Name: Soft & Chewy Butterscotch Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter (cubed, at room temperature); ½ packed cup brown sugar (light or dark); ½ cup white sugar; 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon table salt; ½ cup butterscotch chips

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This foolproof recipe for warm and rich butterscotch cookies guarantees soft, chewy, delicious cookies every time. Bake them right away, or freeze the dough for cookies-on-demand later – either way, these classics are a real treat.

Overhead view of a pile of chewy butterscotch cookies on a neutral background.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Move over, chocolate chip cookies. You’re good, but I think these butterscotch cookies are even better. Warm and rich, soft and chewy, with pops of vanilla, brown sugar, and caramelly butterscotch. They’re a dream in the fall and winter, but I like to make them year round. Seriously, they’re so good I’m willing to bet that if you leave a plate of these out on Christmas Eve, Santa might even leave you an extra gift or two under the tree. Just sayin’.
It’s a really simple recipe. No, really! The recipe card below looks a little intimidating, but don’t let it scare you away. I’ve broken everything down into clear, easy-to-follow instructions that pretty much guarantee these cookies turn out perfectly every time.
You can make these in advance! They’re amazing when they’re fresh baked, but they’re just as amazing later on, too. Baked butterscotch cookies will keep up to 2 weeks as long as they’re stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also prepare the dough up to 36 hours prior to baking the cookies. Just keep it covered and refrigerated!

Chef’s Tips

Can you freeze butterscotch cookie dough? OOOOOHHHHH, YES. In fact, that’s probably the ultimate make-ahead option. Prep the dough exactly as written below. Freeze the dough balls on the baking sheet so they don’t stick together in the freezer, then transfer them to a Ziploc or airtight container. The cookie dough balls can be frozen up to 3 months! You don’t even have to thaw them before baking. Butterscotch cookies, on demand.
The combo of brown sugar and white sugar gives the cookies their unbelievable chewiness. For even chewier cookies, use dark brown sugar instead of light.
Chilled cookie dough doesn’t spread as much in the oven as room-temperature cookie dough. If you prefer thinner, flatter cookies, you can skip chilling the dough altogether, or let the chilled dough come to temp before baking. Just don’t let the dough get too warm – if the butter is liquid or at all melted, the cookies won’t set up right.

Recipe Variations

If you want to really put these cookies over the top, try one of these variations.

Fold in ½ cup white chocolate chips along with the butterscotch chips.
Before putting the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, roll them in more butterscotch chips. Make sure they really stick to the outside of the dough balls. When the dough spreads, you’ll end up with gourmet-looking cookies, chock full of butterscotch flavor.
Right after taking the cookies out of the oven, sprinkle a little flake salt or coarse salt on top of them. Don’t overdo it – the cookies should taste like butterscotch, not salt. Just a touch plays up the sweetness in the cookies and gives it a little salty contrast at the same time.