Check one more item off the Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Challenge List! We have Butterscotch Chips!
These are more than just a little bit sweet – wowza, these chips are quite sugary. Therefore, I must advise that you don’t eat the entire pan of butterscotch chips all in one sitting. I’m pretty sure you knew that already. I’m also pretty sure you are planning to eat plenty of vegetables before (and after) you make these. Right?
Here are the reasons I attempted Homemade Butterscotch Chips:
- Many of you wanted me to do this. I aim to please.
- Every single package of butterscotch chips I’ve seen on the market has hydrogenated oil in them. Bleh. It is very important to avoid hydrogenated oils.
- I need some Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies.
You will notice that I used organic brown sugar in this recipe instead of sucanat. I did this because I was afraid that the molasses flavor of the sucanat would effect the flavor of these chips, making them not taste like butterscotch. I had some organic brown sugar on hand, so I used it and was pleased with the results.
Homemade Butterscotch Chips
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut oil (I used expeller pressed so as not to have a coconut flavor)
1 cup organic brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a saucepan, melt together butter, coconut oil and brown sugar. Stir continually until all ingredients are mixed well, bringing the mixture ALMOST to a boil, then turning down the heat. Cook and stir some more on low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is a liquid.
Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour the contents onto a parchment paper lined container. I used a 9×13 inch dish.
Place the dish into the fridge for 3-4 hours to allow the mixture to solidify. Cut or break the butterscotch into small “chips”.
Store them in an air tight container in the fridge.
And would you look at that? These homemade butterscotch chips make fantastic Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies! (I’ll share my recipe next week.)
Are you a fan of butterscotch chips? What’s your favorite way to use them?
Read about making Homemade Chocolate Chips here!
C Dazey says
Wow! I am SO glad you posted this! I grew up eating butterscotch chips, but now I can’t bare to buy them. I can now have my cookies and eat them too! Woohoo!
Laura @ SuperGlueMom says
WOW! Laura, you continue to amaze me with your kitchen abilities! And it’s so simple to make!! THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Amy C says
Love it! SO, you must have used light brown sugar, because all brown sugar is made with molasses. I bet you probably knew this, but you can make your own brown sugar. You just take white sugar and add the quantity of molasses that you want to make it the darkness you want. hehehe. thought that I would share;-)
Mary says
Never THOUGHT of making that myself. Awesome! Thank you!
Abbey says
I was wondering about this so can I sub the same amount of organic white sugar (1cup) but how much mmolasses would I add to the reg sugar?
Amy C says
Here is a link to Alton Brown from the food network’s recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-dark-brown-sugar-recipe/index.html
Giselle says
Why did my brown sugar never dissolve? :( had it in there for a while.
Wendy says
It happened to me too. I’m wondering if it should have been a loose cup of brown sugar and not packed. Can’t afford to throw it away so will try using it with 7layer bars. ??
Mary says
Use them? I just EAT them. Hehe.
Tracy says
Yet another thing added to my list of things to try! I LOVE butterscotch chips, but I refuse to buy them anymore from conventional places. And come to think of it, I don’t think that I have seen any at Whole Foods. I can’t wait for your recipe next week!!
Dorraine says
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe for homemade butterscotch chips, my daughter is VERY allergic to peanuts/tree nuts, so I need to be able to make my own chips.
Please share your recipe for your cookies!
I love your blog!
Dee
Becky says
I cannot wait to try these. But I will probably just eat them instead of putting them in anything. They look yummy. Thank you for sharing.
Muna says
Do you think butter would work in place of the coconut oil?
Laura says
Yes I think it would work, they just may be a little softer than if made with half coconut oil.
Katelyn says
I just made these and then made the cookies, and using butter instead of the coconut oil made these the ugliest cookies ever! BUT- they taste amazing ;) The butter in the butterscotch chunks all melted out and pooled around the cookies, then caramelized so it is like the cookies have a skirt haha :)
Awesome recipes though, I will try again for sure!
Tiffani says
Can I use Sucanat instead??
Laura says
Yes, you can, but like I said in the post, I just don’t think they’d taste as much like butterscotch if you use sucanat. You can definitely try it though!
Tiffani says
Oops! I guess you see I only skimmed through the post! Next time I’ll do a better job reading through the entire post before asking a question **blush**
Thanks for responding. I’m going to try Sucanat since I have it. I’ll let you know :)
Lana says
I’ve never liked butterscotch chips. They taste like sweet wax to me, must be the hydrogenated oils!
Jo says
Not a fan of butterscotch either, but BOY do I love chocolate! Do you have a Choc chip recipe?
Laura says
Yep! https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/making-homemade-chocolate-chips-in-detail
Bobette says
Dare I try this with rapadura?
