Oatmeal Scotchies Recipe | The Recipe Critic

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Oatmeal scotchies are soft and nutty, with melted butterscotch chips in each bite. This twist on a classic oatmeal cookie recipe is one you’ll want to come back to again and again!

A simple can of rolled oats can make the BEST desserts. They add a delicious texture and nutty flavor. Try oatmeal cake, peanut butter bars, or carmelitas and see for yourself!

Oatmeal butterscotch cookies on a white serving board.

Oatmeal Scotchies Cookies

Oatmeal scotchies are like the rebellious cousin of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They’re edgy, they’re bold, and they’re not afraid to mix things up. Instead of the standard chocolate chips, these bad boys are studded with butterscotch morsels that add a sweet, creamy, and slightly nutty flavor to the mix. If you’ve never tried them before, then you’re in for a treat!

But it’s not just the taste that sets oatmeal scotchies apart – it’s the texture too. They’re chewy, they’re hearty, and they’re packed with oats that give them a bit of crunch. And because the butterscotch chips are slightly softer than chocolate chips, they melt into the dough in a way that creates little pockets of gooey goodness. They’re super easy to make and only take 10 minutes to cook. So, let’s get started!

Ingredients Needed

Get ready to be amazed by the simplicity of oatmeal scotchies! With just a handful of common pantry ingredients like butter, sugar, oats, and butterscotch chips, these cookies prove that you don’t need a complicated recipe to create a delicious treat. Looking for measurements? They’re below in the recipe card.

  • Light Brown Sugar: This sweet, caramel-flavored sugar helps to give the cookies their signature butterscotch flavor and chewy texture. You can also use dark brown sugar instead, but it will change the flavor of the cookies slightly.
  • Granulated Sugar: The granulated sugar adds sweetness and also helps to give the cookies a slightly crisp exterior.
  • Unsalted Butter: Makes the cookies rich, buttery, and moist!
  • Eggs: The eggs act as a binder, holding the dough together and giving the cookies a light texture.
  • Vanilla Extract: Just a touch of vanilla extract adds a warm, sweet flavor that enhances the butterscotch and oat flavors.
  • Quick Oats: These oats are rolled thinner than traditional oats, which helps them cook faster and gives the cookies a more uniform texture.
  • Baking Powder and Baking Soda: You need both to help the cookies rise and become light and fluffy.
  • Salt: A little bit of salt helps to balance out the sweetness and enhances the flavor of all the other ingredients.
  • All-Purpose Flour: Gives your oatmeal scotchies structure.
  • Butterscotch Chips: The VIP of the ingredient list! These sweet and creamy chips add a rich, buttery flavor to the cookies that sets them apart from traditional oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. You’ll love them!

How to Make Oatmeal Scotchies

It’s super easy- just as easy as making premade cookies! Gather up your ingredients, mix them together, and then pop your scotchies in the oven. The hardest part is waiting for them to get done, even though it only takes 10 minutes!

  1. Preheat Oven, Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Mix Butter and Sugar: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together both sugars with the butter until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
  4. Flour Mixture: In a separate bowl combine the oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Whisk to combine.
  5. Combine: Add the dry to the wet and mix until just combined, being careful to not overmix. Fold in the butterscotch chips by hand.
  6. Bake: Roll out golf-ball sized dough balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just lightly golden brown. Watch carefully to avoid over-baking; slightly under-baked cookies make the best chewy cookies!
  7. Enjoy: Cool on a wire rack and serve.
Closeup of oatmeal scotchies cookies on parchment paper.

Tips for Making the Best Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

Oatmeal scotchies are pretty straightforward to make, but here are some of my favorite tips to keep in mind so they turn out perfectly.

  • Correctly Measure the Flour: If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour you will pack in way too much flour (which will result in cake-like cookies with the wrong texture). To properly measure your flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until its overfilled. Then use the back of a butter knife to level the measuring cup at the top. You’ll have a perfect flour measurement now!
  • Use Room Temperature Eggs: This ensures the eggs disperse more evenly into the batter giving these cookies a lighter texture (the eggs trap air). Soaking refrigerated eggs in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for about 10 minutes is a quick way to do this. Otherwise, pull the eggs out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before use.
  • Use Real Butter and Beat It With the Sugar: Butter gives these cookies body, texture, and flavor. By beating it with the sugars at the start you’re fluffing up the butter with air which gives the cookies that perfect foundation for a great texture.
  • Slightly Under-Bake: If you over bake these cookies you’ll lose the awesome soft and chewy texture and you’ll get a hard and crisp oatmeal cookie instead. Watch them carefully and as soon as the tops are no longer glossy, pull them out!

Storing Leftovers

Whenever I make these cookies, they always fly off the table. Be sure to snag a few for yourself, (hide them if you must!) and use these tips to keep them nice and fresh.

  • At Room Temperature: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for 5-7 days. 
  • Freezing Leftover Dough: The cookie dough can be portioned, added to a parchment-lined baking sheet and frozen. Once frozen, they can be removed from the baking sheet and placed in a freezer ziplock bag. Remove from the freezer and bake as many as desired according to the directions. They may need 1-2 additional minutes of baking time.

Closeup of a cookie broken in half.


  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

  • In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together both sugars with the butter until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.

  • Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

  • In a separate bowl combine the oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Whisk to combine.

  • Add the dry to the wet and mix until just combined, being careful to not overmix. Fold in the butterscotch chips by hand.

  • Roll out golf-ball sized dough balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just lightly golden brown. Watch carefully to avoid over-baking; slightly under-baked cookies make the best chewy cookies!



Serves: 24

Calories265kcal (13%)Carbohydrates44g (15%)Protein3g (6%)Fat9g (14%)Saturated Fat5g (25%)Polyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat2gTrans Fat0.3gCholesterol35mg (12%)Sodium159mg (7%)Potassium78mg (2%)Fiber1g (4%)Sugar29g (32%)Vitamin A270IU (5%)Calcium25mg (3%)Iron1mg (6%)

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword oatmeal scotchies, oatmeal scotchies cookies, oatmeal scotchies recipe

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