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Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies are an old-fashioned oatmeal cookie recipe that never lasts long in my house. This is a simple and tasty butterscotch cookie everyone adores!
Toss in a handful or two of chocolate chips for a treat that will thrill both the chocolate and butterscotch lovers in your house.
Butterscotch Cookies
Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies that stay soft and chewy for days are an instant favorite with everyone who tastes them. Soft, chewy oatmeal cookies and butterscotch chips are a perfect match. After several requests for this recipe, I am finally posting it.
If you are a family member and you’ve been waiting ever since our summer camping trip, well, what can I say? Sometimes, I get distracted by chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate!
It’s high time I show some love to my butterscotch desserts and share them with you. (The Ultimate Butterscotch Bars are proof of how awesome butterscotch can be!)
Oatmel Butterscotch Cookie Recipe
Chewy oatmeal and butterscotch chips are always a delicious combination in a cookie. (I have since discovered that these cookies are also called Oatmeal Scotchies. Cute name, right?) I have made these cookies numerous times in the past and they are always a hit.
I love oatmeal cookies but I do NOT love a dry tough oatmeal cookie. Some oatmeal cookie recipes taste great fresh from the oven but get hard and crunchy the next day.
There’s nothing wrong with a crunchy cookie. (Crunchy Brownie Crisps prove that by being an all-time favorite around here.) But I like my oatmeal butterscotch cookies nice and soft.
With this recipe, the cookies always stay perfectly chewy, sweet, and delicious even days later. Not that they usually even last that long!
Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies
Want a cookie with a little more fiber? Usually, I make my butterscotch cookies with standard all-purpose flour. However, I often make these cookies with 100% fresh whole wheat and there’s not even a slight difference in the taste or texture.
I’ve noticed that whole wheat combined with oatmeal is a great combination when converting my recipes over to 100% whole wheat instead of AP (all-purpose) flour.
The taste of the oatmeal pairs so well with the slightly stronger whole wheat flavor. Both all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour work well in this recipe.
If you’re looking for a great gluten-free oatmeal cookie, try these Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies, swap the chocolate for butterscotch chips and you just might have a new favorite.
These Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfect for the chocolate lover and I’m betting that you won’t be able to eat just one or two.
Coconut Lover’s Oatmeal Cookies are a dream dessert for anyone who loves coconut. We also can’t get enough of these Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, especially at Christmas time. That combo of sweet chocolate and tart cranberries is to die for.
You’re also sure to like Orange Spice Oatmeal Cookies and my go-to classic Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Enjoyed with a cup of coffee or an ice cold glass of milk, oatmeal cookies make everything better.
Chewy, thick, Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are a treat that we’ve enjoyed for a lot of years now.
For more great oatmeal desserts, check out these Healthy Strawberry Oatmeal Bars, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Carmelitas, No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Bites, and Cranberry Oatmeal Yogurt Bars.
Can you tell we REALLY like baking with oatmeal around here? From breakfast to dessert, it’s a favorite ingredient for sure.
How to Make Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies
These cookies get their butterscotch flavor from a generous helping of butterscotch chips. This is a classic cookie recipe that starts (like many of the best things in life) by beating together butter and sugar.
After adding eggs and vanilla, you add your dry ingredients in batches. Then, add the butterscotch chips, drop onto cookie sheets, bake and enjoy!
How To Freeze Cookie Dough
These finished cookies freeze beautifully. Let the cookies cool completely before placing them in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer.
You can also make the oatmeal cookie dough ahead of time and freeze it for later. When I bake these cookies straight from the freezer I allow an extra minute or so of baking time.
Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies are soft, chewy, and delicious treats with butterscotch chips in every bite. I hope you like this family favorite as much as we all do!
As a final word of caution – take cake not to overbake these cookies. An overdone cookie gets hard and tough and these are supposed to be chewy oatmeal cookies!
The cookies may still look underdone when you take them out but remember they will continue cooking on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes.
Kitchen Tip: I use this baking sheet, this scoop, and these cooling racks to make this recipe.
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour *
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 2/3 cups (approximately 11 oz) butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and almost fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugars and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth again.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients except the butterscotch chips. Gradually add this mixture to the wet ingredients, half at a time. Stir until fully combined. Add the butterscotch chips and stir well.