Laura says
You can try it, but as I mentioned in the post regarding sucanat (which is the same thing as rapadura), I’m not sure they’ll taste as butterscotchy this way. :)
Kim says
OH MY GOSH!!! I am not a big sweets person, however these sound heavenly (which is a good thing since you’re the Heavenly Homemaker). And those cookies sound delicious. I believe I may have to try this, as soon as I buy some coconut oil and my homemade vanilla extract is ready. Yummy!!! I’m drooling thinking about these.
Meredith Post says
I am so excited to do this. Making the chips right now. But I need the recipe for the cookies!!!! Can’t wait!!
Jenny L. says
Thank you for this recipe! I love butterscotch chips, but due to my oldest son’s milk allergy, I can’t buy them. I will definitely have to try this recipe. I’m sure he will love it!
Sarah says
Yum!!! Now I want some cookies =)
Tracy B. says
Wow, that sounds really good (and I’m not even a big fan of butterscotch)!
Pam says
Thanks so much for this!!! We can’t wait for the cookie recipe!
Margaret says
I make a similar concoction using sucanat for flavoring my coffee. Mine is a bit more runny since I want it to dissolve into my milk, so I just use butter and sometimes a bit of maple syrup. I find the sucanat gives it a wonderful caramel flavor! It’s a great topper for popcorn as well. I’ll have to try with the coconut oil for making chips. I tried that for my coffee syrup, but forgot about how hard it would be when mixed into cold milk, lol! I don’t know what the difference is between butterscotch and caramel, but the sucanat makes a really delicious flavor!
Violet says
Hi Laura,
Thanks for Heavenly Homemakers! There’s a big old green book I think you might have a lot of fun with: Carla Emery’s Old Fashioned Recipe Book: An Encyclopedia of Country Living. I got mine over 30 years ago, and what a treasure it’s been – about EVERYTHING! Because you enjoy trying new things, and doing things natural, you might really like this book! It’s out of print, but still available on amazon, half.com, etc. Fun reading, even if you don’t try any recipes!
Ashleigh says
Can you freeze them? i would love to make a couple batches and freeze so they are ready when I am ready for cookies.
Also-can unsalted butter be used for butter in the recipe-or does that throw off the chemistry?
Laura says
I have not tried freezing these, but I don’t know why it wouldn’t work! And I think using unsalted butter would be just fine in this recipe.
Cindy says
Thanks so much, they look great! Anxiously awaiting your white chocolate chips recipe :)
lyss says
So expeller-pressed coconut oil is less coconutty? I was wondering why the last coconut oil I bought is less coconutty smelling/tasting than previous ones. It is unrefined like I’ve always bought, but I guess the others weren’t expeller pressed. Nutritionally, is expeller pressed any different? Curious now! :)
Laura says
Virgin Coconut Oil tastes like coconuts. Expeller pressed is practically flavorless. As far as I understand it they are very similar when it comes to nutrition.
Trudi says
You are now hero to my husband and daughter (you’ve been mine for awhile!). Can’t wait to try these! One question – does this recipe make enough for one batch of cookies? Most recipes calling for butterscotch chips call for anywhere from 1 – 2 cups. Just wondering if I should double. And like Ashleigh . . . they should be okay to freeze?
Laura says
This made about 4 cups of chips, which is a nice amount! Yes, I think they would be fine to freeze!
Dione says
My 13 year old sends his love and thanks for this one. He loves butterscotch and since most of the chips have food color hasn’t had his favorite for 5 years now:)
Debbie says
Can’t wait for the cookie recipe!! It sounds wonderful!!!!!
Stacey says
Oh my…they look fab! I am bookmarking this for sure!!
Ruby says
I tried this 2 different times and bothe time the auger never fully dissolved and it did not fully mix together I kept cooking it on low and suddenly would just start scorching but never completely combined
Cassie Musick says
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! I have been looking for organic butterscotch chips for a while now, with no success. Whole Foods doesn’t even carry them. I LOVE butterscotch chips, and oatmeal scotchies, but I haven’t had them in years because all of the store bought varieties have hydrogenated oils in them. Thanks again- can’t wait to try this recipe out!
Lori @ The Davidson Den says
Oh, no!! This is NOT the post I needed to read right before going on a three-month fast from any and all sweeteners, refined or otherwise (with the exception solely of xylitol). This per my naturopath’s instructions. Boo! (Oh, how I love butterscotch…!)
Erika says
I only have cold pressed, VERY coconut-y tasting coconut oil. Should I try this recipe with butter or olive oil in place of the coconut oil?
Laura says
I’d go with all butter and see how it works!
Jackie Mennella says
So excited to try this. I always have to special order chips due to food allergies and cross contamination. How nice to just be able to make my own.
Stephanie says
One I love your blog it’s fantastic!! Two could I make these without using parchment paper? Maybe butter the pan or use plastic wrap?
Laura says
Thanks and yes, I think this will work without parchment paper. Just butter the pan really well. :)
Miriam says
I would not use plastic wrap as the hot syrup would most likely melt it :) That would not be good!
