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Oatmeal Scotchies

If you’ve never heard of oatmeal scotchies before, do I have a treat for you!

Oatmeal scotchies are butterscotch oatmeal cookies that are soft and chewy and loaded with butterscotch chips.

While you could just call them oatmeal butterscotch cookies, oatmeal scotchies sound so much more endearing.

image of an oatmeal scotchie cookie that has been bitten into to show how chewy and soft it is

I’m convinced it’s the most underrated cookie flavor, and I’m here to give it the love and attention that this cookie deserves. This recipe is adapted from Hershey’s Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookie Recipe.

Making These Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

This recipe is pretty straightforward but does require an electric mixer of some sort to cream together the butter and brown sugar.

I’ve made these with both my hand mixer and my stand mixer, and they’ve turned out great both ways.

image of butterscotch oatmeal cookie dough that's been mixed in a glass bowl

Another important step is chilling the dough for 30 minutes. If you don’t, your cookies will overspread!

This can cause your cookies to lose that wonderfully chewy texture, and lead to crispy cookies almost like my oatmeal lace cookies.

While those are delicious, that is not the texture we’re going for with these cookies.

image of oatmeal scotchies scooped onto a pan to be chilled before being baked

Substitutions and Swaps

While I love this recipe for oatmeal scotchies just the way it is, I know some of you might not have all these ingredients on hand!

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe.

image of ingredients laid out to make oatmeal scotchies
  • All-Purpose Flour – I haven’t tested this recipe out with gluten-free flour, but it should work if you use a good blend like King Arthur’s GF flour. Just be sure to mix the dough a bit longer, to help give it structure.
  • Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter in this recipe. Just be sure to omit the salt that this recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place.
  • Brown Sugar – This recipe uses brown sugar. You can use light or dark brown sugar (I prefer light in this recipe), but I don’t recommend using granulated sugar. It causes the cookies to spread more and changes the overall flavor of the cookie.
  • 1 Large Egg – This cookie recipe uses 1 large egg. You can try using a flaxseed egg in its place to make eggless or vegan variations of this oatmeal scotchies recipe.
  • Rolled Oats – If you don’t have rolled oats or old-fashioned oats on hand, you can also use quick oats but the texture of the cookies will be a bit less chewy.
image of oatmeal scotchies stacked on a plate

How Many Cookies Does this Recipe Make?

This recipe makes 15 cookies using 3 Tbsp of dough per cookie. You can double this recipe if needed!

You can also make 30 smaller oatmeal scotchies using 1 1/2 Tbsp of dough per cookie. Bake them for 11-12 minutes at 350 F / 175 C.

image of oatmeal scotchies that are cooling on a baking sheet

Tips for Making the Best Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

  • Turn your oven on once you put the cookie dough in the fridge to chill. That way your oven will be preheated once your cookies are ready to be baked.
  • Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure and then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
  • Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
  • Use a cookie scoop (mine fits 3 Tbsp per scoop) to make sure your cookies are uniformly sized.
  • Space your cookies about 3 inches apart before baking them! They spread a bit as they bake.
  • Press extra butterscotch chips on top of the cookies once they’re baked. You can also garnish them with sea salt to make them look just as incredible as they taste.
image of oatmeal scotchies that are cooling on a baking sheet

Making These Oatmeal Scotchies in Advance and Storing Them

You can make these cookies in advance! If stored in an airtight container, they can last for up to 5 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.

The cookie dough balls can also be made in advance and frozen for up to a month. When you’re ready to bake them, there’s no need to thaw the dough. Preheat oven to 350°F /175°C and place frozen cookies on parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart.

Baked cookies can also be frozen! These cookies last for up to a month if frozen in a ziplock bag or airtight container.

Move them to the fridge the day before you plan to eat, then let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours before eating.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for oatmeal scotchies, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and rating below.

And don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so that I can see your delicious creations!

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Yield: 15

Oatmeal Scotchies

image of an oatmeal scotchie cookie that has been bitten into to show how chewy and soft it is

Oatmeal Scotchies have to be the most underrated cookie flavor out there! The combination of butterscotch chips with chewy oats creates a unique and irresistible cookie that is a total crowd-pleaser.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 58 minutes

Ingredients

Oatmeal Scotchies

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (95g)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda (3g)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, optional (1g)
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, optional
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
  • 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar (150g)
  • 1 large egg, room temperature (56g)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (4ml)
  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned or rolled oats (150g)
  • 1 cup butterscotch chips (175g)

Instructions

Oatmeal Scotchies

  1. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of salt, and a pinch of ground nutmeg. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter and 3/4 cup packed brown sugar. Mix on a medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes with a paddle attachment until the mixture becomes lighter in color.
  4. Add in 1 large egg and 1 tsp of vanilla extract and mix on a medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth.
  5. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix on a low speed just until incorporated.
  6. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats and 1 cup of butterscotch cookies with a rubber spatula. The dough should be quite thick and sticky at this point!
  7. Scoop or roll out 15 equal-sized cookie dough balls and place them on one of the prepared sheets. You can wet your hands lightly with water to make it easier to roll out the cookie dough if you do this by hand. Be prepared, your hands will get sticky and covered in dough!!
  8. Place the cookie sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes. As the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C.
  9. Rearrange the cookie dough balls between the two prepared baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches from one another.
  10. Bake for 13-14 minutes. The centers of the cookies will look a bit soft and underdone, but they will firm up as the cookies cool.
  11. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then place them on a wire rack to finish cooling and enjoy!

Notes

How Many Cookies Does this Recipe Make?

This recipe makes 15 cookies using 3 Tbsp of dough per cookie. You can double this recipe if needed!

You can also make 30 smaller oatmeal scotchies using 1 1/2 Tbsp of dough per cookie. Bake them for 11-14 minutes at 350 F / 175 C.

Tips for Making the Best Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

  • Turn your oven on once you put the cookie dough in the fridge to chill. That way your oven will be preheated once your cookies are ready to be baked.
  • Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure and then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
  • Ingredients at room temp mix together better! Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
  • Use a cookie scoop (mine fits 3 Tbsp per scoop) to make sure your cookies are uniformly sized.
  • Space your cookies about 3 inches apart before baking them! They spread a bit as they bake.
  • Press extra butterscotch chips on top of the cookies once they’re baked. You can also garnish them with sea salt to make them look just as incredible as they taste.

Making These Oatmeal Scotchies in Advance and Storing Them

You can make these cookies in advance! If stored in an airtight container, they can last for up to 5 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.

The cookie dough balls can also be made in advance and frozen for up to a month. When you're ready to bake them, there’s no need to thaw the dough. Preheat oven to 350°F /175°C and place frozen cookies on parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart.

Baked cookies can also be frozen! These cookies last for up to a month if frozen in a ziplock bag or airtight container.

Move them to the fridge the day before you plan to eat, then let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours before eating.

Nutrition Information

Yield

15

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 203Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 13mgSodium 141mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 1gSugar 21gProtein 2g

Bryce

Wednesday 20th of December 2023

What if I didn’t use butterscotch and used peanut butter and chocolate chips instead? Asking because I mixed the bags up and already mixed it all ??

Chelsweets

Friday 22nd of December 2023

Hi Bryce,

That should work just fine! The taste will be quite a bit different, but they should still be delicious :) Happy baking!

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Sandie

Thursday 11th of November 2021

What is meant by a "Flaxseed Egg?" I'd like to make these for someone who has an egg allergy.

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