Butterscotch Chip Cookies

What is butterscotch?

It's a confection that includes butter, brown sugar, and many times cream. Other ingredients can be added, like salt or vanilla.

Butterscotch flavor: what does it taste like? It's similar to caramel but mellower, with a dairy undertone from the butter and cream. I think of it as a mix between caramel and dulce de leche. It's extremely delicious and versatile!

About this cookie recipe

• Easy: as mentioned before, this is a super simple one-bowl recipe for chewy butterscotch cookies that everybody loves. Perfect for gift giving, parties, game night, or just because.
• Make ahead: the cookie dough can be scooped and frozen so you can bake a fresh batch of butterscotch cookies at a moment's notice.
• Flavorings: we love them with vanilla and cinnamon, but you can add some orange zest, or some chopped walnuts in addition to the chips.

Ingredients

• Butterscotch chips: they're available at the grocery store and also online. I use Nestle butterscotch morsels or Hershey's butterscotch chips.
• Unsalted butter.
• Sugars: the recipe uses white and brown sugar for that unique caramel flavor we all love. Both light and dark brown sugar work, but the cookies will bake to a deeper golden brown with the latter.
• Egg: fresh, large
• Vanilla - I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works.
• Cinnamon: use your favorite ground cinnamon. I usually buy Simply Organic cinnamon and Frontier organic Vietnamese cinnamon.
• All-purpose flour.
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
• Baking soda and baking powder: make sure they're not expired.

See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.

How to make butterscotch chip cookies

This is a traditional one-bowl cookie recipe. It can be made by hand, with an electric mixer, or in a stand mixer.

• By hand: use a spatula or wooden spoon. I make it this way usually. If the butter is soft, it's very easy to mix everything by hand.
• Electric mixer: it's convenient and easy. Don't overbeat after adding the flour, or do so with a spatula.
• IMPORTANT: don't overmix after adding the flour as it will toughen the cookies. Integrate completely but don't over do it .

Stand mixer: use the paddle attachment and don't beat much after adding the flour mixture.

The final cookie dough is sticky but smooth, and has no dry spots.

Baking the cookies

• Cookie sheet: you can butter the baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
• Baking time: if you want a soft cookie after it's cooled down, you have to remove them from the oven while the center is still soft, maybe even slightly underbaked or too soft to the touch. For me, it's 10 minutes, but it can take a minute more or less depending on your oven, the temperature of the dough, and the size of your cookies.

Butterscotch chips: I like to add most of the chips to the cookie dough and then manually add the to the scooped portions before baking. This way, the baked cookie will be more tempting.

Space: it's essential to leave space between the unbaked cookies so they can expand without touching when they bake.

Kitchen notes

• Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Chilling: you can opt to bake the cookies right after you mix the dough or to chill it first. The difference is in its consistency and sometimes flavor. The chilled dough expands less and can have a more rounded flavor as the ingredients have time to meld together. In my experience, the difference is not that big, and I usually bake half and then chill the rest.
• Freezing: another great way to make these cookies ahead is by freezing the unbaked dough. Scoop the cookie portions and place them on a baking sheet; no need to leave much space between them. Freeze until rock solid and then transfer to a bag to remove the cookie sheet and use less space in the freezer.
• Storing: keep in an airtight container or jar. If you want them to remain soft, add a few pieces of bread to the container.
• Flavorings: ground cinnamon goes well with the butterscotch flavor, but you can omit it if you want. Other flavors that pair well with it are coffee (like a tablespoon of coffee liqueur or ½ a teaspoon of coffee extract), white chocolate chips, toasted nuts like hazelnuts, pistachios, or walnuts, hazelnut liqueur (Frangelico) or almond liqueur like Amaretto, adding some shredded unsweetened coconut to the dough (reduce the flour amount).