Chewy Oatmeal Scotchies

I wanted to take a box of cookies to my PT for getting me back up and running so quickly after the Chicago Marathon. Every fall, I start craving butterscotch so I knew I just had to bake these Chewy Oatmeal Scotchies. The brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg are just perfect for oatmeal cookies. It’s a simple one bowl recipe. You will need to chill the dough before baking, so make sure to account for that time. The final result is a soft and chewy oatmeal butterscotch cookie!

Start by adding the first 5 ingredients to your bowl.

Mix on medium-high speed for 5 minutes.

Scrape the sides and add the oats (make sure they’re old fashioned whole rolled oats)

all-purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and a pinch of salt.

Beat for 1 minute to combine and add 1 heaping cup of butterscotch chips.

Beat just long enough to incorporate.

Use a 2 inch cookie scoop to form dough mounds on a large plate.

Slightly flatten the mounds, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Do not skip this step. Your cookies will spread and go flat and crunchy if you don’t chill the dough.

Once chilled, place flattened mounds on silpat liners.

Bake for 9-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven. The edges should look set and the center should still look a little undercooked. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for an additional 5 minutes where they will continue to bake/set.

Transfer cookies to wire cooling racks to continue cooling.

I boxed mine up to give as a thank you gift!

Ingredients:

1 large egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats (not instant or quick cook)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 heaping cup butterscotch chips

Instructions:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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 plasticwrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough; cookies will spread and bake thin and flat.

4. 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. 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.

5. Allow cookies to cool on trays for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. 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.