Butterbeer Cookies Recipe
These chewy brown sugar and butterscotch cookies are topped with whipped butterscotch buttercream and a thick cream soda caramel drizzle. They take 45 minutes to prep and bake in 10 to 11 minutes per tray.
Equipment
- Electric Mixer
- Stand mixer
- Rubber spatula
- Large Cookie Scoop
- Baking Sheet
- circular cookie cutter
- Wire rack
- mini offset spatula
Ingredients
For the Butterbeer Cookies
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 1/2 tsp butter extract
- 1/4 cup (50 g) butterscotch chips melted and slightly cooled
- 1/2 cup (100 g) butterscotch chips
Butterbeer Caramel
- 12 oz (355 ml) butterscotch beer or cream soda
- 3 tbsp (42 g) unsalted butter softened
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) heavy cream at room temperature
- pinch salt
For the Butterscotch Buttercream
- 1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (100 g) butterscotch chips melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup (130 g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp butter extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
Instructions
For the Butterbeer Cookies
- Set the oven to 350°F. Let it reach temperature before the first tray goes in.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl with a whisk, then reserve. The mixture should look evenly blended.
- Beat both sugars with the softened butter in a large bowl on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes using an electric mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle. Stop when the mixture looks lighter and fluffy.
- Beat in the yolks, vanilla, butter extract, and cooled melted chips on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. The mixture should become pale and aerated, without hot chips melting the butter.
- Work in the flour mixture on low speed, stopping as soon as it comes together. No dry flour should remain visible.
- Distribute the whole butterscotch chips through the dough with a rubber spatula. The chips should appear throughout the mixture.
- Portion the dough into 2-tablespoon scoops with a large cookie scoop. Keep the portions consistent for even baking.
- Place six portions on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between them, and bake for 10 to 11 minutes. The centers may still look slightly soft.
- Immediately circle each hot cookie with a large round cookie cutter to nudge its edges inward. The warm edges should settle into a rounded shape.
- Leave the cookies on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. The centers firm as the cookies rest on the warm pan.
For the Butterbeer Caramel
- Simmer the soda in a pot over medium-low heat for about 15 to 17 minutes, watching its consistency. The liquid should become thick and deep golden as the lively bubbles turn slower and glossier.
- Lower the heat to low and stir the softened butter into the syrup. The butter should disappear into a cohesive sauce.
- Stir in the room-temperature cream and salt after the butter has blended in. The sauce should look creamy and uniform.
- Maintain a low simmer for 1 minute, then take the pot off the heat and let the caramel cool. The cooled sauce should have more body than the hot mixture.
For the Butterscotch Buttercream
- Beat the softened butter and salt in a medium bowl on high speed for 5 to 10 minutes. Look for a pale, airy mixture with noticeably increased volume.
- Blend the fully melted but barely warm butterscotch chips into the whipped butter. The frosting should stay fluffy rather than turning oily.
- Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl and beat it into the butter mixture. The frosting should look smooth without visible sugar lumps.
- Beat in the butter extract and vanilla for about 1 minute. The finished buttercream should look light and spreadable.
Decorating the Cookies
- Spread buttercream over each completely cooled cookie with a mini offset spatula. The frosting should hold soft swirls without melting.
- Finish with cooled caramel and sprinkles, then serve. The drizzle should sit over the buttercream rather than immediately running off.
Notes
Ingredient tip: Make sure the melted butterscotch chips feel barely lukewarm before mixing them into the whipped butter so the dough or buttercream stays fluffy instead of turning greasy.
Caramel tip: Confirm the simmering soda has reduced into a thick, glossy, deep golden syrup before adding the butter and cream. If the cooled sauce is still watery, gently simmer it on low until it coats a spoon, then cool again.
Substitution tip: If you do not have butter extract, swap it with an equal amount of vanilla extract in the dough, and either omit it or replace it with vanilla in the frosting.
Storage: Keep frosted cookies in a single layer inside a rigid, airtight container refrigerated at 40°F or below. Unfrosted cookies can be stacked with parchment between layers in an airtight container once completely cool.
Nutrition information is an estimate based on common ingredients and serving sizes. Values may vary depending on brands, portions, and substitutions.