step One:
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and stir to incorporate.
Step Two:
In another bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together.
Step Three:
Mix the egg with the creamed butter and brown sugar.
Step Four:
Slowly add the dry ingredients a bit at a time, stirring well to combine. Continue mixing until a dough forms and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Step Five:
Add the butterscotch chips and fold them into the dough, then chill it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
Step Six:
Scoop about a tablespoon of the chilled dough and roll it into a circle. Don't overwork the dough so that it stays chilled. Place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, ensuring you leave about 2 inches of space between each dough ball.
Step Seven:
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes at 350F.
Step Eight:
Serve these chewy butterscotch cookies with a hot beverage, and enjoy!
Tips
- It's essential to chill the dough before forming the cookies so that the dough balls don't melt and spread out too much while baking.
- Allow your homemade butterscotch chip cookies to cook on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes after removing them from the oven. This gives them the opportunity to firm up without overbaking.
What to Serve With Butterscotch Cookies
These easy butterscotch cookies pair wonderfully with a range of beverages and treats that enhance their sweet, buttery flavor. Enjoy them alongside a warm latte or tea for a cozy pairing. For a more decadent option, try serving the cookies with a scoop of ice cream.
If you're hosting a gathering, arrange a platter with homemade cookies and other treats like chocolate fudge, or a variety of nutty snacks, allowing guests to mix and match flavors.
FAQs
How do I know when my homemade butterscotch cookies are done?
The edges should be lightly golden, and the centers should still look soft. They’ll firm up on the baking sheet as they cool.
Can I make vegan butterscotch cookies?
Yes, by using vegan butter and dairy-free butterscotch chips, you can make vegan cookies.
Are these gluten-free butterscotch cookies?
No, this is not a naturally gluten-free butterscotch cookie recipe. To make gluten-free butterscotch cookies, simply swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free baking flour blend that’s formulated to replace regular flour in baking recipes. Additionally, you will want to ensure that your butterscotch chips are certified gluten-free, as some brands may contain trace amounts of gluten.
What's the best way to store leftover butterscotch cookies?
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze them for up to three months.
Cookie Recipes
With the holiday season right around the corner, your holiday baking is sure to be top of mind. For more tasty cookie recipes like this recipe for butterscotch chip cookies, check out this collection of some of our favorites.
Instant Pot Chocolate Chip Cookies
Butterscotch Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and stir to incorporate.
- In another bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together.
- Mix the egg with the creamed butter and brown sugar.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients a bit at a time, stirring well to combine. Continue mixing until a dough forms and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Add the butterscotch chips and fold them into the dough, then chill it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
- Scoop about a tablespoon of the chilled dough and roll it into a circle. Don't overwork the dough so that it stays chilled. Place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, ensuring you leave about 2 inches of space between each dough ball.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes at 350F.
- Serve these chewy butterscotch cookies with a hot beverage, and enjoy 🙂
Video
Nutrition
Notes
- It's essential to chill the dough before forming the cookies so that the dough balls don't melt and spread out too much while baking.
- Allow your homemade butterscotch cookies to cook on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes after removing them from the oven. This gives them the opportunity to firm up without overbaking.
Sweet and chewy little cookies
Will these recipes work using the air fryer lid ? If so would temp. and time be the same ?