Browned Butter Espresso Butterscotch Cookies

Browned Butter Espresso Butterscotch Cookies are gooey browned butter cookies with a hint of espresso and loaded throughout with butterscotch chips and semi-sweet chopped chocolate.

This past fall, I developed and shared these browned butter espresso butterscotch cookies on Instagram where they went viral. I received quite a few comments and messages from people saying how much they loved this recipe, one of them even mentioned this was the best cookie they’d ever tasted!

I knew that once I started my blog this recipe needed to be one of the first recipes I posted and today I’m finally doing just that.

Browned butter espresso butterscotch cookies are gooey with hints of cinnamon and espresso. The browned butter really deepens the flavor and compliments the butterscotch and chopped semi-sweet chocolate so well – you won’t be able to stop after eating just one.

Not only are these cookies absolutely delicious, but they are so easy to make and made in one bowl. You can mix the batter and bake these up in under 1 hour and you don’t need to chill the dough either. Read on for what you need and tips to achieve a perfect cookie.

What you need to make Browned Butter Espresso Butterscotch Cookies

As far as equipment, you will need: mixing bowl, stand or hand mixer, cookie sheet, parchment paper, and a cooling rack.

As far as ingredients, you will need:

Butter – I prefer unsalted, but salted will work. This ingredient does not need to be softened since we are going to brown it on the stovetop.

Brown sugar – this adds a deeper flavor and will help the cookies spread out more. Make sure you pack it!

Sugar – granulated or cane sugar.

Vanilla extract – pure, high quality vanilla extract. I’ve linked one of my favorites here.

Espresso powder – make sure you’re using a powder that’s meant for baking. I’ve linked one here.

Egg – one large egg, this ingredient does not need to be room temperature.

Flour – all-purpose flour. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off with a knife so you don’t end up with too much flour.

Baking powder – I’ve linked my favorite aluminum-free baking powder here, but any baking powder will do.

Baking soda – leavening agent.

Salt – just a little fine salt will really bring out all of the flavors.

Cinnamon – this ingredient compliments butterscotch so well, don’t skip it!

Butterscotch chips – we can’t have a butterscotch cookie without this.

Semi-sweet chocolate – I highly recommend a chocolate bar. Chopped chocolate will ensure you get those melty pools of chocolate throughout the cookies. However, in a pinch chocolate chips will also work.

Flaky sea salt – highly recommend if you love how salt compliments really sweet things. Typically, this ingredient can be found at grocery stores. I’ve also linked some here.

How to make Browned Butter Espresso Butterscotch Cookies

Start by browning the butter. Don’t be intimidated by this step, it’s super easy and you can’t mess it up. Add your butter to a small saucepan and melt it over medium heat. Once it’s melted stir constantly until most of the foam subsides and the butter has turned a medium golden brown and smells toasty like caramel.

Pour into a heat safe bowl and let it cool most of the way. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, vanilla, espresso powder and sugars until combined. Mix in the egg until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix until combined.

Fold in the chopped chocolate and butterscotch chips. Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the dough and roll into a ball. Place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart so they can spread out.

Top each cookie dough ball with a few more butterscotch chips and chopped chocolate pieces. Bake at 350 Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes. The edges will be set and the center still underdone. Remove from the oven and let them set for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy warm with a glass of milk.

How to get perfect, bakery-style cookies

Want to know how to get a perfect, bakery-style cookie? Read my tips below to get that perfectly round cookie that looks straight out of a bakery.

Top each cookie with a few extra butterscotch chips and chunks of chopped chocolate before baking. This will prevent the dough from hiding most of the chocolate, making the cookies look a little boring.

Do not over bake the cookies. Over baking will result in a more crisp cookie once cooled. Make sure your cookie dough balls are even and bake until the edges are mostly set. The center will look very under done, trust the process.

If you’re worried about over baking, I recommend baking 1 cookie at a time and tracking how much time gives you the best result once the cookie is mostly cooled off.

Once the cookies are done, remove from the oven and immediately use a glass cup or bowl and place over each cup. Gently move the cup around in a circular motion to get a perfectly round cookie. Now top with flaky sea salt, if desired.

If you make these browned butter espresso butterscotch cookies, please rate and comment to support my blog.