Stephanie says
I poured it right into the pan didn’t think about buttering oops it worked just fine and came out of the pan pretty easy
Miriam says
I’m not a huge butterscotch fan… but between this post and the cookie recipe, I might just have to try these!
Abbey says
Some how I must have gotten to much coconut oil as there is a white layer on top. Do you think this will affect then when baking?
Laura says
Naw, they should be fine!
Tiffani says
Oh.my.goodness! I made them with Sucanat. Oh.my!! They are so sweet and good! Had trouble with the butter/coconut oil and sucanat blending. The longer I stirred, the thicker it got. I poured into pyrex and froze. Haven’t tried in cookies yet. I’ll let you know.
BTW, I always freeze (and keep frozen) HH’s chocolate chips. They work great!
Meredith says
I made these today with my kids. I used the virgin coconut oil because that’s all I had and I really like the coconut flavor to them. Next time I’ll try the other coconut oil. Next onto your chocolate chips. Thanks for your blog. It’s my fav and I check it everyday.
Becky says
So, you’re figuring out white chocolate chips next, right? These look good!
stephanie says
i made these with sucanat (the molasses granules not the honey granules) and they are awesome! tomorrow, i’ll be making the cookies. thanks so much for sharing.
Emily says
This may be a silly question but how do you measure the coconut oil? Do you just scoop it out and put it in a measuring cup or do you have to melt it first?
Laura says
I usually “eye ball” it as I scoop it out, then melt it, then measure it after it’s melted.
Kim says
As Becky asked, a white chocolate chip recipe would be awesome! I can rarely find those without partially hydrogenated oils. These butterscotch chips looks amazing and are going on our list to try.
Jill says
I’m excited to try these! Do they taste similar to the store-bought butterscotch chips? Every time I have tried to make butterscotch, it comes out tasting like caramel and lacks that “je ne sais quoi” that makes butterscotch butterscotch flavored, imo. :)
Laura says
Well, I think they taste like butterscotch chips from the store – only better. Hope you like them! :)
julie h says
Oh my goodness gracious! I just made these and the butterscotch left in the pan after pouring into a dish is delicious! I can’t wait to try them when they’ve cooled down. I used all butter since I don’t have coconut oil. Yummy! Thanks for the recipe
Nicola says
Just attempted my first batch & it was a complete flop. The sugar wouldn’t dissolve. Don’t know what I have done wrong:( I’ve been trying for 15mins now. How long did it take for the sugar to dissolve for you?
Laura says
Hmm, no mine dissolved in about 10 minutes time. Not sure what the trouble may be??
Adina says
I stirred for half an hour, the sugar is still not dissolved and the mixture separates as soon as I take it off the heat. sugar down, fat above… Any idea how to fix this?
Laura says
Try whipping it thoroughly in a high power blender or with an immersion blender. Hope that helps!
Kathy says
Can you use these home made chips in “butterscotch haystack” recipes? Thanks.
Laura says
I’ve never tried, so I’m not sure!
Trudi says
Hi Laura! Have been so anxious to make these and finally tried this morning. But I had the same problem Nicola did. I tried for a half hour on low, and my brown sugar never completely dissolved. I just went ahead and poured it into my dish and we’ll see what happens, but all I had was a thick, granular “goo”. I’m assuming the sugar should have completely dissolved and the liquid be a semi-clear brown? I used salted butter, expeller pressed coconut oil (Spectrum was the only brand I could find), and the store brand organic light brown sugar (Kroger’s “Private Selection”). I’m wondering if it isn’t the brown sugar–it smelled almost like alcohol when I opened it up, not sweet like brown sugar should smell. I’ll see what this turns out like in a few hours, but have you heard of brown sugar that doesn’t melt?? Just wondering . . .
Trudi says
Well, the chips turned out okay, although when I tasted them they had somewhat of a grainy texture. I used them in the cookies anyway and they were fine. It still bothers me that my sugar wouldn’t melt . . . how can you trust a sugar that doesn’t melt? :) I’m definitely trying a different brand next time ‘cuz this recipe is a definite keeper!
Laura says
I’m wondering if it may have helped to heat it at a higher temp – get it to almost boil, but not quite because you don’t want it to turn to candy. Once it’s nice and hot, turn it down and stir a little more and see if that does the trick.
Julia says
I had the same problem-gritty chips because the brown sugar wouldn’t melt. I stirred for 1/2 an hour and it never got any better. The butter and/or coconut oil also separated a bit when I poured it into the pan.
Laura says
Next time you may want to try heating it to a higher temp – get it to almost boil, but not quite because you don’t want it to turn to candy. Once it’s nice and hot, turn it down and stir a little more and see if that does the trick.
