Before there were browned butter blondies and sea salt-sprinkled chocolate chip everything, there were Oatmeal Scotchies — those golden, chewy, caramel-kissed cookies that taste like a warm hug from the 1970s. If you're wondering where these nostalgic treats came from, pull up a stool and grab a glass of milk. It's story time.
Oatmeal Scotchies are the delicious result of a clever pairing: hearty oats and butterscotch chips. While oatmeal cookies have been around since the early 1900s (often touted as a “health food” — bless), it wasn’t until the 1960s that butterscotch chips entered the scene, thanks to Nestlé. The company began including recipes on the back of their butterscotch morsels bag — and boom — a classic was born.
The original “Oatmeal Scotchies” recipe that many of us grew up with is straight from the back of the Nestlé Toll House butterscotch chip bag. Soft, chewy, and sweet with a hint of spice, these cookies became bake sale royalty and lunchbox legends. They’ve stuck around for good reason — they’re easy to make, incredibly satisfying, and just the right mix of old-fashioned and indulgent.
My small batch version keeps all the cozy vibes of the original but without the temptation of three dozen cookies sitting on the counter (though no judgment if you double it). Whether you're baking for one, two, or just a random Tuesday, this scaled-down batch delivers full-sized nostalgia.
So here’s to Oatmeal Scotchies — a cookie with roots in retro marketing, oats that pretend to be wholesome, and a flavor that never goes out of style.
Recipe
Oatmeal Scotchies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all purpose flour (92 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (114 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (100 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla 5 ml
- 1 ½ cups oats (125 grams)
- ¾ cup butterscotch chips (125 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (if oven runs hot, use 350).**
- Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and both sugars using high speed of an electric mixer, scraping sides of bowl often. Add egg and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and stir until absorbed, then stir in oats and butterscotch chips.
- Drop by generously rounded teaspoonfuls (¾ inch mound) onto ungreased cookie sheets. Alternatively, you can use a medium size cookie scoop for bigger cookies.
- Flatten tops slightly and bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown around edges.
Notes
MamaFeelgood says
I made these tonight and they were absolutely delicious. Thanks for bringing them into my world.
Harry says
maybe you can help me find a recipe...I believe it was a Southern Living dark chocolate mint cookie rolled 'round' in sugar
easy to make and they turned out terrific, but haven't been able to find it in a long time
Thanks for the help
Anna says
Hi Lisa,
That's good to know. I love butterscotch, so it's hard for me to imagine leaving the scotch out of scotchies, but I do like the idea of adding sunflower seeds. Glad they work with chocolate and add crunch.
Lisa Ernst says
I made these cookies with chocolate chips instead of butterstotch and it works. The sunflower seeds are sublte in flavor so they don't clash with the chocolate and they add a nice crunch.
Anna says
Debbi, thanks for letting me know how the shortening worked. I thought maybe the shortening would make them a bit thicker, but I guess not. I didn't find the sunflower flavor super strong either, but I liked the idea of using them....something different ;).
Debbi says
I made these this morning and they are super nummy. I didn't get as much of the sunflower seed flavor as I would have thought. I think that I would prefer pecans but they are awesome for my kids who can't have nuts yet. I made these with 1/2 shortening and 1/2 butter and mine were pretty flat. Very light and crispy though. Yum.
Anna says
Debbi, I think the shortening would make them a little bit thicker and possibly lighter and crispier around the edges.
Debbi says
What will be the difference with 1/2 shortening and 1/2 butter? I am going to make these this afternoon. The sunflower seed idea is AWESOME!! I have some kids here that are allergic to nuts so this is a super alternative for them!
Maureen says
Anna,
This is so weird. Scott and I stopped at a Toll House cookie shoppe today, just for 6 oatmeal scotchies! They are my all time favorite cookie. I'm curious about how they would taste with the sunflower seeds.
Lisa Ernst says
I'm also trying the chocolate chip version, this Wednesday, and will report back!
JEP says
I'm another butterscotch chip disliker...but I love sunflower seed kernals so I'm giving chocolate chips a try---thanks!
Kathy says
Those sound interesting. I'm not into sunflower seeds though; can you make them with other nuts?
Oh, BTW, I make the "Chunky Chocolate Gobs" yesterday and they were fabs! I think I may rename them as "PMS Cookies"! 🙂
Anna says
Hi Lisa,
I'm not sure chocolate chips would be very good here. You could try it and let us know ;).
Lisa Ernst says
Hi Anna, this looks really interesting with the addition of sunflower seeds. I think I would like the crunch and saltiness of the roasted ones. I'm not a fan of butterscotch chips, though. Do you think chocolate chips would work with the seeds?