Easy Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies
These easy pumpkin butterscotch cookies are the perfect fall treat to bake with your kids.
Last weekend, the Peanut asked if she could bake the pumpkin butterscotch cookies we love.
I've been so busy with the cookbooks over the last few years, we didn't need any extra goodies laying around and I haven't gotten around to making them.
I was surprised she remembered them after such a long break. She just assumed the recipe was here on my site since I always share our favorites and she took the initiative to come and find it.
This is truly a family-favorite recipe that my girls have loved helping bake since they were tiny.
They are a perfect easy cookie recipe to bake with your kids, no matter their size. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have!
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Why This is the Best Recipe
I love to bake in the fall with my kids and we're pretty sure this is the best pumpkin butterscotch cookie recipe because:
- No Waste: The pumpkin cookies use an entire can of pumpkin and a whole bag of butterscotch chips so you don't have anything left to store in the fridge or pantry.
- Super Easy: Older kids can make these completely on their own with no trouble.
- Perfect for Tiny Helpers: They are very fun to bake with younger kids because the recipe is so easy, you don't need to pay attention to fussy steps and little hands can easily help.
- One Bowl Batter: The cookies come together in one bowl so there are less dishes to do.
What Do They Taste Like?
I think the #1 reason these pumpkin cookies are so popular with my kids is that they are like a cross between a muffin and a cake.
They have a light and fluffy texture but stick together better than our favorite pumpkin bread recipe does.
To keep them from being too bland, filling them with oodles of butterscotch chips gives them a lovely crunch.
TIP: Our recipe calls for just a single bag of butterscotch chips, if you really love butterscotch and crunch to your cookie, you might consider adding an additional cup or so of chips to the batter.
Bonus: If you use more chips, you'll find the batter gets stretched a little further and you get a few more cookies out of the recipe.
Ingredients
The ingredients are so easy to keep on hand for last-minute baking.
- Flour
- Sugar
- Canned Pumpkin
- Canola Oil
- Eggs
- Cinnamon
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Vanilla
- Butterscotch Chips
Mix the Pumpkin Batter
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir.
In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with a hand mixer until light in color and smooth, about 1 minute.
Add the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla to the mixing bowl and beat on low until just blended.
Add the flour mixture and blend on medium until everything is incorporated.
The cookie dough should be quite thick when you're done.
Unplug the hand mixer and scrape down the beaters.
Add the Butterscotch Chips
Add the butterscotch chips to the mixing bowl and stir them into the batter.
Baking Instructions
Place your oven racks to the top ⅓ and bottom ⅓ positions and preheat the oven to 325°F.
Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop cookie batter into rounds onto the baking sheets. Place them 2 inches apart, 8 cookies per sheet.
Bake 2 pans of cookies at a time for 8 minutes.
Rotate the pans inside the oven so they evenly brown and bake for an additional 8 minutes. 16 minutes total per pair of baking sheets.
Let the cookies cool on the pan for 3 - 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Do not stack the cookies or they will stick to each other.
Tips for Kid Bakers
Can a young baker make this recipe all by themself?
Absolutely! I just sat in the kitchen and took photos while the Peanut made the entire batch by herself.
If your child can operate a hand mixer, they can make this recipe easily. Otherwise, with just a little help from you, younger kids would have a ton of fun, too.
There's no fancy baking tricks like creaming butter with sugar in this recipe.
Kids will have fun helping by:
- breaking eggs
- measuring out ingredients
- mixing the batter in one bowl
- dropping the cookie dough onto the baking sheets with a spoon
Look at the cute photos of my teeny-tiny Little Pea helping me to bake this recipe for Halloween:
Easy cookie recipes are perfect for baking with kids because there's no pressure in having them turn out "pretty," these cookies are all about the taste and the fun.
More Canned Pumpkin Recipes
If you love baking pumpkin recipes, you won't want to miss these favorites.
My kids LOVE the freezer-friendly pumpkin pecan waffles for school mornings. Our pumpkin bread always disappears in a flash. The pumpkin gooey butter cake bars are a fun twist for a Thanksgiving dessert.
More Easy Recipes for Kids
The fall is a wonderful time to get into the kitchen with your kids. Make the holidays or any weekend extra special by baking these fun things together:
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 (11 oz) bag butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Place your oven racks to the top 1/3 and bottom 1/3 positions and preheat to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with a hand mixer until light in color and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla to the mixing bowl and beat on low until just blended. Add the flour mixture and blend on medium until everything is incorporated.
- Fold in the butterscotch chips by hand with a spatula.
- Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop cookie batter into rounds onto the baking sheets. Place them 2 inches apart, 8 cookies per sheet.
- Bake 2 pans of cookies at a time for 8 minutes. Rotate the pans inside the oven so they evenly brown and bake for an additional 8 minutes. (16 minutes total per pair of baking sheets.)
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for 3 - 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Do not stack the cookies or they will stick to each other. Cookies will keep stored in an air-tight container for 4 days.
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