Salted Butterscotch Cookies

Closeup of a butterscotch cookie topped with flaky sea salt.

Get ready to sink your teeth into these soft and chewy Butterscotch Cookies! Every bite is flavored with brown sugar, vanilla, and creamy butterscotch chips.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 12

Cook Time 10

Total Time 22

Servings - 14

Calories 190kcal

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

1⅔ cups (210g) all purpose flour* see note
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened but still cool to the touch**
½ cup (107g) light brown sugar packed
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (170g) butterscotch chips
flaky finishing salt (like Maldon) for topping
additional butterscotch chips for topping cookies (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined, scraping the bowl and beater(s) as needed. Add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add 1 cup butterscotch chips and stir by hand until combined.
Scoop 2-tablespoon portions of dough and place the dough balls a couple inches apart on the baking sheets. Sprinkle the top of each dough ball with flaky salt. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are beginning to turn golden brown and the center is still slightly underdone. If necessary, rotate the baking sheets halfway through cooking time, so that the cookies brown evenly. Make sure not to over bake; the cookies should be soft enough that you cannot pick them up off the baking sheet when they are fresh out of the oven (they will firm up as they cool). Place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool completely. If desired, you can gently place a few extra butterscotch chips onto the top of each cookie when they are fresh out of the oven.

Video

Notes

*Flour should be weighed (ideally) or measured using one of the following methods:

Whisk the flour several times to lighten it, scoop a heaping portion, and level it off with the back of a knife.
Stir the flour with a spoon to lighten it, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off.

**If you accidentally over-softened your butter (meaning it is super soft, not holding its shape, or beginning to melt in some spots) I recommend chilling the prepared dough for 30 minutes to one hour before baking.

Serving: Serve at room temperature or slightly warm.

Storage: Store baked cookies tightly covered at room temperature for several days or store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Baking frozen cookie dough: Unbaked cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 2 months. Allow the dough balls to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake from the fridge, adding a minute or two to the bake time. Give the chilled dough balls a little smoosh down before baking to encourage spreading.

Option to add chocolate chips: Feel like switching things up a bit? Swap out ⅓ cup butterscotch chips for chocolate chips! The chocolate tastes incredible paired with the butterscotch.

Recipe updated May 2023: Weights added for more accurate results and flour increased by a couple tablespoons.

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