Step into the enchanting world of homemade cookies with our definitive Oatmeal Scotchies Recipe. These cookies are a true masterpiece, featuring a perfectly thick and wonderfully chewy center, gracefully transitioning to golden, crisp edges. Each delectable bite offers an exquisite blend of creamy butterscotch chips, satisfyingly crunchy toffee bits, and a comforting, aromatic hint of cinnamon spice. It’s a timeless sweet treat that promises pure joy and comfort in every mouthful, making it an instant family favorite.

If you adore the comforting appeal of oat-based desserts, we warmly invite you to explore more delightful creations. Don’t miss our tropical coconut oatmeal cookies, or dive into the rich indulgence of our molten lava caramel chocolate oatmeal cookies for your next baking adventure. Each recipe brings its own unique charm and flavor!

The Best Chewy Oatmeal Scotchies Recipe You Will Ever Bake

For those who have yet to experience the sheer delight of a truly exceptional Oatmeal Scotchie, prepare for a revelation. Inspired by the overwhelming success of our beloved butterscotch cookies, we embarked on a mission to create the ultimate oatmeal version. After extensive testing, countless adjustments, and a passion for perfection, we are proud to present a recipe that consistently delivers an unparalleled chewy texture and a robust, comforting flavor that will leave you craving more.

This isn’t just another cookie recipe; it’s a meticulously crafted formula that incorporates specific ingredients and nuanced techniques to elevate the humble oatmeal cookie to an extraordinary level. The inclusion of a warm touch of cinnamon, an generous measure of pure vanilla extract, and the strategic balance of both light and dark brown sugars are not mere additions. They are the keys to unlocking and amplifying the deep, rich caramel and butterscotch notes that define these iconic treats. Each component plays a vital role in creating a symphony of flavors that truly sets our Oatmeal Scotchies apart.

Even as a long-time enthusiast of traditional oatmeal cookies, I find myself repeatedly drawn to this particular rendition. It’s the unique interplay of hearty, wholesome oats, the creamy, buttery sweetness of the butterscotch, and the magical contrast between the wonderfully soft, melt-in-your-mouth centers and the satisfyingly crisp edges that makes these cookies genuinely irresistible. They have a remarkable tendency to disappear from the cookie jar at an alarming rate, prompting me to habitually double the batch every time I bake them!

Why Our Oatmeal Scotchies Recipe Stands Out

Discover what makes these homemade Oatmeal Scotchies an absolute essential for your baking repertoire:

• Achieve Unrivaled Texture: Say goodbye to dry, crumbly cookies! Our recipe guarantees a luxuriously soft and delightfully chewy interior, beautifully complemented by a subtle crispness around the edges, ensuring a perfect, multi-textured bite every single time.
• Experience a Rich, Layered Flavor: Beyond the delightful butterscotch, this recipe thoughtfully integrates molasses and a blend of light and dark brown sugars to cultivate complex, deep caramel notes. Enhanced with a hint of warm cinnamon and aromatic vanilla, each cookie offers a truly gourmet and sophisticated flavor experience.
• Effortless Baking, Extraordinary Results: Despite their exceptional quality, these cookies are surprisingly simple to prepare. We’ve included clear, detailed instructions and helpful tips to ensure baking success, making them accessible and rewarding for bakers of all skill levels, from novices to seasoned pros.
• A Guaranteed Crowd-Pleaser: Oatmeal Scotchies are universally adored! They are the quintessential treat for any occasion – perfect for festive holiday gatherings, casual potlucks, everyday lunchboxes, or simply for savoring with a tall, cold glass of milk, a warm cup of coffee, or even alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Convenient & Freezer-Friendly: Plan ahead with ease! Our dough can be prepared in advance and frozen, allowing you to bake fresh, warm cookies whenever a craving strikes. Our practical freezing tips make it incredibly convenient to have homemade goodness at your fingertips.

Essential Ingredients for Your Oatmeal Scotchies Recipe

The secret to these sensational Oatmeal Scotchies lies in the quality and balance of each ingredient. Here’s a detailed guide to help you choose and prepare them:

• Butterscotch Chips: These sweet, caramel-flavored morsels are the defining characteristic of Oatmeal Scotchies. To achieve that polished, bakery-fresh look and an extra burst of flavor, artfully press a few additional chips onto the tops of your warm cookies immediately after they emerge from the oven.
• Toffee Bits: While many traditional Oatmeal Scotchies recipes omit them, we enthusiastically recommend incorporating milk chocolate English toffee bits. They introduce an irresistible textural crunch and a delightful additional layer of caramel goodness that perfectly complements the butterscotch. If you prefer a less sweet cookie, these can be omitted without any other recipe adjustments.
• Molasses: For the deepest, most complex caramel notes and to ensure a wonderfully moist and chewy texture, we highly recommend using dark or “robust” molasses. Its rich, almost smoky sweetness is irreplaceable. If you find yourself without dark molasses, pure maple syrup can serve as an adequate substitute in a pinch, though be aware it will subtly alter the cookie’s flavor profile.
• Brown Sugar: Our recipe strategically uses a blend of both light and dark brown sugar. The light brown sugar contributes a gentle sweetness and delicate chew, while the dark brown sugar infuses the cookies with richer, more intense molasses notes and boosts moisture content, ensuring a softer bite. If only one type is available, it will certainly work, but the combination yields the most balanced and complex flavor. Always ensure your brown sugar is firmly packed when measuring.
• Old Fashioned Oats: This is a non-negotiable for achieving the signature chewy texture of authentic Oatmeal Scotchies! Opt for old-fashioned (rolled) oats, as their larger size and robust structure create that hearty, satisfying chew. Quick oats are too finely processed and will result in a less substantial, more cake-like or crumbly cookie. Steel-cut oats are too dense and won’t soften appropriately during the baking process.
• Vanilla Extract: Always reach for pure vanilla extract. Its aromatic depth amplifies all the sweet notes in the cookie dough, adding a layer of sophisticated warmth.
• Ground Cinnamon: While optional, we strongly encourage adding ground cinnamon. It introduces a beautiful, subtle warmth and fragrant spice that harmonizes exquisitely with the butterscotch and caramel, elevating the overall aroma and taste profile of your Oatmeal Scotchies.

Expert Baking Tips for Achieving Perfect Oatmeal Scotchies

Baking exceptional cookies is a delightful blend of art and science. Master these expert tips to ensure your Oatmeal Scotchies turn out perfectly thick, chewy, and utterly delicious every single time:

• Always Use Room-Temperature Eggs. This seemingly small detail makes a significant difference. Room-temperature eggs emulsify (mix) more effectively with the butter and sugar, creating a smoother, more uniform dough. This leads to a consistent texture in your baked cookies. If you’re short on time, quickly warm cold eggs by placing them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 5-10 minutes. Here’s a handy guide for quick warming.
• Measure Flour Accurately (The Spoon and Level Method). One of the most common reasons for dry or cakey cookies is incorrect flour measurement. Avoid scooping flour directly from the bag, as this compacts it, resulting in too much flour. Instead, gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup until it’s overflowing, then use the flat side of a knife or straight edge to level it off. This ensures you add the precise amount of flour needed for tender, chewy cookies.
• Roll Even-Sized Dough Balls. Consistency in size is paramount for even baking. To achieve uniformly golden and perfectly cooked cookies, we highly recommend using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop. For ultimate precision, a kitchen scale can be used to portion each dough ball to approximately 40 grams. Evenly sized cookies will bake uniformly, preventing some from being overdone while others are still raw.
• Slightly Underbake for the Perfect Chew. This is perhaps the most crucial secret to achieving a soft, yielding center. Remove your Oatmeal Scotchies from the oven when their edges are just set and lightly golden brown, but the centers still appear slightly soft or even a little under-baked. The residual heat from the hot baking sheet will continue to cook them gently as they cool, developing that ideal chewy texture without becoming hard or brittle. Overbaked cookies lose their desirable chewiness.
• Don’t Skip the Dough Chilling Step. Chilling the dough for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour (or even longer) is non-negotiable. This process allows the flavors to meld beautifully, prevents the cookies from spreading excessively in the oven, and significantly contributes to a thicker, chewier cookie with a more concentrated flavor.
• Avoid Overmixing the Flour. Once you add the flour to the wet ingredients, mix only until it is *just* combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can lead to tough, dense cookies rather than light and chewy ones.

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Oatmeal Scotchies Recipe

By
Chelsea Lords

This Oatmeal Scotchies Recipe yields perfectly thick, wonderfully chewy cookies brimming with rich caramel flavors, warm cinnamon spice, creamy butterscotch chips, and delightful crushed toffee. An utterly delicious and straightforward treat for any occasion!

Prep Time:
30 minutes

Cook Time:
9-14 minutes

Chilling Time:
1 hour

Total Time:
1 hour 40 minutes (approx.)

Yields:
20-22 cookies

Recipe Video Tutorial

Click here to watch the full Oatmeal Scotchies Recipe Video!

Equipment Needed

• Large baking sheet (15″ x 10″)
• Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
• Large microwave-safe mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon or sturdy spatula
• Standard measuring cups and spoons
• Wire cooling rack
• 2-tablespoon cookie scoop (highly recommended for even sizing)
• Kitchen scale (optional, for precise cookie portions)

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon dark molasses (see Note 1)

• 1-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats (do NOT use quick oats)

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional, but recommended)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled, see Note 2)

• 3/4 cup butterscotch baking chips, divided

• 1/2 cup toffee bits (optional, we love milk chocolate English toffee bits, see Note 3)