Rebecca says
Ok – Problems. I used all the same ingredients, followed the directions, poured in the pan and put into the fridge overnight. They are still very very soft, almost like a taffy. I’m thinking I didn’t cook it hot enough. I tried very hard to cook at a low temp like the post says, but I think I needed to get the mixture hotter to harden up. Do you know how hot you cooked yours. I will try again, after I get more coconut oil.
Laura says
Yes, I think the temp needs to be a little hotter – I think I’ll edit the post to be more clear. ;)
Lori says
So I tried this recipe and the chocolate chip recipe tonight and I am so disappointed. I feel like I wasted so much money on ingredients in one sitting. I couldn’t get the sugar to dissolve at all and it just wouldn’t mix together. I even tried to stick the chocolate chip one in my blender and see if that would get it to mix together. I just put them in the fridge all separated and nasty looking and am hoping I can try to fix it in the morning.
Lori says
So this morning I broke up the cc chips and they seem to be ok. Gritty but tasty. I’m still not so sure about the butterscotch ones but I’m going to give them a chance in some oatmeal butterscotch bars later today :) I figure butter and sugar really cant make something taste too bad haha
Jo says
My cc one turned out a little “gritty” and the coconut totally set right on the top, but I think it will be divine in my cc muffins, and once I put them in something that “cooks” it won’t matter one bit! TY much for the dedication in finding healthy easy alternatives to tradition trashy favs!
beth weitz says
I need to buy some organic butterscotch chips…. in bulk.
Can you help me??
Thank you,
Beth
Laura says
I’m not even sure I’ve ever seen organic butterscotch chips anywhere? Do you know of a brand you’ve seen before?
Anna says
Will these melt when mixed with peanut butter to make butterscotch confetti squares?
Laura says
I’m not sure, they are quite soft, so they might. I’m not sure what butterscotch confetti squares are, but they sure sound good!
Anna says
Very simple confection…you melt butterscotch chips and peanut butter together, add mini marshmallows when mixture is cool enough not to melt the marshmallows, press into a pan and let harden! A no-brainer, but really yummy for Christmas!
Laura says
Sounds tasty!
Melani says
I’m puzzled that neither your white choc. chip nor your butterscotch chip recipes include salt. Do you really not use any?
Laura says
No, I don’t use any, although I’m sure you can add a little without any problem.
Kristen says
Well, I didn’t see this recipe until just now. I followed a different butterscotch recipe (http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_butterscotch/) and am now wondering if I can use this sauce in the way that you describe above: I.e., put it in fridge, let it harden, and then use as chips in cookies. I think the only difference in the recipe I used and yours is coconut oil (I used none) and heavy cream (I used). Any ideas whether this will work?
Laura says
I can’t say for sure, but I would think it should work.
Jennifer says
The butter and coconut oil never combined with the sugar and completely separated when I poured the mix into the tray. What happened? Does a lack of initial stirring cause this? So disappointed.
Laura says
Not sure what happened, but it sounds like it may have needed to be cooked a little longer? Big bummer. :(
Cami says
I had a similar problem. I did get it to mix together but then when I put it on low, it separated. I thought maybe I had not cooked it long enough so I kept cooking. However, the longer I cooked it, the more it separated and the more the sugar seemed that it wasn’t going to dissolve and instead turn into candy. Any suggestions? How long do you think you usually cook it on low?
Laura says
You might try running it through a food processor to see if that helps mix it better.
tussockgal says
This happens when the sugar didn’t dissolve before the mix started cooking. An old problem with candy making. It usually happens when stirred before the sugar dissolved. Butter and sugar should be allowed to melt together over a lo
w heat undisturbed. Once sugar has melted you can stir.
Christine says
Thanks so much for this response tussockgal! I had a terribly separated
mess! Rats – I’ll have to try it again, but today’s recipe is ruined.
I’m still excited to try this recipe though…
Jenny says
Thank you so much for replying! What about the coconut oil. Can that be added along with the butter and sugar? I realise this is an old comment but hoping to get an answer! Thank you.
Melissa says
Wondering if you can make this with sucanat…..have you tried?
LindseyforLaura@HHM says
that should work! :)
pitbullmommy says
Oh my goodness….Thank You for making these, Ive been looking forever for a quality recipe for buttercotch chips. I made these, nibbled on several, dropped one in my coffee(which was wonderful for a butterscotch junkie like me)and finally added the rest to an apple butterscotch cake recipe that called for chips and sundae sauce. I omitted the sundae sauce and found it to be plenty sweet without it. Your chips made a good cake recipe become obscenely delicious. I could control the world (or at least my family) with the power of your butterscotch. YUMMY
DianeOrr says
Mine did the same as Cami and Jennifer’s… Wonder what pitbullmama did differently!! Seemed like too much oil and eventually u felt like I was frying the sugar! Very disappointed!!
Ann Marie says
I’m not very familiar with coconut oil but use olive oil for all my cooking and baking. Would that work as a substitution?
