Easy Chewy Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies: Your New Favorite Decadent Treat
Indulge in the ultimate comfort with these irresistibly easy and chewy butterscotch chocolate chip cookies. This recipe delivers a decadent treat that butterscotch lovers will adore, combining the rich, buttery flavor of butterscotch with the classic sweetness of chocolate chips. Forget your standard chocolate chip cookies; this delightful twist offers a unique flavor profile and a texture that’s soft in the center with perfectly crisp edges, making them truly unforgettable.
What makes this recipe stand out is not just its incredible flavor, but also its versatility. You can effortlessly adjust this base butterscotch chocolate chip cookie recipe to create exciting variations, such as wholesome oatmeal butterscotch chocolate chip cookies or rich peanut butter butterscotch chocolate chip cookies. It’s truly one of the best recipes to utilize those delightful butterscotch chips, transforming simple ingredients into a gourmet-level dessert that everyone will rave about. Prepare to fall in love with your new favorite cookie!
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If you’re a fan of these delightful cookies, you might also enjoy exploring other unique cookie creations like my Lemon Lavender Cookies for a floral twist, my whimsical Cookie Monster Cookies, or delve into my comprehensive collection of the Best Gluten Free Dairy Free Cookies Recipes for alternative dietary options. Each recipe offers a distinct and satisfying baking experience!
The Irresistible Allure of Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
When it comes to comfort food and indulgent treats, very few things can rival the warmth, nostalgia, and sheer satisfaction that a freshly baked batch of butterscotch chocolate chip cookies provides. The moment these cookies emerge from the oven, a heavenly aroma of sweet, buttery butterscotch combined with the rich, decadent allure of melting chocolate chips fills your kitchen. This creates a sensory experience that is truly irresistible and immediately signals a moment of pure bliss.
This particular chocolate butterscotch chip cookie recipe offers a fantastic and exciting twist on the traditional chocolate chip cookie, elevating it to a new level of deliciousness. It’s perfect for those who appreciate classic flavors with a delightful new dimension, making it an excellent choice for any occasion, from casual family gatherings to festive holiday celebrations. The unique combination ensures these cookies will stand out and become a cherished recipe in your baking repertoire.
What Makes These Easy Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies So Exceptionally Good?
These easy butterscotch chocolate chip cookies achieve a perfect harmony of flavors and textures that is simply incredible. The buttery richness of the butterscotch chips melts harmoniously with the deep sweetness of the chocolate, resulting in a treat that is both profoundly comforting and utterly indulgent. Each bite offers a delightful contrast: a soft, chewy interior studded with pockets of melted chocolate and firm, delightful butterscotch, all encased in a slightly crisp edge. This complex interplay of textures is what sets them apart.
Beyond the taste and texture, the addition of a secret ingredient – dry butterscotch pudding mix – is key to their exceptional quality. This ingenious touch not only intensifies the butterscotch flavor but also contributes significantly to the cookies’ incredibly soft and chewy texture, ensuring they stay moist for days. They are undeniably perfect for cozy fall or winter evenings, but their inviting flavor makes them a welcome treat any time of year. With their irresistible appeal, these are sure to become one of your new favorite cookie recipes, eagerly requested by friends and family.
Do Butterscotch Chips Melt Differently Than Chocolate Chips?
This is a common and important question for bakers! The short answer is no, butterscotch chips do not melt in the same way as chocolate chips. The difference lies in their unique compositions and respective melting points. Chocolate chips, rich in cocoa solids and cocoa butter, readily melt into a smooth, luxurious, and velvety consistency when exposed to heat, often yielding a gooey center in baked goods.
Butterscotch chips, on the other hand, are primarily made from brown sugar and butter, which gives them a higher melting point compared to traditional chocolate. While they will soften significantly and become wonderfully gooey when heated, butterscotch chips tend to maintain their distinct shape and a pleasant, slightly chewy texture even after being subjected to baking temperatures. This characteristic is precisely what makes them an ideal choice for adding a delightful chewiness and a rich, buttery flavor burst throughout your baked goods, rather than simply blending into the dough. They provide a structural and textural presence that chocolate chips often lose during baking, offering a more pronounced and satisfying bite.
If you appreciate that gooey, buttery quality in your desserts, be sure to also try my Biscoff Brownies for a unique spiced caramel flavor, or my Chocolate Chip and Marshmallow Cookies for an extra layer of soft, sweet indulgence!
