Soft & Chewy Butterscotch Cookies Recipe
These Soft & Chewy Butterscotch Cookies combine a perfectly creamed butter and sugar base with sweet butterscotch chips for a delightfully tender texture and rich flavor. Chilling the dough ensures the cookies maintain their shape and develop maximum flavor, while baking to just golden edges keeps them soft and chewy inside.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-14 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes (including chilling time)
- Yield: 24 medium cookies (assuming 2 tablespoons dough per cookie) 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter (cubed, at room temperature)
- ½ packed cup brown sugar (light or dark)
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Prepare the baking sheet: Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper if desired and set aside for later use.
- Cream butter and sugars: Add the softened unsalted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar to a stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium speed and continue mixing for 2 to 5 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and fully combined. Avoid overmixing to prevent a greasy mixture.
- Add egg and vanilla: Pause the mixer, crack the egg into the bowl, add the vanilla extract, then resume mixing on low speed just until combined.
- Sift and add dry ingredients: Sift the all-purpose flour directly into the mixing bowl breaking up any clumps. Add baking soda and salt, then mix on low speed until just combined.
- Fold in butterscotch chips: Gently fold in the butterscotch chips using a silicone spatula, being careful not to overmix the dough.
- Portion dough: Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough into equal-sized balls from 1 to 3 tablespoons depending on desired cookie size. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet about 1 to 2 inches apart.
- Chill the dough: Refrigerate the dough on the baking sheet for at least 2 hours and up to 36 hours. Cover loosely with plastic wrap if chilling longer than 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and arrange the racks to center the cookies in the oven. If baking multiple sheets, position racks evenly.
- Bake the cookies: Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and bake the dough balls for 10 minutes, then check for doneness. Bake an additional 1 to 4 minutes as needed until the edges are lightly golden and centers still appear slightly underdone.
- Cool the cookies: Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve or store: Once cooled, serve immediately or store in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Do not overmix the butter and sugar to avoid a greasy dough.
- Chilling dough enhances flavor and helps cookies keep their shape.
- Bake until edges are lightly golden but centers remain slightly soft for optimal chewiness.
- If baking multiple sheets simultaneously, rotate pans halfway through baking for even cooking.
- Use parchment paper to prevent sticking and ease cleanup.
Keywords: butterscotch cookies, soft cookies, chewy cookies, homemade cookies, dessert, baking