- Use a medium size cookie scoop (about a tablespoon in size) to drop the dough onto a large baking sheet lined with a silpat mat. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove from the oven before the cookies are browned and when they still look soft in the center. Let them cool on the same tray for 5-10 minutes; this will allow them to finish baking without overcooking.
- When the cookies are firm enough to handle, transfer them to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 9/14/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 12/6/21}
Excellent cookies, easy to make! I definitely will make these again.
these are AWESOME! thanks for the recipe
I love that you love them, Mandy!
hi is this the quick oatmeal or the big regular oatmeal
Regular oatmeal, Marsha.
Can you use quick oats for this recipe??
Sure thing, Doris.
I’ve made 3 different recipes until I found this one the last couple months. These are the best! Thank you for the note about the flower, they turned out perfect!
You are quite welcome, Dakota. I am so happy you love this one.
I do not recommend removing the cookies from the oven after 8-9 minutes before they are browned because they do not continue to brown and were a falling apart, doughy mess even after setting up for a few minutes. I put the second batch in for at least 13 minutes and they turned out golden brown and way better. And came off the baking sheet like a dream unlike the first batch. first batch is still edible but nowhere near as pretty as the second.
Good to note Michele. Every oven and the individual process can vary just a bit.
I agree Michele. I baked the cookies for 13 minutes and they were perfect. 8 -9 minutes was not long enough.
The cookies are very good!
I had the same experience with this recipe, one flat, underbaked mess. So I added an extra 3/4 cup of flour, for a total of 2 cups like most recipes, and the next two batches were much better. This was not a keeper for me either.
I don’t know what I did wrong, but the cookies came out pretty flat. I still ate them of course and they are delicious! I’m hoping I find a way to not make them so flat haha.
My guess is your butter might have been too warm.
Very good! I added a little bit of cinnamon like the original recipe. They came out great!
That sounds delicious, Debbie. I’m glad the cookies turned out well. Happy baking.
So good! I added the rest of the second stick of butter (1 cup total) and about a cup of crushed pretzels and my son declared these the best cookies he’s ever had! The pretzel butterscotch combo is amazing!
Glad to hear that the cookies were a hit with you and your son, Rose! Adding crushed pretzels sounds like a fun idea. Enjoy, and happy baking.
These were delicious! They stayed perfectly soft and chewy the next day, stored in a closed tupperware. Thank you for the recipe. I will definitely make this again.
I’m thrilled they’re a hit with you, Allison!
Recipes are fantastic thank you for sharing them.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them, Diane.
Flour wasn’t enough. Something off with recipe. Agree with earlier comments to add more flour.
Without being in your kitchen with you, it’s hard to guess what might have gone wrong. I’ve made these multiple times and they do turn out as pictured. (But now I’m questioning that, so I’mm make them again to confirm it!) If your butter is too soft, that can affect it too.
I think I might have mixed the dough too long even though I followed the recipe. I had to add extra flour. But, they tasted amazing. Oh, and I LOVE cinnamon. So, I added some of that too. Thank you so much for sharing.
I’m glad you like the cookies, Pam.
I’m making these later today and wanted to mention if you change the cookie quantity the (approximately 11oz.) does not adjust for the butterscotch chips. Just a heads up as I didn’t pay attention to the cups just read that note and then realized that seemed like too small an amount so changed back and realized the cups change -the note does not.
Thanks for the tip, Michelle. Unfortunately, the quantities aren’t always perfect with the sliding adjustment. Glad you caught that!
I followed the instructions to the letter.
However, when I first pulled the cookies out of the oven they were light & fluffy but while cooling they sunk to butterscotch puddles.
Not sure why. Can you please explain what may have happened so I can avoid this in the future?
If you didn’t substitute any ingredients, it sounds like the cookies might not have been fully cooked and when they cooled, they didn’t set up properly.
These taste great but ya might want to rethink the baking time . I even turned it down to 325 for 15 because they were brown on bottom And raw in the middle
While I make these as written, I’m glad you were able to make it work well for your own needs.