Essential Ingredients for Perfect Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Crafting a batch of these irresistibly sweet and gooey butterscotch chocolate chip cookies requires a selection of simple, yet crucial, baking ingredients. Each component plays a vital role in achieving the desired flavor and signature chewy texture:
- Melted Butter: I prefer using salted butter for an enhanced depth of flavor that perfectly complements the sweetness of the butterscotch. If you only have unsalted butter on hand, simply add an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt to your dry flour mixture to balance the flavors. Using melted butter is key here as it contributes to a chewier cookie with a desirable spread, as opposed to the thicker, cakier texture often achieved with softened butter.
- Brown Sugar: This ingredient is essential! The rich flavor of brown sugar, with its inherent molasses content, not only adds moisture and depth but also perfectly complements the distinctive taste of butterscotch chips. You can use light brown sugar for a classic taste, or opt for dark brown sugar to infuse your cookies with an even deeper, more robust butterscotch flavor. If you find yourself out of brown sugar, don’t worry – you can check out my recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Brown Sugar as an alternative.
- Butterscotch Pudding Mix: This is our secret ingredient for success! A small amount of dry instant butterscotch pudding mix works wonders. It not only infuses a powerful butterscotch flavor throughout your cookies but also contributes significantly to their incredibly soft, moist, and chewy texture, ensuring they remain fresh and delicious for longer.
- Large Egg: For optimal baking results, ensure your egg is at room temperature. A room-temperature egg emulsifies more easily with the melted butter and sugar, creating a smoother, more uniform dough that bakes evenly and contributes to a consistent cookie texture.
- Vanilla Extract: The quality of your vanilla makes a difference. Always use a good-quality pure vanilla extract to enhance all the sweet notes in the cookies. Better yet, consider making your own with my easy post on how to make vanilla extract at home with just two ingredients!
- All-Purpose Flour: Accurate measurement of flour is critical to prevent dry, crumbly cookies that don’t spread properly. I highly recommend measuring your flour by weight for the most precise results, or if using cups, be sure to fluff it first and then use the spoon-and-level method. This prevents accidentally adding too much flour, which is a common cause of dense, dry cookies. For more tips on fixing dry dough, see Cookie Dough Too Dry: How to Fix Crumbly Cookie Dough.
- Baking Soda: This acts as a leavening agent, reacting with the acidic brown sugar to give just the right amount of lift and spread to this recipe, ensuring a tender and chewy cookie.
- Butterscotch Baking Chips and Semisweet Chocolate Chips: This classic combination of butterscotch chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips creates the perfect flavor balance. You can use mini or regular chocolate chips based on your preference for chocolate distribution. For those who prefer a less sweet cookie, dark chocolate chips are an excellent alternative. If you’re a true chocolate enthusiast, you might also love my Hot Chocolate Mug Cake or my festive Pinecone Brownie Recipe!
- Flaky Sea Salt: This is an optional but highly recommended finishing touch. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top of each cookie after baking transforms them into salted butterscotch chocolate chip cookies. The salt expertly offsets the sweetness and amplifies that delightful butterscotch flavor, adding a sophisticated touch.
See the full recipe card below for exact quantities.
Essential Equipment for Cookie Baking Success
To ensure your butterscotch chocolate chip cookies turn out perfectly with that desired chewy, gooey texture, having the right tools can make all the difference:
- Kitchen Scale: Instead of relying on measuring cups, which can be inconsistent, a kitchen scale allows you to measure your flour and other dry ingredients with perfect accuracy. This precision is crucial for achieving the ideal cookie dough consistency and prevents common issues like dry or overly crumbly cookies.
- Oven Thermometer: Many home ovens have temperature disparities, meaning they might not actually be as hot as they indicate. An oven thermometer helps you verify and correct any temperature inaccuracies, ensuring your cookies bake perfectly and consistently every time, preventing burning or underbaking.
- Cookie Scoop: A #30 cookie scoop (approximately 2 tablespoons) is invaluable for portioning out your cookie dough. This ensures that each cookie is uniform in size, which leads to even baking across the entire batch and a professional, appealing presentation.
- Large Baking Sheet: I highly recommend a sturdy, light-colored baking sheet like the Nordicware Baker’s Big Sheet. Lined with a Silpat ¾ sheet liner or parchment paper, it provides a non-stick surface and promotes even heat distribution, preventing the bottoms of your cookies from burning.
- Wire Rack: After baking, it’s crucial to transfer your cookies to a wire rack. This allows air to circulate around them, preventing condensation and ensuring they cool completely and set properly, achieving that ideal chewy texture without becoming soggy.
