Butterscotch Snickerdoodles

Butterscotch is one of those flavors that doesn't get enough attention. Fall is all about apples and pumpkin and winter gets cinnamon and ginger, but I think butterscotch needs to go into the holiday mix too. It's not quite right for spring or summer--not light and fresh enough. But right about now, butterscotch definitely works. Rich and flavorful, it lends itself to holiday treats. So a butterscotch enhanced cookie dough--which itself is soft and super tender--loaded with butterscotch chips and rolled in a cinnamon sugar coating sounds like an excellent idea for a holiday cookie. Dave really enjoyed these cookies (I did too), claiming they were the right notes of butterscotch and cinnamon, and really lending a new layer of delicious to the snickerdoodle family.

As soon as I spied this recipe from Anna at Crunchy Creamy Sweet, they immediately went on my holiday baking list. Like I said, they just screamed holidays to me. My adjustments were simple, partially due to my style and partially because I sometimes forget to read. I opted for the sugar free pudding mix because I wanted to add flavor, not sweetness. And I put all the butterscotch chips in the batter, rather than reserving some to press into the tops (because sometimes I don't pay attention). That was fine though, because then I decided to flatten the cookies with the bottom of a glass to ensure a nice crispy and crackly outside for the soft and chewy inside. The result was still cookie bliss and I can't wait to see how everyone loves this snickerdoodle with a twist.

Butterscotch Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room tempeature
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 ounce prepackaged sugar-free butterscotch pudding mix
1 Tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

In the bowl of  stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand held mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add brown sugar and 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla, scraping sides of the bowl as needed.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pudding mix, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring until just combined.

Fold in butterscotch chips.

Place remaining sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and stir to combine. Using a medium cookie scoop, make balls of dough and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture before arranging on parchment or Silpat lined baking sheets.

Press down gently on each dough ball with the bottom of a glass to flatten slightly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until set and edges are slightly crisp.  Turn baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through.  If using more than one sheet at a time, rotate positions in the oven for more even baking.

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Remove from oven and cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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