Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Scotchies Cookies

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Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Scotchies — Soft, chewy, and hearty without being too dense! They’re thick enough, but not overly thick, and are just enough to sink my teeth into. Best of all, they’re loaded with sweet butterscotch chips!! 

oatmeal scotchies on a cutting board

Oatmeal Scotchies Recipe

These butterscotch chip cookies are a tasty trip down memory lane. My grandma used to make them and I hadn’t had them in ages. So I changed that.

They turned out to be my favorite oatmeal cookie to date. I’m like Goldy Locks and her porridge with oatmeal cookies, but I finally nailed my perfect oatmeal dough base.

I have four other oatmeal cookie dough bases, as well as countless other cookie recipes that use oatmeal. These cookies gave me everything I wanted.

They’re soft, chewy, and hearty without feeling like I need to strap a backpack on and take them mountain hiking. Sometimes oatmeal cookies get a little too oaty and hearty. I want a cookie, not a granola bar.

Conversely, if there aren’t enough oats used, I find myself wanting more texture and more chewiness.

stack of three oatmeal scotchies

They’re thick enough, but not too thick. Sometimes really thick oatmeal cookies turn dry or cakey, a total deal-breaker. Plus, really thick cookies take longer to bake, and you run the risk of the bottoms getting too dark before the tops are set.

Conversely, they’re not too thin. There’s nothing worse than biting into a paper thin cookie that just sort of disappears. I don’t like thin cookies in general, but thin oatmeal cookies are particularly unsatisfying.

Best of all, they use butterscotch chips. I just love butterscotch and I find it’s very under-represented in recipes in general. After making my favorite peanut butter to date, I vowed to use more butterscotch in my baking.

stack of three oatmeal butterscotch cookies. the top cookie has a bit missing.

For anyone who dislikes raisins in your oatmeal cookies, your wishes have been granted. No raisins, nor chocolate.

Just loads of butterscotch.

Oatmeal cookies, when done right, are some of my favorite cookies. I found myself going back for one more, one more. The chewiness, the hearty texture, the nuttiness of the oats, and nostalgic memories of gobbling vast quantities of my Grandma’s oatmeal cookies make these my new favorite oatmeal cookies.

And the abundance of sweet butterscotch chips doesn’t hurt, either.

stack of two oatmeal butterscotch cookies

What’s in Oatmeal Scotchies? 

To make these oatmeal butterscotch cookies, you’ll need: 

  • Egg
  • Unsalted butter
  • Light brown sugar 
  • Granulated sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Old-fashioned oats
  • All-purpose flour
  • Cinnamon
  • Nutmeg
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Butterscotch chips 

overhead view of butterscotch chip cookies on a wood cutting board

How to Make Oatmeal Scotchies 

Cream together the egg, butter, sugars, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stop, scape down the sides of the bowl, and add the oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Beat to just incorporate. 

Add the butterscotch chips in last and gently mix to combine. 

Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form the cookie dough balls. I made 20 medium-sized cookies and suggest using a cookie scoop so they’re all uniform. 

Place cookie dough balls on a plate and chill for at least 2 hours. 

stack of four butterscotch chip cookies

Before baking, flatten each mound slightly with the heel of your hand so they cook through evenly.

Pull them from the oven at the 9 to 10 minute mark. They’ll look quite under-done and glossy, but these cookies in particular firm up dramatically while cooling on the trays. Don’t wait until the tops look done to pull them because they’ll set up far too firm and crunchy, and the bottoms will get much too dark.

And then they won’t be Soft and Chewy. They’ll be Crunchy and Crispy, which isn’t my thing.

overhead view of oatmeal scotchies cookie dough balls on parchment paper

Do I Have to Chill the Dough? 

Yes! Before baking, you must chill the dough. It’s too soft coming out of the mixing bowl for immediate baking and if you don’t chill it first, I guarantee the cookies will spread out into thin puddles.

Chill it for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Bake as many mounds as you want at one time, and keep the remaining dough in the fridge.

close up of half of an oatmeal scotchie cookie

Can I Use Quick Oats? 

No, quick oats are more finely ground that old-fashioned oats and will make your oatmeal scotchies dry. 

stack of four oatmeal butterscotch cookies

How to Store Oatmeal Scotchies 

Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Scotchies — Soft, chewy, and hearty without being too dense! They’re thick enough, but not overly thick, and are just enough to sink my teeth into. Best of all, they’re loaded with sweet butterscotch chips!! 

Tips for Making Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies 

Make sure to add a little salt to the cookie dough. It won’t make the oatmeal butterscotch chip cookies taste salty, it just enhances the overall flavor and balances out all the sugar. 

When measuring the butterscotch chips, I measured 1 heaping cup. Don’t be skimpy on the butterscotch! 

I prefer my oatmeal scotchies to be well spiced, so I wasn’t shy about adding the cinnamon or nutmeg. Adjust to your preferences, as needed. 

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Scotchies — Soft, chewy, and hearty without being too dense! They’re thick enough, but not overly thick, and are just enough to sink my teeth into. Best of all, they’re loaded with sweet butterscotch chips!! 

