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Why You’ll Love My Recipe
These thin, Crispy Butterscotch Cookies are proof that chocolate chips aren’t the only way to make a delicious cookie! Pressed thin and loaded with melty butterscotch chips, they bake up with the perfect caramelized crunch. They’re the kind of simple, crowd-pleasing cookie that disappears fast, so make yourself a double batch!
If you’re craving something soft and gooey, try my chewy Butterscotch Cookies next! Or, if you want crunch without the butterscotch, my Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe is a must-bake. They’re my favorite cookies for a reason!
Reader Review
Made these to rave reviews from co-workers, family, and my son’s friends. At first I thought they were way too sweet—nope! Just addictive.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: These Crispy Butterscotch Cookies are easy to make and taste amazing, even if you’re new to baking!
- Total Time: You’ll have a full batch of cookies ready in about 20 minutes.
- Variations: Mix in chocolate chips, Old Fashioned Candied Pecans, chopped nuts, or toffee bits for your own custom twist. Serve your cookies with a warm mug of Homemade Skor (Toffee Bits) Hot Chocolate or alongside my Crispy Mint Chocolate Cookie Recipe for a sweet dessert platter!
- Tools For This Recipe: You will need two baking sheets, a medium mixing bowl, a whisk, a spatula for folding the dough, a spoon or scoop for portioning dough balls, a glass for flattening, and a wire rack for cooling.
What You’ll Need for Ingredients
Flour: Flour forms the foundation of your dough, giving the cookies their structure and helping them bake up crispy around the edges. Karlynn’s Tip: For the best results, spoon and level your flour instead of scooping straight from the bag. Too much packed-in flour can keep your cookies from spreading thin and getting beautifully crunchy!
Butterscotch Baking Chips: Two cups of sweet, caramelly butterscotch chips make every bite rich and comforting. Karlynn’s Tip: Try mixing in a handful of toffee bits for an extra buttery crunch!
Butter: You can use either salted or unsalted butter. Just add a pinch of salt if your butter isn’t salted! Make sure the butter is properly softened for easy mixing and even cookie spreading. Karlynn’s Tip: If you need softened butter fast, cut your butter into cubes and microwave it for 5 seconds at a time.
Sugar: This recipe calls for both brown and white sugar. The extra white sugar makes the cookies bake up crunchy and sweet, while the brown sugar adds a hint of molasses depth!
How To Make Crispy Butterscotch Cookies
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla.
- Beat in the flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
- Fold in the two cups of butterscotch baking chips by hand.
- Roll a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough into a ball, 12 per cookie sheet, then flatten each cookie with a glass.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheets until firm, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Serve and enjoy!
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Crispy Butterscotch Cookies
- Keep Your Cookies From Getting Tough: Tough cookies happen when the flour is overmixed, and too much gluten develops. To keep your cookies crispy and tender, make sure your butter, sugar, and eggs are fully combined before the flour is added, and mix the flour as little as possible.
- Add Chips the Clever Way: Sprinkle your butterscotch chips in halfway through mixing in the flour. This helps everything incorporate just enough without making the dough dense.
- The Secret to Ultra-Crispy Cookies: These cookies need to bake flat to get that signature crunch! Space the dough balls out well on the sheet, then lightly wet the bottom of a drinking glass and press each dough ball into a thin disc. Lift the glass in one clean motion and bake the cookies immediately for the crispiest finish!
Storage Instructions
Whether you want to make these ahead or keep a batch for future cravings, these Crispy Butterscotch Cookies store like a dream!
Room Temperature: Once fully cooled, store your cookies in an airtight container for 4–5 days. To keep them extra crispy, add a small sheet of parchment between layers!
Freezer: Freeze your cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months, following USDA food safety guidelines. Thaw the cookies at room temperature – no reheating needed!
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
If you’re craving more homemade sweets, try these must-bake Cookies out next:
- The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are rich, nutty, and completely addictive!
- My Thick & Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies bake into a soft, decadent treat that peanut butter lovers can never resist.
- These Walnut Loaded Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies are chocolatey, chewy, and full of old-fashioned walnut goodness!
And there you have it, folks! These Crispy Butterscotch Cookies may be easy to make, but they turn into such an irresistible treat. Crunchy edges, cozy caramel notes, and a sweet butterscotch finish – what’s not to love?
Bake a batch, share a few (or don’t!), and let me know how yours turned out in the comments below. You know that I always love hearing about your kitchen adventures!
Happy Baking!
Karlynn
Crispy Butterscotch Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt ,
- 1 cup butter , softened
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups of butterscotch baking chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 °F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cream together your butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla, mixing thoroughly. Beat in the flour, baking soda and salt until just combined.
- When that is done, fold in the two cups of butterscotch baking chips by hand.
- Roll a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough into a ball, 12 per cookie sheet.
- Take a glass and using the bottom, flatten out each cookie. If the cookie sticks, start wetting the bottom of the glass with water, they will come right off.
- Flatten each of them as much as you can. This is a dry dough , no sticky chewiness going on here- but it’s just wet enough to make perfect little flat cookie patties.
- Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on the sheets until firm then remove and cool on a wire rack completely.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Anita Hull says
The dough is really dry. I would add less flour to make a softer dough then use a fork dipped in flour to flatten. (Like you do with a peanut butter cookie) Tasty enough but won’t make again.
Brenda says
Made these to rave reviews from co-workers, family, and my son’s friends. At first I thought they were way too sweet—nope! Just addictive.
judy says
These are the best butterscotch cookies ever! I always made the toll house version which I thought was very good but your balance of white to brown sugar ratio and more flour and less egg was spot on! My family only eats crispy cookies so I was happy to try this recipe. Next I will try your other crispy cookies on your site…thank you! Instead of using a glass to flatten the cookies I use the palm of my hand which is easier
Stella says
holy crap, I just made these and they’re everything my 32-week-pregnant miserable butt was hoping and dreaming for. perfectly crisp, buttery, amazing! THANK YOU!!
Karlynn Johnston says
Awesome! So glad that you loved them!
Daria Hofmann says
last instruction says “chocolate” heaven. Did you leave out the chocolate?
Christopher51 says
This is an absolutely wonderful recipe and almost exactly
the same recipe that was taught to me by my mom and grandmother back in the 50’s.
Back then, we had to make our own chips. And as I learned early on that you had
to be Superman to pipe them. So, I’d spread the mixture, ¼” thick, on a
parchment lined baking ship, then cut them ¼”x1/4”. Opening a bag is so much
easier.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. God bless.
Rambling Tart says
When I’m able to start baking “real” foods again, I want to make these delish babies. 🙂
thekitchenmagpie says
@Rambling Tart They are a good one!