Butterscotch Cookies (quick and easy)
A twist on the traditional chip cookies, it's a super simple, one-bowl recipe full of butterscotch chips that add great caramel flavor. You can bake them directly, without chilling if you want, and also freeze the dough or refrigerate it for several days.
Servings 20 medium cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Butter baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
- Beat ½ cup unsalted butter with ¼ cup white sugar and ¾ cup light brown sugar in a large bowl until creamy. You can use the stand mixer or a hand-held beater.
- Add 1 eggand 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients (1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, pinch of baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon salt) and mix until a few dry spots remain. Don’t overbeat at this point.
- Add 1 cup butterscotch chips and mix until no dry spots remain. I like to switch to a spatula for this part. At this point, you can use the cookie dough directly or refrigerate it for a day or two, well covered, before baking the cookies.
- Scoop portions of cookie dough and place on the prepared sheets, spacing them an inch and a half or so apart. You can press a few extra chips on the dough before baking.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until edges are firm and cookies are golden but still soft in the center. It might take a minute or two more if your cookies are larger.
- Let cool completely on a cooling rack. Store in tins or cookie jars.
Notes
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 that is placed inside the oven 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 so you can remove the cookie sheet and use less space in the freezer.
