Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies are chewy cookies with added crunch from crisp rice cereal. The toasty oatmeal flavor pairs so well with the smooth flavor of butterscotch chips!
Why you'll love this recipe
Especially during the hot summer months, I post recipes that are safe to ship in hot weather. The swap out of Crisco instead of butter seems to work in many recipes.
It’s the use of granulated sugar only that is difficult. So many cookie recipes are based on the moisture and flavor from brown sugar, molasses or honey, but that moisture can promote mold when exposed to warmth over time.
These crunchy, chewy cookies check off all the boxes not only for deliciousness, but also for hot weather safe ingredients.
The addition of Rice Krispies to the dough give these chewy oatmeal cookies a slight crunch. Though chewy for more than a week, the cookie does get crunchier over time.
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon.
- In bowl of electric mixer, combine butter(or shortening) and sugar until creamy. Add egg, vanilla, and water. Beat about 3 minutes until fluffy.
- Slowly add flour mixture until combined. Stir in chips and Rice Krispies.
- Chill batter about 15 minutes until firm enough to scoop.
- Scoop batter into golf ball sized (2 tablespoon) balls and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake 10-12 minutes, at 350 degrees F, or until edges begin to brown.
- Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then complete cooling on wire racks.
- To top with decorative drizzle: Place chocolate chips in a small zip lock bag and microwave about 1 minute until melted. Cut a tiny bottom corner off the bag and pipe zig zags over cooled cookies. Repeat with butterscotch chips. Allow drizzle to harden completely before storing.
Storage
Cookies will remain fresh 2 weeks or longer when stored at room temperature in an air tight container or zip lock bag.
More oatmeal cookie recipes
Oatmeal Cut Out Cookies are chewy cookies with spiced apple scent and tea infused flavor.
Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies are a crispy version of shortbread with warm, toasty flavor from oats.
Raisin Oatmeal Cookies are soft, chewy cookies packed with sweet dried fruit.
Steel Cut Oatmeal Cookies , made with Irish Oats, have a nutty flavor and a chewy texture.
Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies combines the spices of Biscoff with crunchy toffee and toasty oats.
My experience with this recipe
This recipe revived me from a mild case of baker’s block added to a temporary case of baking burn-out.
Last week I had a lot of fun baking a lot of cookies. I was baking as a gift for my friend Laurel’s daughter, Dara. Dara had her bat mitzvah ceremony on Monday.
Afterwards, there was a beautiful luncheon celebration. I baked dessert for the 120 guests.
I filled 6 trays with baked goods keeping in mind the party colors of teal and violet and the theme of music. Baking that many cookies was crazy, but crazy in a good way. I consider my resulting baking burn-out for a great cause.
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Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup quick-cook oats
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter or butter-flavored vegetable shortening
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet
- ½ cup butterscotch chips
- ½ cup Rice Krispies
Drizzle topping
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon.
- In bowl of electric mixer, combine butter(or shortening) and sugar until creamy.
- Add egg, vanilla, and water. Beat about 3 minutes until fluffy.
- Slowly add flour mixture until combined.
- Stir in chips and Rice Krispies.
- Chill batter about 15 minutes until firm enough to scoop.
- Scoop batter into golf ball sized (2 tablespoon) balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. (Slightly under-bake if shipping cookies for a long time period.)
- Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then complete cooling on wire racks.
- To top with decorative drizzle: Place chocolate chips in a small zip lock bag and microwave about 1 minute until melted. Cut a tiny bottom corner off the bag and pipe zig zags over cooled cookies. Repeat with butterscotch chips. Allow drizzle to harden completely before storing.
- Cookies will remain fresh 2 weeks or longer when stored at room temperature in an air tight container or zip lock bag.
- ***Desert safe adaptations: Use vegetable shortening. Do not use drizzle decoration.
Notes
Nutrition
First Published: May 31, 2013. Last Updated: March 12, 2022. Updated for additional information, improved photos, and better reader experience.
themondaybox
Thanks for stopping by! I am happy you "stumbled" onto the Monday Box and hope you will enjoy the recipes.:)
thatskinnychickcanbake
I would be having baker's block after all you've done, too! Your cookies look scrumptious...and thanks for doing the extra research on each of your recipes!
themondaybox
Thanks, Liz! I really do appreciate the baker's blocksupport from those who understand. 🙂 If I could figure out an easier way to ensure a recipe was care package worthy, I would do it, but the whole purpose of this blog is to provide info. that I couldn't find elsewhere. It means a lot to me that the info. can be helpful. 🙂
Reeni
That is a LOT of baking to do! I bet everyone loved your home baked goodies! Lucky people. Your cookies look very soft and delicious! I love all that drizzling and that there's rice krispies in the mix! What a nice surprise.
themondaybox
Thanks, Reeni! It was a bake-a-thon. 🙂 I am very happy to say that very little was left at the end of the celebration. Drizzling appears to be my trademark method of adding pizazz to any cookie. 🙂 These cookies needed a bit of crunch and the rice krispies did the job!
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner
I love how you drizzled the icing over the cookies! So pretty.
themondaybox
Thank you, Tina! The cookies are surprisingly delicious on their own but kind of plain to look at. The drizzle is bling. 🙂 (though tasty bling)
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
You are such a good friend to bake all those cookies! I think the butterscotch chocolate cookies look terrific - love the drizzle! I never tire of baking - but that many desserts may be the icing on the cake - so to speak. I want to thank you for your wonderful sweet comment today. Thanks - I could hardly read it out loud to my husband without crying. I guess it's only natural to be a bit weepy right now - thank you, thank you!
themondaybox
Tricia, I have a 25 year old daughter. She is not making wedding plans at this time, but when you talked about dancing with your daughter, it was easy for me to put myself in your place. 🙂 As for weepy....who knew we moms had such a stock pile of love tears? 🙂 And these drizzled cookies...I fear I am becoming a drizzle queen! 🙂
grandbabycakes
Wow, those are some seriously gorgeous cookies! I love anything with butterscotch.
themondaybox
Thanks, Jocelyn! Me too. Butterscotch add a warm sweetness that goes so well with the oats and rice cereal in these cookies.