Laura says
I don’t think olive oil would work very well for this because the chips wouldn’t solidify enough.
Joy says
We can’t use coconut oil in our house. Is there a different oil that you would recommend? I’m not averse to experimenting. :)
Laura says
Butter might work – maybe olive oil or palm shortening. :)
Carey D says
This looks yummy! Going to try to make these sometime; they have been my last real ‘junk food’ buy for a while now- I just love magic bars and brownies with butterscotch chips.
Anne says
I’ve been looking for butterscotch chips that do not have artificial ingredients or wheat/dairy/eggs. These fit the bill as long as I use our Earth Balance buttery sticks, so here’s hoping that will be successful. Thanks for posting this – I want to make Scotcheroos but haven’t been able to find butterscotch chips without the gunk in them.
nikki says
Did you make them with Earth Balance? I’d be interested to find out the results!
Keri says
I just made these because my friend was recently diagnosed with diabetes and I needed a sugarfree butterscotch chip recipe to use in his favorite haystack cookie. I used Wheylow (an incredible sweetener) and crossed my fingers. They turned out beautifully!!! Sugarfree haystacks complete! Thanks!!
Kelly says
So you used Wheylow instead of brown sugar?.
Cookie says
Mine separated as well…BUT…I kept stirring vigorously and it turned out beautifully. I think the key is to keep stirring (especially in the early stages). ;o)
Wonderful recipe. Thank you! <3
Billy says
Mine separated too! Did some research for second batch…found that if it separates again, add very hot water by the teaspoon to mixture. I used 3tsp and it came back together. Hope this helps.
HappyHKMom says
Mine separated too but I tried your tip and added 2 Tablespoons of hot water and it worked magically! Thanks very much, you just saved me having to dump that whole batch!
Missy says
Just a quick question. I want to make some cream cheese flavored chips for a recipe idea for the fallowing cookies ( http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cookies/cream-cheese-cake-mix-cookies-8.html ) but have no clue where to start. ? Any ideas, please help?
Laura says
Oh wow, I’ve never heard of cream cheese flavored chips. Sounds yummy! Off the top of my head, I don’t have any ideas for making them.
Cherina says
WELP, i tried numerous times and failed all. i find it odd that coconut oil is used. brown sugar has a melting point of roughly 360 to 370 and the oil clearly says use for temps below 325.
butter and oil didn’t mix once sugar was brought in.
Sandy says
Hi! Loved the idea of making my own butterscotch chip since the aren’t sold here in Puerto Rico but it never mixed and the sugar never really dissolved. I almosts cried. And sad because real butter is sooo expensive here and having to throw it away was not funny. What may uou think happened. Thanks
Laura says
Many have had that problem with this recipe. It seems that adding a step of mixing this well with a hand mixer helps really get the ingredients to stay together better.
Meaghan says
I just have one quick question: would this recipe work for haystack candy?
Laura says
It’s worth a try!
Stephanie says
I could not for the life of me get the coconut oil to mix with the butter and brown sugar. No matter what I tried. It would not mix. At least all is not lost, I was able to turn it into toffee bits. I was really hoping for butterscotch chips but I just can’t get it to work. :(
Susanna says
Try heating a cup of water and the brown sugar first, and simmer until the sugar has dissolved completely. Then add the butter and coconut oil. Simmer on med-low while stirring for about 10-15 minutes so most of the water can evaporate. Came out perfectly!
Rachel says
Curiosity question here: those of you who ended up with a grainy oily mess – did you use a nonstick pan? I had a similar experience several years ago when trying to make a caramel sauce by melting sugar. I stirred and stirred and STIRRED the (white) sugar in my nonstick pan and never could get it to melt – finally realized it was re-crystallizing as soon as it melted. Transfered to a regular stainless steel pan and it worked within minutes. So now I’m wondering if that might be the problem? Anybody else have any ideas?
Also, Cherina, I think the melting point of brown sugar wouldn’t factor in very much here – you aren’t necessarily melting the sugar as much as dissolving it. Sugar solutions can become liquid at much lower temperatures than sugar alone. Most candy recipes are cooked finished when they reach 250-300 – hard crack (like lollipops) is 300 and I would think these would be considered in the hard ball/soft crack stage (260-280). Hope that helps!
Christa Upton says
Rachel, that is SO interesting!!! Non-stick pans also give off chemicals (I can’t be around them because my Toxic Injury is so bad), and it is interesting to think it changes the way heat/sugar works. :)
Juliamom42 says
Worked beautifully for me. I used my palm shortening and had no issues. I allowed the shortening and butter to melt then began the stirring with a whisk. All came together to a boil, then I lowed the heat and continued until it was a lovely milk carmel color.
Kelly says
Can you use a natural sugar free sweetener instead of the brown sugar, to make them sugar free?.
