I never really saw the allure of butterscotch…
Until now.
I was just doing my usual browse through the Foodgawker gallery, quite a few months ago now, when I came across a photo that had me salivating. (For those of you that don’t know, Foodgawker is a photo sharing website, you can find my Foodgawker gallery here.) But wait, butterscotch? Isn’t butterscotch just salted caramel’s poor cousin? I had always thought of it as not really very exciting, not worth a second look on a dessert menu, especially if there’s chocolate on the menu!
Well, these cookies have changed my mind. If you’re a butterscotch ambivalent type of person, they will change your mind too. Soft in the middle, a tiny bit of crunch around the outside, a depth of flavour I would not have thought possible from butterscotch. The pudding really adds a wonderful texture and taste to the cookies, it definitely can’t be left out. I’m not usually a baking mix type of person, but I found some butterscotch instant dessert (that’s what the packets of pudding are called in New Zealand) at the supermarket so I thought, why not? These cookies have really changed my opinion about using pudding AND butterscotch! See, I even photographed them on two different occasions!
You guys will LOVE these. They’re soft without being cakey, perfectly chewy and full of butterscotch flavour without being sickly sweet. The sea salt on top really brings out the butterscotch flavour and balances the whole cookie. I love adding sea salt to things lately, there are some more cookies coming up (whaaaaat more cookies??) and this Millionaire’s Shortbread Cake both use sea salt to bring out the chocolate flavour. I was originally going to use the recipe that I found on Foodgawker, but there was something wrong with the recipe, it was far too dry. So after a couple of attempts, I’ve come up with this recipe that I think will please even the most butterscotch averse cookie lover! So what are you waiting for? Happy baking!
- 175g (1 1/2 sticks) butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tspn vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 90g (3oz) butterscotch pudding
- 1 tspn baking soda
- 3/4 cup butterscotch chips (or extra chocolate chips)
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- Extra sea salt to sprinkle
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with an electric hand mixer), cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla essence then add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the butterscotch pudding and baking soda to the wet mixture. Then add the flour slowly, beating until just combined.
- Using a wooden spoon, mix in the butterscotch and chocolate chips to the mixture. Once all combined, refrigerate the mixture for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°C) and grease and line a baking tray. Roll around 2 tablespoons of dough into balls and place on the baking sheet, leaving around 2cm (1 inch) between each ball of dough.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just golden brown. Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, sprinkle each with a dash of sea salt. Allow to cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- The cookies will last up to 7 days in an airtight container (or they can be frozen for up to a month), but I doubt they’ll last that long!