Suzie
You do need to open up your own business! You are a busy lady. Wow! These cookies sound terrific and my best recipes come from when I am lying in bed also. My brain just never stops thinking of food 😉
themondaybox
Thanks, Suzie! I bake because its fun and still a mystery to me. Its a homemade present made with love. I think if I had a business it would be a job and stop being fun, though I know some amazing talented bloggers, like Jocelyn (BruCrewLIfe), who do it all! Do you think there is a formal medical term for our sleep disorder, like "Food Thought Insomnia"? 🙂
gottagetbaked
Girl, you are a machine! I can't believe you made all of those incredible cookies! And you put Rice Krispies into cookies. Then drizzled them with chocolate and butterscotch. In other words, you're my hero.
themondaybox
Thanks, Nancy!! You are so funny. 🙂 The cookie-a-thon was fun. Seeing someone smile when you give them something you've baked is worth the work. Its baking up some love and the recipient knows they are loved. 🙂 As long as I don't have to wear lycra and a cape, I am happy to be a hero...oh, wait. Lycra and capes are super heros. Good. I can be a regular hero in an apron. 🙂
BruCrew Life
I love all of the cookies!! Especially the decorated ones. So pretty!!
themondaybox
Thanks, Jocelyn! I know you have been busy filling cake orders as well as the amazing treats on your blog. I am awed at how you do it all! This project was great fun despite being time consuming. 🙂
crazyforcrust
These cookies are gorgeous! I love that drizzle on top!
themondaybox
Thanks, Dorothy! I fear I may be turning into a drizzle addict. 🙂 I do love how it fancies up a cookie though.
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain
Wendy these are adorable! I love every flavor happening in this cookie, and I am always up for a bit of crunch (Totally biscotti-addict here!). You know I was suffering from blog burnout as well since you gave me such heartwarming advice. You should trust your own wisdom though because it did miracles for me. Take some time to just do "you" and see what inspires you. Even if it means falling a little behind in blogging - inspired cookies like these are worth the wait. 🙂
themondaybox
Thanks, Jess! You are such a sweetie. 🙂 Don't you know that advice is much easier to give than to follow? 🙂 But of course, you are right. I am so glad you are feeling refreshed! I look forward to all of your posts and recipes. 🙂
noyomoco
These sound amazing!
themondaybox
Thanks, Jennifer! I love butterscotch and the rice krispies give these a great crunch! 🙂
Monica
Wendy - I can't believe you baked all these treats for 120 people! You are ready to go into business! I can't imagine all the baking, chocolate-dipping, and decorating that took place but it sure looks wonderful. I also admire your quality-control standards - wow! I, for one, adore biscotti and I am planning to send some to a friend of mine once things calm down with end of school year these few weeks. Keep up the good work! : )
themondaybox
Thank you, Monica! Luckily the weather last week made it possible to eat meals on our screen porch because my kitchen table was always covered with cookies! Many items could be packed away or frozen but there were days when things like 60 iced sugar cookies needed a place to dry. 🙂 I may be ready to go into business but I don't think my husband would be too happy about it! 🙂 You and I may be some of the few who adore biscotti but I plan on continuing to bake and post about them. Perhaps we can create some converts to the wonders of the worlds best dipping cookie. 🙂
shannon
oh no! baker's block + burnout is so hard to get past sometimes! there are moments when i feel both of those things coming on, and i've learned by now not to fight it. if i DO try to fight it, everything i touch in the kitchen is terrible. so i give in to it.
what you do is SO difficult in terms of the nature of this blog: making recipes successfully is hard enough, but having to adapt them to climate and travel could be overwhelming, i'm sure, at times. you just keep doing what you're doing; i think you're fantastic.
your cookie tray looks beautiful! you're an excellent drizzler, i'll say. 🙂
themondaybox
Thank you so much Shannon for your encouragement and support!! When I read over my post, I worried that it sounded a little like I was whining and complaining. I worried what reaction I would get. Instead of what I expected, I got wonderful comments like yours full of empathy and encouragement. I have been smiling all day because I feel so lucky to have such wonderful, supportive blogging friends. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. It really helped! 🙂
Looking back over my posts, I believe that you are correct in noticing my tendency toward drizzling....That may become my niche expertise. 🙂
Gina left the mall
Wendy,
Wow! You made dessert for 120 people? What a wonderful thing to do for your friend and the music cookies look great! And I love your quality control system. You're really setting up you care-package bakers for success. As for biscotti, maybe if you renamed them Coffee-Dipping Cookies. That's how I like to have them. I've never sent them in a care package but if did, I think I'd send with a mug and some ground coffee 🙂 Although even then, they'll never be voted Most Popular on the cookie tray. I probably like them because they remind me of going to my grandparent's house. My Italian grandfather loved them.
themondaybox
Thank you, Gina for your kind words and support!! I loved baking the cookies for my friend. It felt good to be helpful. 🙂 Food of all kinds tastes better when it brings to mind a loved one or a fond memory. How wonderful to have a "sweet" reminder of your grandfather! I agree that biscotti belong with coffee. Your Coffee-Dipping Cookies idea has me thinking. You may be on to something. I will let you know what I come up with. 🙂