Laura says
I’ve not tried it before, so can’t say for sure. I don’t know of a natural sugar free sweetener besides stevia, and I don’t think stevia would give the consistency needed for these. :)
Rachel G says
You could try what is called COCONUT SUGAR. Its not really sugar its the nectar of the coconut flower extracted than dehydrated in to granuals. Its very high in nutrition because its a whole food as opposed to sugar being processed taking everything out but the sweet. It doesn’t dissolve well though. BROWN RICE SYRUP and BARLEY EXTRACT SYRUP are also natural sweeteners, but are fairly syrupy and I don’t know how they heat up. If you are ok ending up with a caramel sauce to use for drizzling in case they don’t set you should try it. Just don’t have your heart set on chips, expect to experiment ending up with something sweet and yummy to be creative with. You can’t really go wrong with butter, coconut oil, and a sweetener.
Kirsten says
Hi. Do you think just standard cooking oil would work?
I don’t have coconut oil…
Laura says
I think so but haven’t tried it.
Kirsten says
Definitely going to try this… With my vegetable oil
Heather says
Mine turned out great. I cooked on a lower- medium heat continuously whisking. I then made Peanut Butter Marshmellow Square/Butterscotch Confetti Square, by removing the butterscotch from the heat adding the peanut butter to melt in. Let cool then add your coconut and marshmallow. Thank you for providing a non hydrogenated alternative.
Holly says
What should the end consistency be like when it is removed from the refrigerator? Mine was pretty pliable, like caramels. I think I did everything correct because the oils didn’t separate. They look and taste great but for whatever reason I thought the mixture would have been harder to cut.
Laura says
Hmm, I’m wondering if the mixture got cooked too long?
teresa says
the oil did not mix and there is a white layer ontop of the brown. can I still use it for something? I don’t want to throw it away. was planning for haystacks or magic cookie bars,would it still work?
Laura says
Yes, it should still work if you mix it with other ingredients!
Holly says
Bummer bcz this recipe did not turn out well at all. I make toffee all the time but this was a huge flop:( it separated and probably burned. It was so awful looking I did not bother to put in a cooling pan. Looked like curdled mush in a pool of oil. I wasted all the ingredients and now I need to go buy the toxic chips.
Mary Ellen says
Can you be more specific about the size of your dish? A 2 quart container might be large and shallow or small and deep. I’m trying to figure out the surface area. I’ve been making an almost identical mixture as part of a recipe for chocolate toffee. I cover a 13×9 pan with parchment and pour it over crackers before adding the chocolate. It is still rather thin, though. That would be 117 square inches. An 8×8 pan would be 64 square inches. Should I look for something in between? My oval 2 qt. corning looks like it’s probably the same area as the square 8×8… does that sound similar to yours?
Also, regarding the separation… with the chocolate/toffee recipe I make, there are 2 sticks butter (1 cup) and 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (like I said, it’s similar). It is completely separated for most of the cooking time. I have to stir continuously for about 6-7 minutes and then it finally blends and gets a little frothy. After cooling, it ends up being a harder, candy-like consistency. I don’t want the butterscotch chips to turn out like the toffee. I really want a softer, melt-in-your mouth texture for the butterscotch morsels… like what your picture looks like. Do you think it’s the coconut oil that keeps it soft? Is it the cooking time or the thickness (size of the pan)? Any ideas?
Laura says
I use a 9x 13 inch pan usually. The coconut oil actually helps these harden nicely so that they don’t just melt instantly. The butter added to the coconut oil and sugar helps keep these soft. :)
Peggy Lynn says
I am so looking forward to making Scotcharoos without transfats!
Jackie says
Have you ever tried to make Vanilla Baking Chips, not white chocolate chips? They can be very difficult to find, so it would be great to make my own.
Laura says
No, I’m not sure how I’d go about making those. I’ll give it more thought though!
homesteadingmumof3 says
Hello,
Thank you for posting this. I am wondering (before I try), can you do this recipe without letting it harden into chips and just use the softened stuff to mix with chocolate chips? The recipe I wanted to use is for making ‘special k’ type bars, or the peanut butter, cereal bars that have the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips melted as the topping. I hate using the store-bought garbage with all the hydrogenated oils. But in this recipe you melt the butterscotch chips with the choc. chips, so I wouldn’t need to let them harden. Do you think that would work for this?
Thank you!
Laura says
Yes, I would imagine that would work fine!
Amy says
I too had the goopy oily mess when making these, but was able to save it! I added about 1/4C of water to the mix and it immediately all dissolved. From there, I just boiled it down a bit until it looked to be a good consistency.
syhrh says
Does it turns to be gooey ? I had mine separated and gave up and kept it in the fridge. ????
How long do you stir your mixture? I thought I should give a try
Mandy says
Another person chiming in about separation here!
Billy and Amy have it right. Mine separated and looked really ugly, so I sloshed in a tiny amount of very hot water from my kettle and it immediately settled and looked perfect. It was about one and a half teaspoons, so it won’t wreck the consistency at all.