Enjoy!

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Scotchies — Soft, chewy, and hearty without being too dense! They’re thick enough, but not overly thick, and are just enough to sink my teeth into. Best of all, they’re loaded with sweet butterscotch chips!! 

Pin This Recipe

4.33 from 31 votes

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Scotchies Cookies

By Averie Sunshine
These homemade oatmeal scotchies are soft, chewy, and hearty! Best of all, they’re loaded with sweet butterscotch chips!! 
Prep Time: 11 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 20
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Ingredients  

  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats, not instant or quick cook
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch salt, optional and to taste
  • 1 heaping cup butterscotch chips

Instructions 

  • To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl and hand mixer), add the egg, butter, sugars, vanilla, and beat on medium-high to cream ingredients until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  • Stop, scape down the sides of the bowl and add the oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, optional salt, and beat to just incorporate, about 1 minute.
  • Add the butterscotch chips and beat momentarily to incorporate.
  • Using a 2-inch medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), form dough mounds (I made 20). Place dough mounds on a large plate. Flatten mounds slightly. Cover plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough; cookies will spread and bake thin and flat.
  • Preheat oven to 350F, line 2 baking sheets with Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mats, parchment, or spray with cooking spray. Place mounds on baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. I bake 8 to a tray.
  • Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until edges are set and tops are barely set, even if slightly underbaked in the center and glossy. Cookies may not appear to be done, but they firm up dramatically as they cool. Baking longer results in cookies with dark or burnt bottoms and that set up too crisp and hard and don’t stay soft over time.
  • Allow cookies to cool on trays for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 185kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 52mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes:

ALL OF MY OATMEAL COOKIE RECIPES! 

Thick and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – The cookies are very texture-filled and are loaded with oats and an abundance of raisins in every bite. You won’t stop at just one!

Easy Oatmeal Cookies — An incredibly FAST and EASY recipe that produces perfectly thick cookies with chewy edges and soft centers!! One bowl to wash, no mixer to drag out, and no waiting around!!

Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Cookies — These cookies are soft, moist, and oh-so chewy. They taste like banana bread and chocolate chip cookies rolled into one dessert! 

The Best Chocolate Chip Oatmeal M&M’s Cookies — Soft, chewy, and LOADED with M&Ms and chocolate chips in every bite!! Make them today! The cookies are SO GOOD they got me a marriage proposal!!

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — 3 favorite cookies combined into 1 so you don’t have to choose!! Easy, no-mixer recipe, and always a hit!

Cowboy Cookies— These cowboy cookies are packed with oats, chocolate chips, Cornflakes, and shredded coconut. This is a flexible recipe that you can make with different mix-ins to suit whatever is in your pantry! 

One-Bowl, No-Mixer, Extra-Large Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie — A FAST and EASY recipe for ONE XL soft and chewy very THICK cookie loaded with chocolate!! No mixer needed and so DELISH!!

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. 4 stars
    These are great! However I would edit your total time on the recipe to include the time in the fridge. I wasn’t expecting that when I started to make them and was disappointed with how long they have to set. Other than that these are amazing!

  2. 4 stars
    These are great! However I would edit your total time on the recipe to include the time in the fridge. I wasn’t expecting that when I started to make them and was disappointed with how long they have to set. Other than that these are amazing!

  3. I was looking for a scotchie recipe that was heavy on the spices and SO happy I went with yours. I loved the amounts of cinnamon and nutmeg. I did add a bit of molasses to go for a dark brown sugar flavor. The cookies were to die for and I’ll be making these over and over. Thanks for a great recipe!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I haven’t made these in ages myself…thanks for the reminder :)

  4. I’ve never been into baking but this year I really wanted to indulge from scratch! Absolutely love this oatmeal recipe with butterscotch chips! Needless to say my hubby is enjoying all my baking adventures. Thanks & Merry Christmas!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it worked out great for you! Glad you have been bitten by the baking bug and your hubby is the lucky recipient!

  5. This is my most favorite oatmeal cookie recipe ever!! I’ve made these several times and I love them. These are my new fall picnic/festival/group get together go to cookie. They are always a big hit and I never have any left to bring home.

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it’s your favorite oatmeal cookie recipe ever! Glad they’re a big hit where ever you bring them!

  6. *Goldilocks
    :)

    Thanks for the recipe! I have a big bag of butterscotch chips and had no idea what to use them on. (I, too, am indecisive.). Now I can make these!

  7. Will these cookies taste good without any add-ins? I’m looking for just plain oatmeal cookies, no chips or raisins added, will these work minus the butterscotch chips? Thanks!

  8. Can these be made with lots of raisins if so how do I make the recipe with the butterscotch chips and double raisins so the cookies stay soft and chewy ??? Looking forward to hearing from you!!! Thanks

    1. I’m sure you can add raisins and how many to add will just depend on how the dough looks while you’re adding them, as well as the butterscotch chips, so that the dough to add-ins ratio stays appropriate for your tastes.