Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookies

I have a couple of favorite ways to make cookies all yielding slightly different results. There’s the Levain Bakery method which uses cold butter and high heat to produce a chubby cookie that’s brown on the edges and chewy, almost dough-like consistency on the inside.

I have discovered two different versions of using brown butter. Using melted brown butter produces a cookie that is dense and stiff and can come across as dry. Using melted butter that has been refrigerated to the point of becoming creamy but not stiff produces a cookie that has the more traditional texture but still lends that caramel-y taste.

And finally, using equal parts butter and margarine or vegetable shortening produces a “thicker” cookie that doesn’t spread out flat like an all-butter cookie does. Before I discovered the alternate methods of making cookies, the butter/vegetable shortening cookie was my go-to. You’ll find these cookies adorning earlier blog posts, like this one.

There’s something about the combination of chocolate and butterscotch that I adore – especially when it’s combined with peanut butter. (Anything made with chocolate, butterscotch and peanut butter I describe as Scotcheroo.)

I added chocolate chips and brown butter to the classic oatmeal butterscotch cookie recipe (didn’t have enough butterscotch chips) to come up with this chocolatey twist on an old classic. It’s not yet to the Scotcheroo side of cookies because it doesn’t have any peanut butter but it’s delicious nonetheless.

ingredients.

½ c. butter
½ c. vegetable shortening
¾ c. granulated sugar
¾ c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 c. flour
3 c. rolled oats
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
½ c. butterscotch chips
½ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

directions.

In a stand mixer beat vegetable shortening, butter, sugars and eggs. Stir in the vanilla. Add flour, salt, baking soda, cooled browned butter, and the chips.
Let chill two to four hours or overnight. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet. Garnish with more chips and flakey sea salt, if you so desire.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are light brown on the bottom. Set on wire racks to cool.

Recipe rating: 