It’s cooling in the fridge now. Can’t wait for the cookies I’ll make!!
Christa Upton says
Thank you!!! All the store-bought butterscotch chips have artificial flavoring as well (yuck!) I have been struggling literally for years as to what to do about a favorite recipe my family loves but uses butterscotch chips (Crunchy Fudge Sandwiches). Can’t wait to try this for my sweeties (children) who need to be chemical-free as much as possible!!! :)
lila.choc says
Hi,
the recipe sounds great, but I would also love to try out the Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies. I couldn’t find the recipe, though. Could you indicate me the link?
Thank you so much!
Laura says
Here you go! https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/whole-wheat-oatmeal-butterscotch-cookies
Karen says
I just found this site! How would this recipe compare as far as amount–how many bags of chips would be the equivalent? Thanks!
Laura says
I would say this recipe makes a little more than a 12-ounce package of chips…just a guess!
gingee says
hi! im making the bs chip as per your instructions, but the oil and sugar wont mix. so i added 4 tsp of hot water and it mixed well, thankfully.
and my problem now is, it wont hardened. i put in fridge for 3 hours already, yet when i take it out wanting to break into smaller pieces, it quickly becomes softened and starts melting again. pls help!!
another question, did yours melt into the batter when mixed/baked? or will u still be able to see the chips when u eat the cookie?
Christine says
Unfortunately this didn’t work for me at all. I mixed until the sugar melted but couldn’t get the oil to mix. The second time I added hot water, as others suggested, the mix blew up like a bomb 6 feet up to my ceiling and all over everywhere.
Jennifer Wilson says
Can you melt these and use it as a coating for other candy? I was curious if it would set up (think of a coating like the chocolate on a Reese’s Cup). Thanks!
Laura says
I don’t think it would work very well unfortunately. It would be yummy, but would likely not harden like you’d want. :)
Susanna says
I used 1 cup of water and added the brown sugar, brought to a low boil and then reduced to low simmer until the brown sugar was completely dissolved (Note, I also added 1/4 tsp. of salt ). I then made a roux with the butter and coconut oil and a Tbs. of Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 and browned lightly in a separate pan. I scraped the roux into the mix and stirred over low heat to melt/incorporate. HEAVEN! Thanks for the inspiration!
Amber says
I tried this recipe until I was out of brown sugar and butter. …I have no idea what I am doing wrong. I followed the instructions, although I found “stir some more” to be rather vague. Every time I ended with burnt, unmixed ingredients. I combined the butter, oil, and brown sugar. It almost boiled (was frothy, which I’m not sure if that’s right), and I turned it down to low, while never stopping stirring. The ingredients never combined, and every time I added vanilla, it seemed to burn more. Please help me! I really want to make homemade butterscotch for a recipe, because I couldn’t find any organic chips, but I can’t bear the frustration of doing what I’ve already done again …is there anything specific I’m missing? Is it supposed to froth? Did your ingredients fully combine or was there an oily residue on top? I assumed there wasn’t to be any oil separated, so I kept mixing. Even after it was burnt, I still had about a half cup of oil that never mixed… help! Thanks!
Laura says
So sorry this didn’t work well for you! :( Of all my recipes, this one is certainly the most challenging to turn out a consistent product. One thing worth trying: once the sugar is dissolved during the cooking process, instead of pouring into a pan – run it through the blender to emulsify the ingredients. That may help it to stay together better. :)
Nola says
Mine seemed to melt too fast into the cookie batter and not retaining it’s structure. Is there a fix for this? Tasted fantastic though, the oatmeal scotchies got rave reviews.
Jay says
I’m midway through trying this. I used the method suggested in the comments of dissolving the sugar in water first (I used boiling water to give it a head start), then adding the butter and coconut oil and simmering until the water evaporated off. Unfortunately when I set it, I ended up with a layer of coconut oil on top, with still liquid butterscotch underneath. I’ve reheated it all, and I plan to beat it with a hand mixer as it cools to try to blend the fats together. Fingers crossed!
kelly says
Hi I dont have butter on hand. Any chance it might work using coconut oil plus white deodorized cocoa butter in lieu of the butter? Or will the chips be missing the butter flavor? Sorry if this is a stupid question. Any help would be appreciated thank you!!
Laura says
Coconut oil should work, but this recipe definitely tastes better with butter! :)
Neha says
Hi i want to try ur recipe as i hv a cake order that requires butterscotch chips. Can i replace coconut oil with vegetable/ sunflower oil?
Also i need these for baking. Would they hold shape or melt ?
Thanks
Laura says
I don’t feel they will hold their shape well, unfortunately.
Nickisha says
I got some butterscotch essence, can I use that instead of the vanilla? And is the coconut oil absolutely necessary?
