• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
SALTED sweets
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy

Home » Recipes » Cookies

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

May 31, 2022 by brooke 5 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Butterscotch chocolate chip cookies are loaded with butterscotch and chocolate chips, pretzels and a nice sprinkle of sea salt. Buttery, sweet and just a bit salty!

butterscotch chocolate chip cookies on stacked baking pans.

Butterscotch chocolate chip cookies are perfect for when you're needing an elevated chocolate chip cookie. Every time I make them everyone goes crazy for them and there's never a single cookie left behind.

If you're looking for other ways to spice up a classic chocolate chip cookie you should try my brown butter chocolate chip cookies, my chocolate chip coconut cookies, or these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

butterscotch chocolate chip cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THESE

SWEET & SALTY- Butterscotch chips can be overly sweet by themselves, so mixing them with chocolate chips and salty pretzels gives these cookies the perfect balance.

CRISPY & CHEWY- These cookies have the perfect crisp buttery edges with a gooey, chewy middle.

BASIC INGREDIENTS- These cookies call for the usual staple ingredients that you keep on hand.

INGREDIENT NOTES

  • Brown Butter- After you have browned the butter allow it to cool completely before starting to mix the cookie dough.
  • Eggs- You will use one whole egg and one yolk for these cookies.
  • Flour- If you have a scale make sure to weigh your flour, if not, scoop flour out with a spoon making sure not to compact it.
  • Pretzels- I love having the crunch and saltiness added to these cookies, but you are welcome to skip if you don't have them or don't like them.
all ingredients needed to make butterscotch chocolate chip cookies.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

STEP ONE: Start by browning the butter. You'll take ¾ cup of butter and melt in a medium saucepan, and then continue to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour into a bowl and allow to cool.

STEP TWO: Place browned butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, 2-3 minutes.

STEP THREE: Add egg and yolk one at a time, mix until smooth on low speed, about 30 seconds each egg. Beat in the vanilla.

butter and sugars mixed.
adding eggs and vanilla.

STEP FOUR: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt. Add flour mixture to bowl and mix on low, being careful not to over mix. I usually like to stop mixing when I still have flour remnants around the bowl. Fold in butterscotch and chocolate chips, and pretzels saving a handful to stick on top of the dough balls.

adding dry ingredients.
adding butterscotch, chocolate and pretzels.

STEP FIVE: Scoop the dough into large balls. I like to use a ¼ cup cookie scoop. At this point I usually like to chill my dough for at least 2 hours.

dough after being all mixed together.
cookie dough balls scooped.

STEP SIX: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 6-8 cookie balls on your baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaked salt. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. You're looking for a nice golden brown outside rim.

6 dough balls on cookie sheet before baking.
6 butterscotch chocolate chip cookies after baking.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

These cookies contain more butter to flour ratio than most of my cookies. The reason for this is when you brown your butter you are cooking some of the moisture out, therefore needing a little bit more to compensate.

I have given both cups and grams as measurements. Grams will be more precise, especially when measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no problem! Just lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup to insure its not packed in there. Light and fluffy is the key.

If your cookies don’t come out a perfect circle, I like to take a little spatula and circle around the hot cookie to bring in any spots that have spread a little too far.

FAQ

How long does it take to brown butter for cookies?

Browning butter usually takes about 5-8 minutes from start to finish, but then needs more time to cool.

Do I have to refrigerate my cookie dough before baking?

Although you don't have to refrigerate, because you are using a melted butter the cookies will spread more. Chilling the dough before will help them keep their shape.

If baking my cookie dough from the freezer do I need to add extra time to baking them?

When cookie dough is frozen I haven't found that I needed to add more than a minute extra to my baking time. I set my timer for the same amount of time, and maybe cook just a bit longer if needed.

close up of 4 butterscotch chocolate chip cookies with a little bit of salt to the side.

STORING AND FREEZING

Butterscotch chocolate chip cookies will remain fresh if stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also prep the cookie dough in advance and store it in the fridge for about a week.

FREEZING

You can freeze your cookies in an airtight container for 2-3 months with them remaining fresh. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls if you would like to bake them one at a time. 

A bunch of butterscotch chocolate chip cookies stacked on top of each other.

OTHER RECIPES USING BROWN BUTTER

Brown Butter Coffee Toffee Cookies

Brown Butter Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Brown Butter Peach Crisp

For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment if you make them and love them as much as I do. 

And please make sure to leave a star review below!

butterscotch chocolate chip cookies on stacked baking pans.

