COOKIE #17: BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES

“Mm, I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly.” ~ Ron Burgundy

I was super disappointed to learn that there has never been any actual scotch in butterscotch.  Ever. Butterscotch has been around since the 1800’s and the “scotch” portion of its name comes from either “scorch” (because its cooked at high temperatures) or “scotch” (which also means to cut). It does not come from the delicious Scottish whiskey.  And if the idea of a butterscotch cookie didn’t intrigue me so much, I might be too sad and have to skip this one. So why does this butterscotch cookie fascinate me so much?  Because there aren’t any butterscotch chips in it! Where am I supposed to get that distinct flavor from?  Guess I don’t really know what butterscotch is…

Cookies!

Butterscotch is a type of confectionery whose primary ingredients are brown sugar and butter, although other ingredients such as corn syrup, cream, vanilla, and salt are part of some recipes.  It typically refers to the yellow-wrapped hard candy we find at doctor’s offices or grandma’s house.  From the candy, you can also make a syrup/sauce.  But when we talk about butterscotch in baked goods or puddings, we are only talking about the flavor profile it lends – the flavor or brown sugar and butter together, even when the actual candy is not involved.

Oh! So this cookie should still taste like butterscotch even though there aren’t any flakes of candy or little baking chips in them. But with only ¼ cup of butter, plus the addition of shortening, I’m a bit skeptical. We shall see… 

Steps 1, 2, 3

The first step tells us to melt the butter and shortening. Back in 1962 when this cookbook was published, they didn’t have microwaves (they weren’t available for home use until 1967), so I’m guessing that meant the homemaker had to melt them on the stove.  What a pain. As for me, I’m thankful for my microwave oven because that means I have one less pot to clean. Then its time to add the sugars.  If butterscotch is known for its butter and brown sugar profile, then why is there white sugar in this recipe? My skepticism rises. And why are there walnuts in this cookie??? Why oh why does this BH&G cookbook love walnuts so darn much?! Wouldn’t the nuttiness take away from the butterscotch-y-ness?  I throw my hands up, finish the cookies, and hope for the best.

At least I have this adorable face to brighten up my kitchen

What I got was the worst. These cookies taste NOTHING like butterscotch. They are a bit buttery, but I don’t get any inkling of that caramel-like richness that normally goes with butterscotch. They taste like overly sweet, bad sugar cookies with a bunch of crummy walnuts in them. They are soft, the texture is good, but these cookies are ill-named. Buttersuck cookies is more like it.

Maybe I’ve just had one too many cookies lately and my palette is a bit temperamental, but I know for sure that these cookies do not deliver on the butterscotch flavor that was promised.  Now if only I had a glass of Macallan to wash them down with, I might grade them a little higher.

waiting for their turn in the oven

Cookie Grade: D- = because they are so soft, they might be good enough to feed to people who’ve survived a terrible fire and now have no taste buds.

What I was jammin’ to: old mix cd from high school – Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Run DMC, Hole (remember when Courtney Love had that one good song: Celebrity Skin?), Rage Against the Machine, Fat Boy Slim, etc.

Meh.