There’s triple the butterscotch in these soft, brown buttery cookies stuffed with toffee, butterscotch chips, and butterscotch M&M’s!
Is anyone else as excited for Halloween as I am?!?
Whether it’s the free candy, the cute/not-so-conservative costumes, or the creepy/traumatizing decorations, everyone enjoys some aspect of Halloween. My favorite part was always the free candy. OBVIOUSLY. That part hasn’t changed. (Strangers always have the best candy, kids.)
The only thing that has changed is the disturbed look I receive from parents when they answer the door to an overgrown princess (plastic crown and all), chanting “Trick or Treat!” as if it’s normal for any 28-yr old to prance around in a ruffle-licious poofy pink princess gown, begging for candy.
I’m only kidding…sort of.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m all about that free candy. And nothing thrills me more than the debut of a new seasonal M&M flavor. Behold, the white “Boo-terscotch” M&M!
My salivary glands lost all control when I saw these in the store. It got so bad that people began yelling, “FLOOD!!!”
Ok, not really…
Anywhoozle, I tossed a couple of bags in my basket and immediately started daydreaming about the endless possibilities in store for this Godsend of a candy other than chugging them down, Cookie Monster-style.
After I tried a few (Ok, I downed an entire bag. Guilty.), I decided to make cookies. BUTTERSCOTCH cookies!
No! Butterscotch TOFFEE cookies!
No wait! BROWN Butterscotch Toffee Cookies!
Yeaaaaahhhh…best decision of my life.
These cookies ain’t no joke, folks.
Filled with the caramelized sweetness of brown sugar and those nutty and oh-so-deliciously toasty bits of browned butter, these guys are BEYOND packed with flavor.
To prevent the cookies from spreading too much, I popped the browned butter in the refrigerator until it was solid again before creaming it with the sugars, and so on. Another secret to reducing spreading and thin/crispy cookies? Cream cheese! Not only does it add more richness to the cookie, but it also helps them bake up thicker, softer, and chewier.
And while we’re on the topic of soft and chewy, one of my favorite ingredients for consistently soft and chewy cookies is instant pudding mix. Butterscotch pudding mix seemed like the obvious choice. And boy, oh boy, oh boy does it make these cookies irresistible! Also worth mentioning–NO DOUGH CHILLING INVOLVED! Yay!
Now, let’s get down to business–the mix-in’s–AKA, the REAL reason why you’ll no doubt be motor-boating an entire plate full of these. If I didn’t pack enough flavor into the dough itself then I definitely met the flavor quota with the amount of butterscotch chips, chocolate toffee bits, and butterscotch M&Ms that I dumped into these cookies.
As the cookies bake, the chocolate toffee bits melt into the soft, buttery dough, basically transforming into delicious bits of chewy caramel. Combined with ample amounts of butterscotch chips and white “boo-terscotch” M&Ms, you’re sure to fall into a cookie coma that you’ll never EVER want to wake from.
Brown Butterscotch Toffee Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 (3.4 oz) box instant butterscotch pudding mix
- 1 cup toffee bits (I chopped up 4 Heath bars)
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 1 cup white "Boo-terscotch" M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until combined; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, it’ll start to foam, then turn a clear golden color. Continue to stir the butter, scraping up any browned specks from the bottom of the pan as it starts to brown. It should have a nutty aroma.
- Once browned and nutty, turn off the heat and pour butter into a shallow dish. Refrigerate until solid.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the solidified browned butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar together until lightened in color and creamy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla, followed by the butterscotch pudding mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then dump in the flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Stir in toffee bits and butterscotch chips by hand.
- Using a cookie scoop (or two spoons), scoop dough onto lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Slightly press the tops of each cookie to allow for even baking. Gently press in a few M&Ms into the top of each cookie. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until edges begin to turn golden. Centers may appear undercooked, but will set up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
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