Step-by-Step Guide to Baking Perfect Cookies
While you can find the comprehensive recipe instructions and a helpful video in the recipe card below, here’s a detailed breakdown of the basic steps involved in crafting these delightful butterscotch chocolate chip cookies:
Step 1: Combine Wet Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, start by adding your melted butter and brown sugar. Whisk them together thoroughly until the mixture is well combined and smooth. Next, incorporate the room-temperature egg, mixing until fully integrated, then stir in the pure vanilla extract. Continue whisking until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and well emulsified.
Step 2: Incorporate Dry Ingredients. Gradually sift in your pre-measured all-purpose flour, butterscotch pudding mix, baking soda, and salt into the wet mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet until a cohesive dough forms. Be careful not to overmix at this stage; stop once no dry streaks of flour remain.
Step 3: Fold in the Chips. Now, it’s time for the stars of the show! Add both your butterscotch baking chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips to the dough. Using the spatula, gently fold them in until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Again, avoid overmixing to maintain the perfect cookie texture.
Step 4: Scoop and Bake. Using your cookie scoop, place uniform balls of cookie dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Ensure there is at least two inches of space between each dough mound to allow for proper spreading during baking without them merging together. Bake in your preheated oven until the edges are golden brown and the tops are just set, leaving the centers soft for that perfect chewy interior.
Hint: Always allow enough space between cookie dough mounds on the baking sheet to prevent cookies from spreading into each other – at least two inches is ideal. This ensures even baking and beautifully shaped cookies.
Delicious Variations: Oatmeal & Peanut Butter Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oatmeal Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Looking to add a wholesome twist and extra texture to these already fantastic cookies? Elevate this recipe into delightful oatmeal butterscotch chocolate chip cookies by seamlessly integrating the goodness of old-fashioned oats. The oats not only add a wonderful, chewiness but also a subtle hint of nuttiness to every bite, creating a more rustic and hearty cookie. To achieve this, simply replace ¾ cup of the all-purpose flour with old-fashioned rolled oats. This simple substitution will transform the texture and flavor, making them even more satisfying for a morning treat or an afternoon snack.
Peanut Butter Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
For all the peanut butter enthusiasts out there, it’s incredibly easy to transform these already delicious cookies into amazing peanut butter butterscotch chocolate chip cookies! The combination of butterscotch and peanut butter is a classic for a reason, offering a truly irresistible flavor pairing. To infuse that incredible peanut butter flavor into every bite, simply replace half of the butterscotch chips (or all, if you prefer a stronger peanut butter presence) with peanut butter baking chips. This quick swap will introduce a rich, nutty dimension that perfectly complements the sweet butterscotch and chocolate, making these cookies a truly exceptional treat.
If you love chocolate-infused delights, you should also try my Mini Egg Brownies for a festive treat, my Dairy Free Brownies for a delicious alternative, my unique Matcha Brownies, and for a truly show-stopping dessert, my famous Matilda’s Chocolate Cake!
Proper Storage for Freshness
To keep your chocolate butterscotch cookies tasting their best, proper storage is key. This recipe is designed for maximum freshness, and the cookies will remain wonderfully soft and chewy for several days.
Store your freshly baked cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. This method will keep them deliciously moist and flavorful for up to 3 days. To prolong their freshness, you can also consider placing a slice of bread in the container with the cookies; the bread will absorb moisture, helping to keep the cookies soft.
For longer-term storage, these cookies freeze exceptionally well. You can freeze them in an airtight freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply thaw the frozen cookies at room temperature, or for a warm, fresh-from-the-oven experience, gently reheat them in a microwave for 10-15 seconds or in a preheated oven at 275°F (135°C) for a few minutes until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions About Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Using melted butter significantly impacts the texture of your chocolate chip cookies. It typically results in cookies that are thinner, with a wonderfully chewy center and a more intense, rich buttery taste. The liquid fat allows for greater spread and creates a denser, chewier crumb structure. In contrast, using softened butter often leads to a slightly different texture, yielding cookies that are thicker, puffier, and sometimes cakier due to the air incorporated during creaming. For this specific recipe, I prefer and recommend using melted butter to achieve that delightfully chewy cookie with a bit more spread that we’re aiming for.
