These peanut butter oatmeal butterscotch cookies came together on a day when I wanted something a little different from the usual chocolate chip cookie situation (which is what I end up baking most of the time because I’m a creature of habit and they’re easy).

I had a half bag of butterscotch chips left in the pantry after I made the first batch of butterscotch cookies. It needed a purpose, and this was it.

These cookies are soft, a little chewy from the oats, and just rich enough without feeling over the top. The peanut butter gives them that familiar, old-school feel (which I really love), and the butterscotch adds a subtle sweetness that will have you going back for another on autopilot.

Why You’ll Love These Cookies

These cookies hit the middle ground most cookies miss, they’re soft, but not underbaked and sweet, but not over the top (even with the butterscotch). The oats give them a hearty, chewy texture, the peanut butter keeps them rich and familiar, and the butterscotch adds something a little different. They’re easy, they don’t need any chilling, and the ingredients are probably already in your pantry.

Ingredient Notes

• Use room temperature unsalted butter for these cookies. Room temperature butter is soft but not greasy. If it’s too warm, the cookies will spread like crazy.
• You can use light or dark brown sugar, but I find that dark brown sugar is my go-to because it gives the cookies a deeper, slightly richer flavor and more chew (and the chew is very important an oatmeal cookie in my opinion).
• Only use old-fashioned rolled oats for the best results. They give the cookies structure and that classic oatmeal texture. Quick-cooking oats are pretty small, but you can use them. The cookies will be smoother and less chunky.
• Regular creamy or crunchy peanut butter works best here. Natural peanut butter can make the dough too oily, so I’d avoid using it if possible.
• Butterscotch chips are sweet. Like really sweet, so don’t go overboard with them. I’ve found that 1/2 to 3/4 is just the right amount.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, and sea salt together.
3. In a larger bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed, until the mixture is light in color and fluffy.
4. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until smooth and combined.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mix, stirring with a rubber spatula until just combined. The dough should be light, fluffy, and will be slightly sticky.
6. Fold in the butterscotch chips.
7. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out the dough onto your lined baking sheets, leaving enough space between each cookie to allow for some spreading.
8. Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for 10-11 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time to ensure even cooking.
9. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This resting time on the sheet helps the cookies set and makes them easier to move without breaking. They’re a pretty fragile cookie.

Recipe Tips & Notes

• Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough. This keeps the cookies uniform in size, so they bake evenly and hold a nice, round shape.
• Don’t overmix the dough. After adding the dry ingredients to the wet, mix until just combined. Overmixing can make the cookies too dense or tough and we want soft, chewy cookies.
• The edges should be set while the centers still look pretty soft, this is the key for that soft, chewy texture. If you overbake them, they’ll be stiff and hard.
• If they spread unevenly, gently nudge the edges back into shape with a spatula or swirl them with a glass or round cutter right after baking.
• The cookies will be very soft and fragile when they first come out of the oven (this is totally normal and what we’re going for). After reshaping them, let them sit on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes to set up before moving them to cool completely.

Storage Recommendations

Store these butterscotch oatmeal cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4–5 days. They’ll stay soft and chewy as long as they’re well covered. Add a slice of bread to the container to help keep the cookies soft, it works like magic.

You can freeze the cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies at room temperature before eating. You can also scoop the dough into balls and freeze and bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 extra minutes to the bake time.