Scotchies: Oatmeal-Butterscotch Chip Cookies, A Love Story

Scotchies

Oatmeal-Butterscotch Chip Cookies, A Love Story

 

                For me, baking is all about love.  Baking something special with someone special in mind is one of the greatest ways to show how much you love someone.  When I met my honey three and a half years ago, he told me his favorite cookies were scotchies.  Honestly, I was stumped.  His favorite was a cookie that was not only absent from my repertoire, but I had never eaten one before. 

                The first summer we were together, he had to go away for about a month up to Illinois.  This was the prefect opportunity to try this crazy oatmeal-butterscotch thing out for a care package.  I couldn’t find a recipe that I liked, so I messed with an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that I had.  It was kind of chewy, and frankly a little odd to me.  But I sent them anyways just figuring that was the way they were meant to be. 

                Even though my sweet honey says he loved them anyways, I knew they weren’t up to snuff.  Recently when I suggested to him that I try again, he lit up.  How could I not try to come up with a recipe for my honey’s all-time favorite treat?  A lifetime with a girl that bakes but never getting your favorite homemade cookie just breaks my heart.  So I tried again.

                After a lot of figuring and playing with ideas, I came up with this little recipe.  I absolutely love straight-from-the-oven, hot, gooey cookies, but these are just not one of those kinds of cookies.  I was a little sad at first, thinking that I would never share my honey’s love of them.  Then I tried another after they cooled completely.  Now it was a totally different story.  Once these cookies cool, and get nice and crispy, they are heavenly.  And the best part of all, my love was crazy about them! 

We even packed some of them up to take to a party that night.  Everyone at the party raved about these.  I couldn’t believe it! Even my friend who follows a gluten-free diet couldn’t resist trying them! 

These cookies are thin, sweet, buttery and crispy.  There are a few special techniques that I use when making them, so I highly recommend you check out my short how-to video with bonus tips.  It is best to let them cool to enjoy them at their peak.  I actually even preferred these the next day!

 

Scotchies (Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies)
(makes 4 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:

1 cup softened unsalted butter

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon butter flavoring

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups butterscotch chips

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat butter, and both sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).  Add eggs, vanilla extract, and butter flavoring.  Continue to mix until combined.

Gradually add 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour and the baking soda, mixing thoroughly between additions. 

Stir in the oats and butterscotch chips by hand. 

Form about 2 tablespoons of dough into balls and place on lined cookie sheet about 2-3 inches apart.  Each pan should hold about 6 cookies.

Bake for about 18 minutes, or until evenly browned and the center is set.

Place cookies on a wire rack and let them cool completely before enjoying.

Tips:

·         It’s best to use room temperature eggs.

·         These cookies spread a lot, so be sure not to place them too close together.

·         Unlike other cookie recipes, these need to be baked through before being removed from the oven.  The center will not continue baking after you remove them from the oven.

·         These cookies are not “right-out-of-the-oven” cookies.  They should be cooled completely so they can get crispy before being enjoyed.