While they are often used interchangeably in sweet treats and share a similar golden-brown hue, butterscotch chips and caramel chips have distinct flavor profiles and are made from slightly different ingredients. Butterscotch is traditionally made by heating brown sugar and butter, which gives it a richer, deeper, and more buttery flavor, often with hints of vanilla or rum. Caramel, on the other hand, is primarily made from granulated white sugar that has been cooked until it caramelizes, often with the addition of cream and butter, resulting in a slightly less buttery but intensely sugary, often slightly burnt-sugar taste, such as in my Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake. So, while both are delicious and sweet, butterscotch offers a unique, more complex buttery sweetness.
If you’re a devoted chocolate lover, there’s a world of delicious chocolate chip cookie variations waiting for you! You’ve got to check out my fun and colorful Cookie Monster Cookies for a playful twist. Or, if you appreciate a more classic cookie with an incredibly rich buttery flavor, you’ll absolutely adore my Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies, which feature the nutty depth of brown butter and a sprinkle of sea salt. For another exciting variation on traditional chocolate chip cookies, try my delightful Chocolate Filled Cookies where every bite is a surprise! And if you’re a fan of colorful candies, you need to try my Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies for an extra burst of fun and flavor.
For those with dietary considerations, if you’re looking for a dairy-free cookie option, my Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies are a fantastic choice. And if you’re planning for a cookie exchange or simply seeking inspiration, take a look at my extensive collection of the 45 Best Cookies for a Cookie Exchange for even more delicious ideas! Finally, if your love for chocolate extends to brownies, you absolutely must try my decadent Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting for a truly indulgent experience.
Related Decadent Desserts
Looking for other delightful recipes that offer similar comfort and indulgence as these chocolate butterscotch cookies? Try these fantastic recipes:
- Apple Cider Donut Cake
- Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
- Bananas Foster Pancakes
- Rice Krispie Treats with Chocolate Chips
Top Tip for Perfect Chewy Cookies
Achieving that coveted soft and chewy texture is paramount for these cookies – and the most important factor is preventing overbaking! The cookies should still appear slightly soft and perhaps even a little underdone in the very center when you take them out of the oven. Don’t worry, they will continue to cook and set beautifully as they cool on the baking sheet and then on a wire rack. Overbaking is the quickest way to end up with dry, hard cookies instead of the moist, chewy delights you crave.
If you try this delightful butterscotch chocolate chip cookie recipe, I would absolutely love to hear from you! Please leave a star review rating and a comment below to share your feedback and experience. It’s truly wonderful to hear your thoughts and see your creations! And don’t forget to share your beautifully baked cookies with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
📖 Recipe: Chewy Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies – Chewy Recipe
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15
12
27
Dessert, Snack
American
11 cookies
220kcal
Chenée Lewis
Equipment you may need
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baking sheet
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parchment paper
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silicone baking mat
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measuring cups and spoons
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mixing bowls
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whisk
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rubber spatula
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hand mixer
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food scale
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stand mixer
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cooling rack
Ingredients
- ½ cup (114 g) salted butter – melted
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (6 g) butterscotch pudding mix
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (85 g) butterscotch baking chips
- ½ cup (90 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
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In a spacious mixing bowl, combine the melted butter with the brown sugar. Whisk vigorously for about 1-2 minutes until the mixture is thoroughly combined, smooth, and slightly fluffy. Then, add the room-temperature egg and the vanilla extract. Continue whisking until the mixture is light and well emulsified, ensuring all ingredients are fully incorporated.½ cup salted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, butterscotch pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this dry mixture into the wet ingredients, folding gently with a rubber spatula until the dough just comes together and is well combined, with no visible streaks of dry flour. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies. Finally, fold in both the butterscotch baking chips and the semisweet chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup butterscotch pudding mix, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup butterscotch baking chips, ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
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Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), drop uniform balls of cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheet. Ensure you leave at least 2 inches of space between each mound to allow for proper spreading during baking.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are ready when their tops are set and the edges are lightly golden brown, but the centers still look slightly soft and underbaked. This is key for achieving a super soft and chewy interior. Remember, for the best soft cookies, it is crucial not to overbake them.
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Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, if desired, sprinkle them with a touch of flaky sea salt. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a crucial 10 minutes. This allows them to firm up slightly without losing their chewiness. After 10 minutes, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Last Step!
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Video
Nutrition
Calories: 220 kcal |
Carbohydrates: 25 g |
Protein: 3 g |
Fat: 12 g |
Saturated Fat: 7 g |
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g |
Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g |
Trans Fat: 0.3 g |
Cholesterol: 38 mg |
Sodium: 235 mg |
Potassium: 84 mg |
Fiber: 1 g |
Sugar: 13 g |
Vitamin A: 284 IU |
Calcium: 20 mg |
Iron: 1 mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
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