These soft, chewy butterscotch cookies have a rich brown sugar flavor and are studded with butterscotch chips. They make a lovely alternative to traditional chocolate chip cookies.
This recipe was originally posted June 2016 and updated January 10, 2021 with new photos, improved tips and a slightly refined method.
If you want soft cookies with a buttery, caramel-like flavor, these butterscotch chip cookies are ideal. The dough gets its butterscotch character from brown sugar and ample vanilla, and each bite contains plenty of butterscotch chips for extra sweetness and texture.
I adore butterscotch sauce, and these cookies capture that comforting flavor in cookie form.
All About Butterscotch Cookies
Butterscotch and caramel are closely related: both combine sugar, butter and cream. The key difference is the sugar used— butterscotch relies on brown sugar, which brings a deeper, molasses-like note. I like to finish both with vanilla and a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.
This recipe emphasizes brown sugar, generous vanilla, and a touch more salt to create a dough with a subtle butterscotch profile. While the recipe doesn’t use butterscotch sauce in the dough, the chips provide the classic flavor in every bite.
The cookies come out thick and chewy thanks to a few simple choices:
- An extra egg yolk for tenderness.
- Careful flour measurement so the cookies stay moist—spoon and level your flour.
- Chilling the dough for thicker, more consistent cookies.
Chilling the Dough
I recommend chilling the dough whenever possible. Covered and refrigerated for at least 2 hours (or overnight), chilled dough bakes into thicker, chewier cookies. After chilling, form the dough into balls before baking.
If you prefer thinner cookies, you can bake the dough right away and the cookies will spread more. However, for the most consistent results and the thicker cookies shown in the photos, chill the dough first.
Baking Tips
- I typically use dark brown sugar for more depth of flavor, though light brown sugar will work fine.
- If you prefer less sweet cookies, reduce the white sugar by 1/4 cup (use 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar total).
- These cookies benefit from a little extra salt. Use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt depending on your taste and whether your butter is salted or unsalted.
- Use 1 1/4 cups butterscotch chips total: stir 1 cup into the dough, then reserve 1/4 cup to press onto the tops of the cookies after baking. Adding all the chips into the dough can cause the cookies to spread too thin during baking.
- To freeze cookie dough: form dough into balls, place them in a freezer bag, remove excess air, and freeze up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 extra minutes to the baking time.
Sweet, tender and perfectly chewy, these butterscotch chip cookies are a favorite for anyone who loves a brown sugar-forward cookie. For a quick variation, swap oats for some of the flour and replace raisins with butterscotch chips to make an oatmeal-butterscotch cookie.
Butterscotch Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie sheets
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened but not melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar* (reduce to 1/4 cup if you prefer less sweet)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk (discard the egg white)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon salt*, to taste
- 1 1/4 cups butterscotch chips, divided
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until fluffy.
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the flour, baking soda and salt just until incorporated.
- Turn off the mixer and stir in 1 cup of the butterscotch chips. Reserve the remaining 1/4 cup for topping after baking. (Adding all chips to the dough can cause excess spreading.)
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Form the chilled dough into balls about 1–1.5 tablespoons each (golf-ball size or slightly smaller). Place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.
- Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for 9–11 minutes, until the tops are just set. Remove from the oven and press a few of the reserved butterscotch chips into the top of each cookie for a glossy, appealing finish.
- Allow cookies to cool on the sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- If you prefer less sweet cookies, reduce the white sugar to 1/4 cup while keeping the 3/4 cup brown sugar for a total of 1 cup sugar.
- I recommend 1/2 teaspoon salt for balance, but use 1/4 teaspoon if you prefer a milder salty note.
- To freeze dough: form into balls, place in a freezer bag, remove air and freeze up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 350°F; add 1–2 minutes to the baking time (about 10–12 minutes total).
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Don’t stack cookies until completely cooled. Cooled cookies can be frozen up to 2 months; layer with parchment to prevent sticking.
- Nutrition values are estimates based on 28 equal-sized cookies.