This is one of those “clean out my pantry” kind of recipes where I grabbed partially empty bags of butterscotch chips and peanut butter chips and decided to throw them into a rich peanut butter oatmeal cookie dough. They are sort of like oatmeal scotchies but way over the top by comparison. The flavors remind me of scotcheroos or 7 layer bars except with oatmeal instead of rice krispies or coconut, both of which would make excellent additions to these cookies. These cookies are one of the rare circumstances when I actually prefer the cookies enjoyed once they have had a chance to cool completely and the chips have resolidified instead of eating them while the chips are still molten and warm. We took these to share with friends and even though the recipe makes about 20 substantial cookies, they were gone immediately and received glowing praise and exclamations of “my new favorite cookie!” from more than a few people. I’m positive you’re going to love them.
Recipe Ingredients
Salted Butter – I almost always bake exclusively with salted butter unless otherwise indicated in my recipes. Let it sit out for about 30 minutes to soften before adding to the other ingredients. Creamy Peanut Butter – I don’t recommend using a natural peanut butter where the oil separates. A good old-fashioned creamy peanut butter (you could use chunky peanut butter if you prefer) is the way to go with these peanut butter oatmeal cookies. Sugar – A combo of brown sugar and granulated sugar gives the perfect amount of sweetness and flavor to the cookie base. Eggs – You will need 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks for this recipe. I know that is a little fussier than most of my cookie recipes, but it results in a more dense, chewy cookie texture that is perfect for these thick cookies. Vanilla Extract – A must because it balances out the other competing flavors of peanut butter, chocolate, and butterscotch. Baking Soda – The only leavener in this recipe, it helps the cookies spread just the right amount. Salt – Because leaving out the salt would result in bland cookies and we don’t want that. Old-fashioned Oats – I don’t recommend using quick oats, which are chopped too small for the chewiness factor I wanted for these cookies. All-purpose Flour – I always use regular unbleached all-purpose flours when I’m baking cookies, rather than bleached flour. I’m pretty sure you could use a 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour and gluten-free oats and this recipe would turn out great, too, if you are looking for a gluten free version. All the chips – We are talking chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, AND butterscotch chips. The combo is fantastic!
How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Once the cookies have cooled completely, stack them in an airtight container and keep them on the counter at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze these peanut butter oatmeal butterscotch CCC’s for up to 3 months. Let them thaw completely and consider warming 1-2 at a time in the microwave for a few seconds before enjoying with a glass of cold milk.
Variations
This peanut butter oatmeal cookie dough makes a fantastic base that is open to all kinds of variations if you are taking the “clean out the pantry” approach. Here are some other mix-ins that you might want to try adding to the cookies at some point.
Crushed pretzels. Up that sweet & salty factor with some bonus crunch! Coconut. For everybody who loves extra chewy cookies and that coconut and oatmeal combo that is so good. Toffee bits. As if there aren’t enough chips in these cookies, throw in 1 cup of toffee bits for a candy crunch. Rice Krispies. We never eat rice krispies as a breakfast cereal, but we always keep it on hand for baking and I don’t think you would go wrong subbing in rice krispies for oats here or simply adding 1-2 cups to the cookie dough for added texture. Chopped walnuts, peanuts, or pecans. For the nut-lover.
More Cookie Recipes
Reese’s Pieces Cookies Butterfinger Cookies Kitchen Sink Cookies Copycat Levain Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Boston Cream Pie Cookies
Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies
Copycat Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Cutler’s Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
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