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

brooke
Butterscotch chocolate chip cookies are loaded with butterscotch and chocolate chips, pretzels and a nice sprinkle of sea salt. Buttery, sweet and just a bit salty!
5 from 11 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 11 mins
2 hrs
Total Time 2 hrs 31 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 321 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • ¾ cup brown butter cooled
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg room temp
  • 1 egg yolk room temp
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup butterscotch chips
  • ½ cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup pretzel pieces
  • flaked sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Start by browning the butter. You'll take ¾ cup of butter and melt in a medium saucepan, and then continue to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour into a bowl and allow to cool.
  • Place browned butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, 2-3 minutes.
  • Add egg and yolk one at a time, mix until smooth on low speed, about 30 seconds each egg. Beat in the vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt. Add flour mixture to bowl and mix on low, being careful not to overmix. I usually like to stop mixing when I still have flour remnants around the bowl. Fold in butterscotch and chocolate chips, and pretzels saving a handful to stick on top of the dough balls.
  • Scoop the dough into large balls. I like to use a ¼ cup cookie scoop. At this point I usually like to chill my dough for a few hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Place 6-8 cookie balls on your baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaked salt. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. You're looking for a nice golden brown outside rim.
  • Allow cookies to cool on the pan before moving to a cooling rack to hold their shape.

Notes

I have given both cups and grams as measurements. Grams will be more precise, especially when measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no problem! Just lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup to insure its not packed in there. Light and fluffy is the key.
If your cookies don’t come out a perfect circle, I like to take a little spatula and circle around the cookie to bring in any spots that have spread a little too far.

Nutrition

Calories: 321kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 387mgPotassium: 55mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 406IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg
Keyword brown butter, butterscotch chocolate chip cookies, pretzel cookies
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Cookies

  • A side view of a chewy carrot cake cookie showing the frosting and coconut on top.
    Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies
  • the whole funfetti cookie cake with some pieces cut into triangles.
    Funfetti Cookie Cake
  • 2 cinnamon chocolate chip cookies cut in half to see the cinnamon filling.
    Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • a small batch oatmeal chocolate chip cookie broken in half.
    Small Batch Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stacey

    August 12, 2022 at 7:12 pm

    5 stars
    Always the BEST!

    Reply
  2. Sydney

    November 14, 2022 at 2:03 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve made this recipe 3 times now for events and people are always raving about these!!! The perfect cookie for all occasions!

    Reply
  3. Chanin Warren

    March 24, 2023 at 12:14 pm

    I’m dying to make these cookies, but I’m curious about the flour to sugar/fat ratio. 1 1/2 c. Flour doesn’t seem like enough? Promise me these aren’t flat & greasy?

    Reply
    • brooke

      March 25, 2023 at 11:51 am

      They weren't flat or greasy for me!

      Reply
    • brooke

      March 25, 2023 at 11:52 am

      But I would chill the dough before baking to help ensure they don't spread too thin.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

A photo of Brooke Homec in the kitchen.

Welcome to the SALTED sweets! I am a self-taught baker, dessert lover, and mom of three. My hope is to share my love language of sweet and simple baked goods with you.

More about me →

New Recipes

  • a close up of a square of chocolate mint cheesecake turned diagonal to see the layers.
    Chocolate Mint Cheesecake Bars
  • 3 lucky charms cereal bars cut into squares.
    Lucky Charms Cereal Bars
  • 3 no bake biscoff cheesecake bars stacked on top of each other with some cookie butter dripping down from the top.
    No Bake Biscoff Cheesecake Bars
  • close up of chocolate cherry brownies with one turned to show inside.
    Chocolate Cherry Brownies

Trending Recipes

  • 3 no bake biscoff cheesecake bars stacked on top of each other with some cookie butter dripping down from the top.
    No Bake Biscoff Cheesecake Bars
  • double chocolate fudge brownies cut with a bite missing.
    Double Chocolate Fudge Brownies
  • dairy free brownies lined up in a small baking pan.
    Dairy Free Brownies
  • close up of single oreo cinnamon roll on a white plate with frosting dripping down.
    Oreo Cinnamon Rolls

Spring Recipes

  • key lime pie tart with 3 slices cut.
    Key Lime Pie Tart
  • graham cracker s'mores cookie broken in half.
    Graham Cracker S'more Cookies
  • strawberry buttermilk almond cake
    Strawberry Buttermilk Almond Cake
  • a slice of lemon sour cream pie next to the whole pie.
    Luscious Lemon Sour Cream Pie

Copyright © 2023 SALTED sweets on the Foodie Pro Theme