Easy Butterscotch Pecan Cookies Recipe (2024)

These butterscotch pecan cookies are a delicious addition to any dessert or snack table. They’re perfect for the holidays or any time you want a delicious sweet treat.

You’ll love the fact that they are so easy to make. Add that to the fact that you can stock up on the ingredients when they go on sale and keep them in the pantry for those unexpected snack attacks and sweets cravings.

Whether you like your butterscotch cookies chewy, crispy, or somewhere in between, you can follow this recipe.

All you have to do to change the chewiness is adjust the cooking time. It’s that easy.

I highly recommend reading this entire post before you begin preparing the recipe. However, if all you want is the list of ingredients with full directions, please either click on the jump-to-recipe button above or scroll to the bottom of this post.

Butterscotch Cookies Recipe from a Cake Mix

And they’re the perfect way to finish to one of these budget-friendly family dinners.

Or you can make them for the kids’ lunchboxes or after-school treat.

This recipe for butterscotch chip cookies is super easy because you start with a cake mix.

Then you add just a few ingredients before you bake them. So easy!

They’re better than any cookie you can buy at the store. In fact, I’ve had requests for more recipes that are just like them.

Although you simplify the recipe with a cake mix, they’re at least as good as any other homemade cookies.

One of the things I love about using cake mixes in cookie recipes is that you already have the dry ingredients measured.

I love the fact that you can use cake mix to make these pecan brownie cookies and these pumpkin bars.

If you have all three of these delicious desserts on the table, people will be amazed by your incredible baking skills.

No one has to know that it didn’t take long to make them. Or you can brag about the shortcuts you’ve learned to take.

At least, that’s what I do. After all, why keep the good stuff to yourself?

Ingredients for Butterscotch Pecan Cookies

These delicious cookies only have a few ingredients.

As I already mentioned, you’ll need a box of yellow cake mix (either regular or gluten-free).

You also need eggs, vegetable oil, butterscotch chips, and pecans. Then I add a tablespoon of water.

For exact measurements of each ingredient and the full directions, go to the recipe card at the bottom of the page. You can even print out the card by using the “print” button.

How to Make Cookies with Butterscotch Chips and Pecans

Mix the eggs, oil, and water in a medium-size mixing bowl. Next, stir in the cake mix.

Finally, add the butterscotch chips and pecan pieces.

If you want these cookies less sweet, you can cut the amount of butterscotch chips. You can also increase the pecans for a nuttier flavor if you like.

Using a tablespoon, scoop the mix onto a cookie sheet.

I tightly packed little balls of it because sometimes the gluten-free cake mix will crumble.

Packing them prevents that from happening.

Bake for 12 minutes. After they’re done, let them cool.

Now they’re ready to eat!

These cookies are so delicious you’ll want to make them often. I did that when I first came up with this recipe.

Now, however, I only make them for special occasions because I have a difficult time resisting them when I know they’re in the house.

You can bake them a minute or two longer for crispier cookies.

Or you can take them out of the oven a minutes earlier if you like your butterscotch cookies chewy.

Regular or Gluten-Free Butterscotch Pecan Cookies

I used to make these with regular yellow cake mix from any of the baking mix companies.

Unfortunately, I became gluten intolerant, so I stopped making them. But I sure did miss them.

Then, several of the major companies eventually took heart and started offering a couple of gluten-free options. Now I can make them again.

The only thing I have to do differently with the gluten-free option is to pack them into tighter balls before I place them on the baking sheet.

Otherwise, they’ll fall apart. Apparently, the gluten binds them.

However, if I’m careful when I form them into balls and then wait until they cool before lifting them from the pan, they’re good.

But that’s fine. It takes me about an extra three seconds per cookie.

Share with Others

These cookies are so delicious you’ll want to make several batches. First of all, you’ll need a batch to keep at home for the family to eat.

Of course, those will disappear quickly, but you have the recipe, and you can make more.

And then, you’ll need to bring some to your favorite neighbors. After all, they’ve been good to you, so you want to show how much you appreciate them.

There are a lot of other people you need to think about. Your child’s teacher will love them.

Of course, it won’t hurt to bring some to your coworkers to munch on while you work on your current project. And then there’s the holiday cookie exchange.

There are so many folks who would love these cookies. You might as well print the recipe and keep it on the kitchen counter so you don’t have to keep looking for it.

Variations

If you want to change things up a bit, you can add chocolate chips or peanut butter chips instead of butterscotch. Or you can use a combination of flavors.

These are your cookies, so make them the way you want. No matter what you do, you can’t go wrong.

See this recipe shared at Meal Plan Sunday.

More Recipes You’ll Love

If you’re looking for something sweet, check out these peanut butter Cocoa Krispie treats. Not only do I enjoy them but everyone I’ve given them to wants the recipe.

Another popular dessert recipe is this delicious, easy chocolate walnut pie. It has the perfect blend of creaminess and crunch to send your senses into orbit.

If you like this recipe, check out these 10 pecan recipes. I have some of my own listed as well as a few from other bloggers.

For a different kind of dessert, try these chocolate cream cheese chaffles. They’re light and delicious with a hint of sweetness!

You’ll also like my friend Julie’s food blog Back to My Southern Roots. She has quite a few recipes that are perfect additions to any dessert table.