This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
Oatmeal butterscotch cookies are slightly crisp on the outside & chewy on the inside. Butterscotch chips take traditional oatmeal cookies to the next level!
Features with the recipe
- Ingredients for the Best Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
- How to Make Easy Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
- Substitutions for Butterscotch Chips
- Baking Tips for Homemade Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Delicious Cookies
- How to Make Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
- Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies Recipe
These oatmeal butterscotch cookies are a family favorite and can be made quickly! There is something about the slightly crispy outside, chewy texture in the middle, and mild butterscotch flavor of these cookies just make the perfect treat! The cookie dough itself is so yummy I like to keep a small bowl in the fridge just for me!
These butterscotch oatmeal cookies are the perfect cookie that gathers everyone around the kitchen to enjoy with a large glass of milk. It creates the best memories and the conversations are there to stay as the cookies quickly disappear. Homemade oatmeal cookies are the perfect after-school snack, treat before bed, or a Sunday baking day with the family. Bring your friends and family together with a simple cookie that is bursting with butterscotch flavor!
Ingredients for the Best Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
This oatmeal butterscotch cookie recipe is so easy to make! We love how simple the ingredients are and they can all be pantry staples. These cookies are filled with butterscotch chips, oatmeal, and all the baking staples. It is the perfect cookie to make year-round and enjoy on any day!
- Butter – Soften the butter to room temperature. The butter helps with the soft and chewy texture of the cookies.
- Sugar – Sugar and brown sugar are used in this cookie recipe.
- Eggs – Set your eggs out ahead of time to allow them to reach room temperature before adding to the baking ingredients.
- Vanilla – Add a splash of vanilla for a warm and savory flavor! Vanilla is a comforting baking ingredient.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is a huge asset to baking recipes. This is the base of the cookie and gives it the texture and thickness it needs to make the cookie batter.
- Baking soda – Helps raise the cookies as they are baking.
- Cinnamon – This is a hidden gem! Just a hint of cinnamon adds a flavorful taste to the cookies.
- Old-fashioned oats – Another great filler and thickness for the oatmeal butterscotch cookies. Combined with the flour both these ingredients give a thick texture.
How to Make Easy Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
Oatmeal butterscotch cookies are also known as oatmeal scotchies. Chewy, flavorful, and packed with butterscotch chips, these irresistible cookies have no chance to last long. These are mixed together, dough is formed, and baked on a baking sheet to perfection!
- Mix together – In a large bowl or electric mixer, blend butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy and smooth.
- Whisk – In a separate bowl, whisk together flour mixture, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add this dry mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and blend well.
- Stir – Mix in the oats. Stir in the butterscotch chips.
- Dough balls – Roll the cookie dough balls into 1-inch balls and place them evenly on prepared baking sheets that are lightly greased cookie sheets. Non-stick cooking spray works best. You can also use silicone mats.
- Bake cookies – Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browning on the edges of the cookies. Place on a cooling rack.
Substitutions for Butterscotch Chips
This simple oatmeal cookie recipe can be switched up a million different ways depending on what your kids (or you) like most. I always use the base recipe with quick oats, all-purpose flour, vanilla extract, etc. But if you’re not a huge fan of butterscotch morsels, try some of these alternatives:
- Substitution – Swap the butterscotch chips out for chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, M&Ms, Heath bar bits, raisins, craisins, and just about anything!
- Nuts – Add chopped pecans or walnuts to the dough for a heartier cookie.
- Glaze – Drizzle the warm cookies with a glaze made from powdered sugar and milk. So yummy!
- Spice it up – Add just a little cinnamon and nutmeg to the dough for a warm spice cookie.
Baking Tips for Homemade Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies
A few tips for baking cookies are a MUST! Making and baking cookies is sometimes an art. The temperature has to be just right, the ingredients must be measured out and balanced, as well as the dough mixed together. Learning the best way to make these butterscotch oatmeal cookies will ensure perfect baked cookies every time!
- Type of mixer – I like to use a stand mixer rather than a handheld mixer when making a big batch of cookies.
- Combining ingredients – Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add slowly together with the wet ingredients.
- Room temperature – Use room temperature, unsalted butter when possible. It’ll produce beautiful, chewy cookies.
- Cookie scoop – Drop your cookie dough by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet using a cookie scoop. That way they’re all the same size and they’ll bake more evenly.
- Cookie sheet – Use parchment paper on an ungreased cookie sheet so they don’t stick to the pan.
- Wire rack – Cool on a wire rack until you can store the cookies. Use a freezer bag to store cookies in the freezer for up to two months, or leave on the counter in a covered container for up to five days.
“I followed this recipe as written, when scooping out to roll into balls I got slightly larger cookies and baked mine 14 minutes. The end result was tasty and excellent. I will make this again and again. Thanks for sharing!”
