Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 19 minutes
Servings 24 cookies

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These Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies (also called Oatmeal Scotchies) are soft, chewy, and loaded with butterscotch chips! No chilling required!

If you love oatmeal cookies, check out these Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies and these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies next!

I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m saying it again: I love cookies.

oatmeal butterscotch cookies on a white plate close up with a white background

I will take a stack of freshly baked cookies over a slice of cake any day, and I have no problem stealing from my stash and eating them straight out of the freezer.

I have a few requirements for perfect cookies, and these Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies tick all the boxes.

What are perfect Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies:

They have to be soft, but not fluffy.

They have to be chewy and a little crispy around the edges,

They have to not too thick and not too thin.

And most of all? Loaded with butterscotch chips. I loooooove oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips!

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My mom is the expert on this one. She has a few recipes that she’s stuck with over many, many years because they are perfect. I’ve shared quite a few of them here, including:

oatmeal butterscotch cookies overhead on white platter over grey marble background with broken cookies on the side

How to make other varieties of oatmeal cookies:

You can absolutely feel free to swap out the butterscotch chips and hint of cinnamon for other varieties. Here are a few ideas:

  • Leave out the cinnamon if it’s not your thing (I personally love the warmth it adds!).
  • Swap out the butterscotch chips for white chocolate chips and add in toasted macadamia nuts or dried cranberries.
  • Swap out the butterscotch chips for chocolate (a little boring, yes, but delicious just the same!).
  • Swap out the butterscotch chips for raisins (yes, I said it!).

General Tips for Making these Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies:

  • Make sure your butter is room temperature. Too cold and you will have thick fluffy cookies (instead of chewy) and too warm and you will have thin cookies that spread all over the pan.
  • Use large, rolled oats for the best chewy texture in these Oatmeal Scotchies.
  • Don’t skip the salt. Yes, it’s a tiny amount, and I often used to wonder about the little bit of salt always added to baked goods. The salt balances the sweet out perfectly and takes them from good to totally irresistible.
  • Make them your way: if you like a thinner cookie, feel free to press the cookie dough balls down slightly (or a lot) before baking. If you like thicker cookies, feel free to just leave them in balls. I recommend doing one test bake, so you can see how the cookies will bake up to get your desired thickness as oatmeal cookies bake differently than other kinds.
oatmeal butterscotch cookies stack of 5 cookies on a white background

How long to bake oatmeal cookies:

As with all cookies, you really want to find that sweet spot for bake time.

If you bake too long, you will end up with dry, round Oatmeal Scotchies that you need to chase with a huge glass of milk (not that I ever recommend cookies without milk 😉 ).

If you bake too little, you will end up with raw centers and cookies that you can’t scrape off the pan because they’re too flimsy.

I baked these cookies about 9 minutes at 350, just until they are golden around the edges and maybe just a touch glossy in the center (I mean, the tiniest bit!).

The cookies will continue to set somewhat on the hot pans out of the oven, so a little underbaked coming out of the oven is actually okay.

Keep in mind that there can’t really be a set rule as far as bake time goes, because as you open and close the oven door the temperature will fluctuate slightly, the type of pans you use will factor in, and it’s important to do a visual check for cookie perfection.

oatmeal butterscotch cookies on white tray with extra butterscotch cookies on the plate

How to freeze Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies:

Having a freezer stash of homemade cookies is one of my greatest pleasures. They’re perfect for quickly adding to lunches, picnics, dessert trays, or for those days you have unexpected company drop by right around coffee break 😉

The best part is that cookies freeze perfectly, and for quite some time, so you never have to worry about a loss of quality (only quantity!).

To freeze these Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies, place in a large freezer bag or freezer-safe container and seal completely. You want to ensure a tight seal to prevent freezer burn.

They are fantastic eaten right out of the freezer (just don’t ask me how I know….), but if you want to thaw them there are a few different ways:

  • You can simply place them on a plate and let sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes.
  • You can place them on a microwave-safe plate and heat for 20-30 seconds or until thawed.
  • If you really want people to think you’ve overdone yourself, you can place them on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet in the oven at 225 degrees F for 5-8 minutes for freshly baked cookie flavor.
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Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies Recipe

4.90 from 46 votes
These Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies (also called Oatmeal Scotchies) are soft, chewy, and loaded with butterscotch chips! No chilling required! 
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Total Time 19 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Dessert
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 167cal

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed (about 140g)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups large rolled oats
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (about 160g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups butterscotch chips (about 210g)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). 
  • Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
  • Add oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir with an electric mixer or by hand until completely combined. Stir in butterscotch chips.
  • Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls (if you’re using a cookie scoop, you’ll want to use a 2 TBSP scoop) onto parchment paper 2 inches apart (I do 12 per pan). If you like thinner, chewier cookies, press down slightly (this step is optional). 
  • Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-9 minutes, until the edges are beginning to brown and the centers are almost set (a tiny bit of glossiness in the center is okay, as they will continue to set on the hot pans).
  • Let sit for 5 minutes before removing from the pan to cool completely. Store in an air tight container up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 167cal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 50mg | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.6mg
Keywords butterscotch oatmeal cookies, oatmeal cookies, oatmeal scotchies

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Tana says

    Making these cookies now and wonder if I should’ve used two eggs instead of one because the batter is so thick?

  2. Heather says

    Yikes, these are good! I made chocolate chip and these for a ‘mommy-toddler’ play date and these were hands down the favorite and fastest to disappear. Great recipe!

  3. Jo Wilmes says

    Amazing recipe! I doubled the recipe and used half and half butterscotch and chocolate chips, they were delicious! The recipe made exactly 80 small cookies (I put 15 per cookie sheet).

  4. Kirsten says

    Delicious! I ate 5 of these when they were fresh out of the oven because they were so good 🙂

  5. Courtney says

    Finally had an old friend share this recipe after a decade of me bugging for her mom’s recipe! I LOVED them. So happy to have made them last night for a party and everyone adored them! Added to my cookie repertoire. 🙂 <3

  6. Rachael says

    These cookies are delicious! I’ve made them twice following the recipe exactly, and another time I added cacao powder and some walnuts. They’ve come out perfectly every time and are a new go-to recipe. Thank you for sharing!

  7. Elizabeth says

    Combines two of my favorite ingredients oatmeal and butterscotch…reminds me of a cookie my grandma used to make! Thanks for recipe!

  8. Danielle says

    I am drooling over these cookies!! I actually like to add a little sprinkling of coarse sea salt on cookies like this. I love that salty sweet flavor. I can’t wait to try these!!

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