Laura says
Butterscotch essence should work, and you can skip the coconut oil but the chips will be softer.
Nickisha McClean Parris says
Hi just an update my mixture never really mixed and I think I may have had it boiling too long since I ended up trying to get it to stay firm (from the refrigerator I tried freezing it no go). In the cookies everything just melted so they, the cookies that is was just really flat… they tasted great, but looked really ugly. Sigh… I will try again when I feel braver
Casper 'O Hane says
The long and the short of it: bad recipe. The instructions aren’t simple, they’re vague. There’s a difference. Somehow I didn’t think about the fact that this is candy, and a good recipe would give temperatures. The oil and sugar stayed separated. I added sugar, and that didn’t help. What I’m going to do now is wait for it to cool and just keep stirring it, hoping it will blend together, but even if it does, I have a feeling this will just be a waste of expensive ingredients. Unless you have really fabulous luck, learn from my mistake and get a recipe from a real cookbook, and not from some blog
Rachel G says
I’m sorry Laura but I agree. I did realize this was candy and my daughter tried it, I told her from the beginning it might not work. They did mix well, but they didn’t set. And everyone who is asking, NO you can’t use another oil. Coconut oil is one of the things that makes them set when you refrigerate. On the other hand its also what makes them completely not hold their shape when you cook them (its melting point is 70degF), so I have no idea how you baked cookies with them. Just don’t have the expectation of chips and plan on a yummy butterscotch goo that you wrap in wax paper into individual candies and keep in the fridge, or drop in a drink. Then if they happen to turn out you will be pleasantly surprised. Any ideas of what to change if they don’t set?
Debbie Middlebrook says
Partial Solution to Gritty: I experienced the same result with the grittiness. I tried a second time with all butter and started slow and slow. I used cold butter (full sticks uncooked) and waited until the butter was melted to begin increasing the heat. I continued to increase the heat in small increments until I started to see one of two bubbles, then I turned the heat all the way down again and continued to stir a few minutes more until the taste was butterscotch and the liquid seemed a little more fluffy. It was a bit granular but no where near what it was in the first batch. I think I started at medium heat and the sugar got too hot while waiting for the butter to melt.
Sharon says
Hi, I tried your butterscotch chips recipe. Thank you.
I let it almost boil and simmer for few mins.
But the butter just separated from the mixture. But the taste is awesome though. I used butter instead of coconut oil.
Sherry Marshall says
Can these be melted to use for a topping?
Sherry says
This was an epic failure. Used a candy thermometer and stirred as directed and the end results was a grainy mess hardened in butter?
Isadora says
Aw, I’m sad I happened upon this recipe long after the train has left its station: but I’d like to say HEY THERE, I’M ALSO BRAZILIAN to the lady who mentioned rapadura hahaha
carole says
The sugar not dissolving is due to when you stir and keep stirring against the inside of the pan to get the sugar that is above the liquid back into the liquid in the pan, that sugar for some reason once above the liquid on inside of pan does not desolve it becomes gritty. I am haveing a hard time explaining what I mean but I hope someone understands what I’m trying to say.
Niki says
Any suggestions for sub of butter or ghee as I’m allergic. Thanks! Sometimes coconut can’t replace all the time. :)
Bethany Lotulelei says
Hey Niki!
I would suggest coconut oil. I usually use coconut oil in my cookie recipes and they turn out great! Otherwise, you could try palm oil.
Hope that helps!
Bethany (Laura’s assistant)
Kimber says
Dude.. this recipe is a no go. Tried it twice (once without thermometer and once with). Totally separated both times and wouldnt emulsify. I am so sad I wasted so much time and also money (butter sticks I use are expensive as heck)
Bru says
Thanks but this is not butterscotch. No cream.. no lemon juice/vinegar.. Butterscotch is supposed to finish silk smooth with no crystalized sugar, this recipe adds no acidity and turns out grainy. Swing and a miss.
Bru says
Look up Old English Butterscotch Recipe 1934 on utube for a recipe that’s not garbage
Evie Epstein says
The local store was out of butterscotch chips (a necessary ingredient in the 7-layer bars I wanted to make for a holiday cookie exchange next week) so, searching the internet for homemade butterscotch chips, I had the good fortune to find your recipe. It worked great for me! Some of the brown sugar didn’t dissolve completely when I was stirring the mixture, but the end result was excellent.
I intended to pick up a bag of butterscotch chips to have for speed and convenience next time, but was appalled upon reading the ingredients (for the first time, I confess) to see that they contain fractionated palm kernel oil, hydrogenated pam oil, artificial flavors, and dyes including yellow 6, yellow 5, and blue 2. My reaction was “Yuk!” From now on I’ll make your recipe for butterscotch chips, and will think of you with gratitude when I do so! Thank you.
Kara says
When using these chips to bake (cookies, for example), do they melt? Or do they stay in chunk form in the finished baked good?