Chocolate and Butterscotch Chip Cookies

When it comes to cookie recipes, I don’t share one unless I know it works, and not just once. I’ve been baking professionally for over 15 years, and during that time, I’ve developed recipes for bakeries, restaurants, and home bakers who want desserts that taste just as good as they look. Cookies are one of my forever favorites, and I’ve baked thousands (maybe more) while chasing that perfect chewy center and golden edge. This chocolate chip butterscotch version brings it all together, rich flavor, soft texture, and just the right amount of sweetness.

I created this recipe with real life baking in mind, messy counters, busy afternoons, and that craving for something warm and fresh from the oven. I’ve tested it again and again, obsessing texture, mixing time, and bake time so you don’t have to. It’s the kind of cookie that feels nostalgic but a little elevated, and it’s one I reach for any time I want a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

Why You'll Love Butterscotch and Chocolate Chip Cookies

• No Chilling Required. Thanks to all the mix ins in the dough, there's no need to chill the cookies before baking. This means you can whip up a batch and have them ready to enjoy in no time. My lucky charms cookies are amazing too!
• Soft and Gooey Texture. The edges are crisp, the centers are gooey and chewy.
• Delicious Flavor Combination. The mix of crunchy cashews, dark chocolate, and buttery butterscotch chips creates a heavenly flavor profile. Each bite offers a perfect balance of sweetness, nuttiness, and a touch of bitterness from the dark chocolate.

Ingredients For Chocolate and Butterscotch Chip Cookies

• Butterscotch Chips. These add a rich, buttery sweetness that complements the other flavors in the cookies. Their caramel-like notes enhance the overall taste and provide a lovely contrast to the dark chocolate.
• Roasted Cashews. Roasting the cashews intensifies their flavor, adding depth to the cookies. I roast nuts at 350°F for 10 minutes.
• Dark Brown Sugar. This ingredient adds moisture and a deep, molasses sweetness to the cookies. It helps create a soft and chewy texture, making the cookies irresistibly gooey.
• Egg. The egg acts as a binding agent, holding the cookie dough together and providing structure. It also contributes to the cookies' soft and tender texture.
• All Purpose Flour. This is the base of the cookie dough, giving the cookies their shape and structure. All purpose flour provides the right balance of tenderness and chewiness.
• Vanilla Extract. Vanilla extract enhances the overall flavor of the cookies, make sure to use pure vanilla extract!

See recipe card below for quantities.

Recommended Equipment

This recipe is in grams. Baking with a kitchen scale is amazing because it provides precision and accuracy, ensuring each ingredient is used in the exact amount required by the recipe. It helps achieve consistent results every time when making these cookies, as measuring by weight avoids the variations that can occur with volume measurements.

How to Make Chocolate Butterscotch Chip Cookies

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the cold butter into cubes.

Step 2. Cream the cold butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until a paste forms, about 2-3 minutes.

Step 3. Add the cold egg, extra yolk, and vanilla. Mix until combined, about 20 seconds. Scrape down the bowl.

Step 4. Add the dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and cashews until just combined, making sure everything is distributed evenly. Do not over mix.

Hint: Top with flaky sea salt!

Variations of Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookies

• If you do not like cashews, roasted pecans would be amazing as well.
• Nut Free Version. If you have a nut allergy or prefer a nut free cookie, you can replace the roasted cashews with an equal amount of chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or even dried fruit like cranberries or raisins for a different texture and flavor.
• Different Flavor Chips. Swap out the butterscotch chips for other flavored chips like peanut butter, caramel, or white chocolate. Each variation will bring a unique twist to the cookies, allowing you to customize them to your taste preferences.
• Make ice cream sandwiches with them!! These would be irresistible with vanilla ice cream.

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions. These are just suggestions.

Tips For Making Chocolate and Butterscotch Cookies

• Scrape down your bowl: Scrape down your mixing bowl well as you go, because any butter and sugar that have not been fully incorporated can leave little sugary pockets in the cookies.
• Don't forget the salt: People always ask me why my chocolate chip cookies are so good, and honestly, it really comes down to the salt. Sometimes I even use salted butter along with added salt, because without enough salt, cookies can taste flat and one dimensional.
• Don't Overmix. Once you add the flour, mix the dough just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can lead to spreading in the oven.
• Chop the Cashews. Chop the roasted cashews into smaller pieces before adding them to the dough. This ensures they are evenly distributed throughout the cookies, allowing them to spread more uniformly and ensuring a bit of nutty crunch in every bite.

How to Store Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies are best stored based on when you plan to enjoy them. Once baked, they’ll stay soft and fresh for 2-3 days at room temperature in an airtight container. There’s no need to refrigerate them, refrigeration can actually dry them out. For longer storage, the freezer works great. You can freeze baked cookies or freeze the dough. Just portion the dough before freezing so it’s easy to bake later. When you're ready to bake, let the dough fully defrost at room temperature before popping it in the oven. Always make sure everything is tightly sealed to keep flavors fresh and prevent freezer burn.

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📖 Recipe

Chocolate Butterscotch Chip Cookies

Amanda

Chocolate chip butterscotch chip cookies are soft, gooey, and loaded with rich flavors! The instant pudding in the mix makes them soft and dreamy. Packed with butterscotch chips, dark chocolate, and cashews.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16 small cookies

Equipment

• ▢
  Handheld or stand mixer
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Measuring bowls
• ▢
  Measuring Spoons

Ingredients

 

• ▢ 155 grams cold salted butter add ¼ teaspoon more kosher salt if using unsalted
• ▢ 143 grams dark brown sugar (dark is best)
• ▢ 90 grams granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 large egg cold
• ▢ 1 large egg yolk cold
• ▢ 240 grams all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 and ½ teaspoons cornstarch
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 100 grams dark chocolate chips can also use semisweet
• ▢ 130 grams butterscotch chips
• ▢ 120 grams roasted cashews chopped, make sure no large pieces *see notes if not using nuts

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Find a round cookie cutter or small bowl about 4 inches in diameter to use for scooting the cookies.
• Cut the cold butter into cubes.
• Cream the cold butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until a paste forms, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the cold egg, extra yolk, and vanilla. Mix until combined, about 20 seconds. Scrape down the bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt until evenly blended.
• Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until almost combined. Scrape down the bowl.
• Fold in the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and cashews until just combined, making sure everything is distributed evenly. Do not over mix.
• Portion the dough into 15 dough balls, place 6 dough balls at a time on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Bake for 10-11 minutes on the center rack of the oven, until the cookies are golden at the edges and soft in the center, they may look underdone but they will continue baking on the sheet on the counter. Do not over bake.
• To scoot a cookie into a perfect circle, grab a round object like a bowl or large cookie cutter slightly larger than your cookie. While the cookies are still warm and soft on the baking sheet, place the bowl or cutter over a cookie and gently move it in circular motions to reshape the edges. This quick trick smooths out uneven edges, giving you perfectly round cookies every time!
• See storage in notes.

Notes

*if not using nuts, make sure to use butterscotch chips in their place or else the cookies will spread

*Dark chocolate works best with butterscotch, milk or semi sweet is too sweet

Storage

Store the butterscotch chocolate cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

You can freeze the dough. To do so, form the dough into balls and place them in a freezer bag. When you're ready to bake, let the dough come to room temperature before baking to ensure even spreading and proper texture.

Freeze already baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

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