This is another recipe that was a contender a couple weeks ago but got passed over for something else (it’s always so hard to choose!). And yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I wasn’t entirely sure how these two flavours would work together – I couldn’t really imagine it – and yet I love peanut butter, and I love butterscotch, so… maybe? One way to find out, right?
This is a very simple one-bowl recipe, made without a mixer. You start by melting the butter and some of the butterscotch chips, and then gradually stir everything else in. By melting a portion of the butterscotch chips so they’re combined with the cookie dough itself while the rest remain whole and are added later, you get the flavour of butterscotch throughout. Which transforms a simple peanut butter cookie into something altogether different.
The texture of the cookie is very soft and tender, and almost creamy. And the flavour is peanut butter, but more. And then there are bursts of pure butterscotch from the chips.
I really like this combination! One of my coworkers has rated this in the top ten of all the cookies I’ve made so far.
Given the flavour and texture, I think this cookie would be amazing in an ice cream sandwich. Vanilla ice cream would allow the flavour of the cookie to shine through, but I bet chocolate would be great too. Let’s see if I get around to trying this during the summer…
peanut butter butterscotch chip cookies
Adapted from "Peanut Butterscotchies" from Simply Sensational Cookies by Nancy Baggett. The recipe states it makes about 50 cookies using a 1-1/2" scoop, but I got 72.
ingredients
1-1/2 to 2 cups (262-350g) butterscotch chips
1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1-1/2 cups (375g) peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, but not natural
1 cup (220g) packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2-1/3 cups (292g) unbleached all-purpose flour
In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat 2/3 cup (116g) butterscotch chips and 1/2 cup (113g) butter for about a minute. Stir well, and then continue to heat on 50% power, stirring after every 20 seconds or so, until mostly melted. Remove from the microwave and stir well, squishing the remaining butter and butterscotch chips against the side of the bowl until it's all melted and smooth (the butterscotch chips may never be fully melted, so don't worry if there are a few bits left).
Add the remaining 1/2 cup (113g) of butter and continue to stir until this has melted too (there should be enough residual heat in the bowl to do this).
Add in the brown sugar, peanut butter, and baking soda, followed by the eggs, stirring until smooth.
Add the flour and the remaining butterscotch chips, stirring just until the flour is incorporated.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate about 45 minutes, until the dough is firm enough to scoop.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F.
Using a small cookie dough scoop or a tablespoon, portion the dough onto the baking sheets about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Using a fork, press each mound of cookie dough down slightly. If you like, you can press twice, rotating the fork to form a criss-cross pattern.
Bake for about 9-13 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time. These cookies tend to be crumbly before there fully cooled, so be sure to allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before removing the cookies from the pan.
These look fantastic! The peanut butter and butterscotch combination sounds wonderful, and I love that some of the butterscotch chips are melted into the cookies. Yum!
Thanks Kristine! I really wish I could describe the flavour…
they look great!
thanks dina! 🙂
Just made these tonight, they were very easy and the flavor was great, my only problem was they can’t out really crumbly from the oven, any suggestions on what I could of done wrong?
Hi Alycia! Sorry for the late reply. Cookies can turn out crumbly for a number of reasons – too much flour, not enough butter, even overbaking. Is there any chance your oven isn’t calibrated? My oven is a whopping 75° out of whack. I just use an oven thermometer to double-check my temperatures since I can’t trust my oven. If you want to check it out, you can get one for about $10 at any kitchen store.
I’m sorry, but mine totally flattened and then crumbled as well, and even after an hour and a half in the fridge, the dough was still too soft. The taste and texture are both bad as a result. I’m guessing the issue is because I had to cook in microwave so long to try to melt the chips? Perhaps if I had cooked them stove top and cooled for hours they might have turned out better
Hi Erica – I’m sorry to hear they didn’t turn out for you 🙁 It sounds like you may have over-cooked those butterscotch chips though. Butterscotch chips never seem to fully melt, so I always just squish them smooth as best I can. I’m not sure why that would cause the dough to never firm up though. Was the melted butter and butterscotch smooth? Or did it seem to separate?
I’m sorry but these are not good cookies. I’m disappointed I wasted butter, eggs, and butterscotch chips. I should have trusted my instincts when I read this recipe. Or at least read the reviews. No salt, no vanilla, it’s way too much flour and peanut butter. That’s why they crumble so bad. You can barely hold them, and they taste like flour. I didn’t even bake the whole batch.
Danielle, I’m really sorry to hear that you had such a problem with this recipe. I fact, this week I’ve re-made these cookies to see what’s going on. But I had no problems. The only thing I can think is that they weren’t completely cooled when you tried to remove them from the baking sheets? But I’m confused by the comment that they taste like flour – mine taste mostly like peanut butter and butterscotch chips. Do you mind if I ask what brands you used? I’d really like to figure out why they didn’t work out for you and the other 2 people who posted. :-/