-Colleen
Frequently Asked Questions
Cookies have a higher chance of spreading too much if you don’t chill the dough ahead of time. Chilling the dough binds the cookie dough together and helps the cookies form a circle when baking.
If you can not find or do not like butterscotch chips, the Ghiradelli caramel chips are a great substitute. They have a buttery flavor and taste similar to a Werther’s Original.
The word butterscotch comes from the Middle English word scocchen. Scocchen means to score, nick, or cut. The word comes from candy being scored, nicked, and cut to make them break into pieces easier. The word scotch is a method of cutting. Combined it is a word about candy.
If you are going to freeze some of the cookies, wait until they are completely cooled, then place them in an airtight container or freezer-grade, sealed plastic bag.
More Delicious Cookies
Looking for a new cookie recipe for your family? We have dozens of tried and true favorite cookie recipes. They can all be made ahead and frozen or prepared that afternoon for warm cookies right out of the oven when the kids get home from school.
How to Make Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats you can also use quick-cooking oats
- 11 ounces butterscotch chips approximately 1 ¾ cups
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl or electric mixer, blend butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy and smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add this dry mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and blend well.
- Mix in the oats. Stir in the butterscotch chips.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place evenly on a lightly greased cookie sheet (non-stick cooking spray works best).
- Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browning on the edges of the cookies. Place on a cooling rack.
- If you are going to freeze some of the cookies, wait until they are completely cooled, then place them in an airtight container or freezer-grade, sealed plastic bag.
- This recipe yields approximately 6 dozen cookies.
They never look as pretty as yours, but that doesn’t matter because they are DELICIOUS! I cut back the white sugar and add pecans. Just a personal preference. I also freeze the balls so I can bake them whenever we want a treat. Thanks for the recipe.
I followed this recipe as written, when scooping out to roll into balls I got slightly larger cookies and baked mine 14 minutes. The end result was tasty and excellent. I will make this again and again. Thanks for sharing!
Looks good. Think adding nuts is a great addition to the recipe.
Just made these today – they taste super yummy and were very easy to make. I had to bake them for 12 minutes, and I mixed Chocolate Chips and Butterscotch chips – but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and they are perfect. Thanks 🙂
Has anyone made these with gluten free oats?
Oats are always gluten-free. They can be contaminated by gluten because they are often processed in facilitirs that also process wheat, barley, and rye, etc. There is no difference between the oats themselves, so gluten-free oats will work in any recipe that calls for oats.
These cookies were simply amazing !!!
I did add pecans and nutmeg – definitely a hit at my house and will make again !!
I could tell by the flavor of the dough, how wonderful these would turn out! ❤️ I adjusted the sugars ie; 1 1/2 cups brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Refridgerated the dough overnight… WOW… TASTY!!
The cookies were delicious!
Made these today. Added 2 cups broken up walnuts. Wonderful flavors abound.
Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed them! Love the idea of adding walnuts! I bet the crunch made them extra tasty!
I know this recipe is from years ago but just made them today and absolutely loved them!! I had to bake them longer 12-13 minutes but they turned out great!
So glad you liked them– thanks for sharing your time adjustments!
1/2 c granulated sugar is plenty, esp with the strong sweetness of butterscotch chips. Quite close to the recipe on the Quaker oats box otherwise 😉
Hi! Can you tell me what elevation you’re at? I made these today and they did not turn out at all! The flavor was amazing, but they were very thin and crunchy. I I live at a higher elevation, so I’m wondering if that was the problem. Thanks in advance!
My elevation is approximately 4500 feet. If elevation isn’t an issue, decrease the cooking time. When I make these, I pull them out of the oven at the first hint of browning on the edges. I don’t let them brown at all on the top of the cookie. I hope this helps.
I made these today but without the butterscotch pieces. I also doubled the cinnamon because I love cinnamon. Yummy! A friend came by and had a cookie and he loved it too. P.S. I added 2 tsp corn starch to keep them soft – I do that to all my cookies.
I have never heard of the corn starch trick. Thank you for telling me. I’m going to try that!
I love baking but every time I make cookies from scratch, they comeoutflatter than a pancake. Canyou give mesuggestions
you may need to add more flour depending on your elevation. What elevation are you at?
Don’t over mix them
You can usually tell by the firmness of the raw dough if it has enough flour. Add a 1/2 cup more. I doubled the batch and added a cup more flour and they turned out perfectly.
Made these today! Yum!! I had to bake mine for 12 minutes but my oven is a little funky!! These are the best!! Thank you
Oven temperatures do vary, and I think my oven sometimes runs on the hot side. I’m so glad you like the recipe!
My wife made these and I ate 10
In one sitting! My gut exploded!
She must be an amazing baker! I’m so glad you liked them! 😀