Instructions

1. In a very large, microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the unsalted butter. Once melted, set the bowl aside and allow the butter to cool for 5–10 minutes, bringing it back to room temperature. This vital step prevents the hot butter from prematurely melting the sugars when added, which can result in greasy, thin cookies.
2. Once the melted butter has cooled sufficiently, stir in both the light brown and dark brown sugars. Whisk the mixture vigorously for approximately 1 minute until it is thoroughly combined and smooth. Next, incorporate the room-temperature egg, pure vanilla extract, and the molasses, making sure to scrape every bit of the thick molasses from your measuring cup into the dough. Continue stirring with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula until the mixture is completely smooth and homogeneously blended.
3. To the wet ingredients, add the old-fashioned oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and the optional ground cinnamon. Mix well until all these dry components are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Following this, gently stir in the all-purpose flour until it is *just* combined; be very careful not to overmix, as this can develop gluten and lead to tough cookies. Finally, fold in 1/2 cup of the butterscotch chips and all of the toffee bits (if you are using them) until they are evenly incorporated throughout the cookie dough.
4. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and transfer the cookie dough to the refrigerator to chill for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This chilling period is crucial as it helps the flavors to deepen, prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking, and contributes significantly to a thicker, chewier final product.
5. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This will ensure your cookies don’t stick and promote even baking.
6. Roll the chilled dough into large, uniform balls. We recommend using a leveled 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, which typically yields dough balls weighing approximately 40 grams each. From this recipe, you should get about 20–22 cookies. Arrange 6–8 cookie balls on the prepared baking sheet, ensuring ample space between each to allow for proper spreading during baking. Once portioned onto the tray, place the entire sheet of cookie balls back into the refrigerator for another 5–10 minutes; this helps to firm up the dough again after being handled.
7. Bake the cookies for 9–14 minutes. The ultimate secret to soft and chewy Oatmeal Scotchies is to slightly underbake them. Look for cues such as edges that are just beginning to turn lightly golden brown, while the centers still appear a bit soft or even slightly underdone. In most ovens, 10 minutes proves to be the ideal baking time for that perfect texture. Remember, the cookies will continue to cook subtly on the hot baking sheet even after they are removed from the oven, so resist the temptation to overbake.
8. Optional Finishing Touch: Within 1–2 minutes of removing the baking sheet from the oven, gently press the remaining 1/4 cup of butterscotch chips onto the tops of the warm cookies. This step not only ensures an attractive, professional finish but also guarantees that every cookie is generously adorned with delightful butterscotch. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes to firm up before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Continue this baking process with the rest of the dough balls until all your magnificent Oatmeal Scotchies are baked and ready to be savored!

Recipe Notes & Expert Tips

Note 1: Molasses Selection for Richness: To achieve the deepest, most authentic caramel flavor in your Oatmeal Scotchies, always opt for dark molasses, which is sometimes labeled as “robust” or “full-flavored.” We have consistently achieved excellent results using Grandma’s® brand molasses in our tests. If dark molasses is not readily available, pure maple syrup can serve as a decent substitute in a pinch, though be aware that it will impart a slightly milder and different flavor profile to your cookies.

Note 2: Precision in Flour Measurement (Spoon & Level Method): One of the most common mistakes that can ruin cookie texture is inaccurate flour measurement. Scooping flour directly from its bag can compact it significantly, leading to an excess of flour in your recipe, which results in dry, dense, and cakey cookies. To measure flour correctly, gently spoon the all-purpose flour into your measuring cup until it overflows, then use the straight edge of a kitchen knife or a flat ruler to level off the excess. This method ensures you add the precise amount of flour needed for soft, perfectly chewy cookies. (You can watch a video demonstration of this technique here for visual guidance.)

Note 3: The Optional Touch of Toffee Bits: While not always included in every classic Oatmeal Scotchies recipe, we are big fans of adding milk chocolate English toffee bits. They introduce a delightful crunch and an additional layer of rich, buttery sweetness that complements the butterscotch wonderfully. If you prefer your cookies to be less sweet or want to strictly adhere to a more traditional interpretation, feel free to omit the toffee bits entirely without needing to make any other adjustments to the recipe.

Storage for Peak Freshness: For the absolute best texture and flavor, we strongly recommend enjoying these delicious Oatmeal Scotchies on day 1 or 2 after they are baked. During this period, they are at their softest, chewiest, and most flavorful. To store, ensure the cookies are completely cool before placing them in an airtight container. Keep them at room temperature, and they will remain fresh for up to one week. While they will still be enjoyable after a few days, their texture tends to firm up slightly over time, and some of their initial flavor intensity may diminish.

Freezing Cookie Dough for Future Treats: For convenient make-ahead options, freezing the unbaked cookie dough is an excellent strategy. Begin by forming the dough into individual balls, following the recipe’s size recommendations. Place these dough balls on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze them until they are solid. This prevents them from sticking together. Once solid, transfer the frozen dough balls to an airtight, freezer-safe bag or container, using small sheets of parchment paper between layers if you need to stack them. The dough can be kept frozen for up to 3 months. To bake, you can place the frozen dough balls directly onto a prepared baking sheet and simply add an additional 2-4 minutes to the specified baking time. Alternatively, you can thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before baking according to the original directions.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 197 kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 39mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 225 IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

Please note: Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Values may vary based on specific ingredients used, precise measurements, and preparation methods.

Enjoyed baking these Oatmeal Scotchies? Share your experience and thoughts in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you.