These no-bake butterscotch cookies are a sweet treat for those whose grandma had an extra golden-wrapped butterscotch candy or two in her purse for you! A little extra love on top to balance out that sweetness.
Create a traditional no-bake drop cookie with the addictive butterscotch flavor, dark chocolate chips, and fun flaky sea salt! In my house, we love no bake treats. So these delicious cookies are made often.
My other no bake desserts are some of my favorites. Chocolate No Bake Cookies has that signature chocolate and peanut butter flavor you love too. Then my Nutella no bake cookies have that delicious hazelnut flavor.
These butterscotch chip cookies are a delicious blend of sweet and salty. Dark chocolate and butterscotch chips with added flaky salt will be sure to surprise your guests. Add some chopped pretzels for crunch!
Other butterscotch cookie recipes are usually baked and require a lot more time and equipment. No need to bring out the stand mixer or large baking sheet for this one. Quick and easy to make, and just as easy to eat!
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Important Ingredients with Substitutions
- White sugar - Your preferred brand will work. Sifted first is best.
- Unsalted Butter - Salted or unsalted butter would work well. Use salted butter to help balance out the extra sweetness of the butterscotch flavor. There isn't any need for room temperature butter as we're going to melt it.
- Whole milk - The recipe calls for whole milk but if that isn't your thing, any other dairy-free milk alternative should work.
- Pure vanilla extract - For maximum flavor enhancement choosing pure vanilla extract is ideal.
- Butterscotch morsels or chips - Your favorite brand of butterscotch morsels should work well here.
- Quick oats - Old-fashioned oats and steel-cut oats will not work as well in this recipe. Quick oats or instant oatmeal are small and fine enough to absorb the melted sugar and butter, resulting in a moist cookie. Old fashioned oats can be used in a pinch if you grind them down a bit more in a food processor.
- Dark Chocolate Chips - Dark chocolate chips are essential in creating that bitter contrast to the sweetness of the butterscotch.
- Flaky Salt - Maldon sea salt is beautiful and also aids in adding that salty touch. You'll have sweet, bitter, and salty in this recipe. You don't often find that in desserts. We love it!
See the recipe below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
Instructions for no bake butterscotch cookies
Step 1: Add sugar, unsalted butter, and milk to a dutch oven or medium saucepan.
Step 2: On medium low heat, stir the sugar and butter mixture until it reaches a rolling boil. Let the mixture reaches a full rolling boil for exactly 2 minutes. Set a timer!
Step 3: Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract, butterscotch morsels, and quick oats.
Step 4: Stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture is completely mixed together.
Step 5: Use a large cookie scoop to scoop out the no bake cookies and drop them onto parchment lined baking sheets. Add the dark chocolate chips (or extra butterscotch chips) to the top then sprinkle with flaky salt.
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Hint: Allow the no-bake butterscotch cookies to cool completely and set before eating.
*If set on a cooling rack, the cookies stick if there isn't parchment paper or wax paper put down first.
Recipe Variations
Try any of these tasty additions
- Chopped salted peanuts, walnuts, salted pretzels
- Shredded coconut
- Swap half of the oatmeal with rice krispies for some crunch.
Storage Recommendations
Store no bake cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Separate each cookie with parchment paper so they don’t stick to each other.
Can I freeze butterscotch no bake cookies? Freeze no bake butterscotch cookies in an airtight container, separated by parchment paper, for up to 3 weeks.
Level Up With Expert Tips & Tricks
This cookie mixture comes together fairly quickly, so don’t take your eyes off of your pan.
You should easily be able to double or triple the recipe if using a dutch oven. They’re typically large enough to handle the extra cookie ingredients.
Make sure your mixture reaches a rolling boil over medium heat for exactly 2 minutes to ensure your drop cookies are set properly.
Use quick oats! Old-fashioned rolled oats, while delicious, won't absorb the melted sugar well enough and could result in a drier cookie.
A tall glass of milk or almond milk with these no-bake cookies will really help balance that rich butterscotch sweetness in these chewy oatmeal cookies.
To cool no bake cookies quickly, drop your cookies onto a prepared baking sheet and stick them in the fridge to set up.
Recipe FAQs
Rich, buttery, and sweet can all describe the flavor of butterscotch. Butterscotch chips rich flavor is a combination of molasses, dark or light brown sugar, butter, and salt.
If your chocolate no-bake cookies do not harden, then it is likely that the butter/sugar mixture did not boil long enough. The no bake cookie recipe requires 2 minutes exactly of a rolling boil. The sugar needs to reach that “soft ball” stage so when the cookies are left to cool, the sugar will harden some and hold the cookie together. Butterscotch cookies are soft and chewy
If your cookies appear grainy after setting it is likely one of two things. The sugar mixture wasn’t cooked long enough, or it was cooked too long. If cooked too long, the cookie will end up dry and crumbly. If not cooked long enough, they won’t set.
Make sure your cookies were made with quick oats, as old-fashioned oats won't absorb as much moisture quickly enough resulting in a grainy cookie.
Similar Sweets
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Butterscotch No-Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 3 cups quick oats
- Dark chocolate chips
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Add sugar, butter, and milk to a dutch oven or medium saucepan.
- On medium heat, stir the sugar and butter mixture until it reaches a rolling boil. Let the mixture reaches a full rolling boil for exactly 2 minutes. Set a timer!
- Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract, butterscotch chips, quick-cooking, and oats.
- Stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture is completely mixed together.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie and drop cookies onto a sheet of parchment paper.
- Add the dark chocolate chips to the top then sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Allow the no-bake cookies to cool completely and set properly before eating.
Beth
Easy and delicious is the best combination! I think I'll make a batch of these this afternoon.
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
These are so delicious and decadent and didn't last very long in my house!
Tayler Ross
I made these cookies over the weekend and they were incredible! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!