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Steel Cut Oatmeal Scotchies Cookies Recipe

A traditional cookie gets a grainy upgrade in this Steel Cut Oatmeal Scotchies Cookies recipe. Easy, tasty and perfect for dunking in milk.

Steel Cut Oatmeal Scotchies Cookies Recipe

Twas the afternoon before Christmas.

No, really. It was.

While Paige napped on Christmas Eve, Will and I set about to make some Oatmeal Scotchies –one of my very favorite cookies. We measured and mixed, and everything was going perfectly … until I discovered that we were out of the rolled oats (as in the canister of unflavored oatmeal).

What we did have was a canister of quick-cooking steel-cut oats from Trader Joe’s. Without another thought, I measured and mixed the oats into the dough and we finished making cookies.

I didn’t question the plan until I slid the first tray into the oven. Would the oats cook enough not to have that raw, crunchiness? Would the flavor be off? Would they totally flatline in the oven?

Twelve minutes later, I had my answer.

Steel Cut Oatmeal Scotchies Cookies

These cookies are dense, with a slightly different texture that mimics the oatmeal that you make with this cut of oat. The flavor is rich, though less buttery than the traditional recipe, and dotted with the sweet little hints of butterscotch.

They were good. Very good.

But the true test is what everyone else thinks, right? Will and Paige enjoyed them, and Shawn raved about them.

These Steel Cut Oatmeal Scotchies Cookies get better with age, so make them a day ahead and store them in an airtight container.

Also, you should know that these are more filling than your average cookie, so don’t be surprised if your kids only eat half of one. With the size of the batch, you can easily freeze some to have on hand when the sweet tooth strikes.

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Steel Cut Oatmeal Scotchies Cookies Recipe

Steel Cut Oatmeal Scotchies Cookies

Yield: 4 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 14 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes

Be sure to choose quick-cooking steel cut oats, which cook in about seven minutes, when making these.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups quick-cooking steel cut oats, I used Trader Joe's brand
  • 1 11- oz. pkg butterscotch chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. A wire whisk does well for that.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl), combine the butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Then, with the mixer running on low, slowly add the flour mixture, until just combined. Turn off the machine when you are down with these additions. Add the steel cut oats and butterscotch chips. Mix gently (on a low speed) to incorporate.
  4. Using a cookie scoop, drop the cookies about two inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely before storing.
  5. These can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Note: adapted from the Very Best Baking recipe

Mirza

Monday 5th of July 2021

Can I use regular steel cut oats?

Sarah Walker Caron

Wednesday 7th of July 2021

Hi Mirza, thanks for the question. This recipe was developed with quick-cooking steel cut oats. That's the only variety I recommend for it.

foreverbaking

Tuesday 13th of January 2015

My first batch was a failure. They spread out way too thin and were very hard and crunchy. So I put the dough in the fridge, actually for 2 days. Rolled balls with the cold dough, did NOT flatten them, and baked them at 350* for exactly 9 minutes. Voila! Perfect! Finally looked like your picture.

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