Stress-release butterscotch chip cookies

I think one of the most dangerous things about knowing how to cook/bake is that suddenly, you’re empowered to stress eat whenever you want! 🙂

Ever since I was an undergraduate student, I’ve really loved to bake when the pressures of life got to me. I remember a particularly virulent incident where I stayed up till 2am making a pumpkin swirl cheesecake before a major job interview my senior year… One of my poor roommates came to check on me in the kitchen because I was making such a clatter, trying to get the stress out. Ultimately the cheesecake turned out great, I advanced to the next round of the interviews, and all was well.

Is it the easy comfort of baking that gets me? The lovely precision with which flour, sugar, eggs and butter come together? The joy of really, truly creating something with my hands, especially after long days working on cerebral things in front of books and computers? Or the fact that I get a sweet treat after my trouble? Whatever the case, ten years later, I still try to make time to bake when it feels like my plate is overflowing.

This recipe stood out to me because it doesn’t need an electric mixer, the one piece of kitchen equipment I long for every day… (cue pity-party music!) The original recipe calls for white chocolate and slivered almonds. I had Guittard butterscotch chips in the pantry and eyeballed a good amount to use instead. I never have been a huge fan of butterscotch chips (just tastes like buttery sugar to me) but I do have to admit Guittard does them as well as they could be done. Of course, any other mixings can be substituted in this recipe. (If you go back to the original recipe, note that there is a typo and it should actually say 2 and 2/3 cup flour).

I found the cookies were fantastic — good, tender crumb, a nice crisp outside and a soft, chewy interior. They don’t stay as soft the longer you keep them, but they’re still very tender and have a melt-in-your-mouth consistency (must be the butter). I had two for breakfast this morning 🙂 They’re very simple to make (great for baking with children), use very basic pantry ingredients, and come together very quickly. I look forward to repurposing the recipe as a base for other cookies!

So very tasty…

…and perhaps…

…a little…

…irresistable…

…wait, where’d my cookie go!?

Stress-release Butterscotch Chip Cookies
Adapted from Hannah’s Ramblings: Easy Peasy (No Electric Mixing) White Chocolate & Almond Cookies

Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 2 and 2/3 Cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 Cup melted butter
• 1 Cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 1 1/2 Cups butterscotch chips

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Sift first three dry ingredients into a bowl.
• Mix melted butter and sugar together.
• Let cool slightly, and quickly beat in the egg and vanilla. You will want to do this quickly as the heat of the butter can cook the egg before it has been properly incorporated, so to keep everything smooth make sure the butter isn’t scorching and the egg is beaten in quickly and thoroughly.
• Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture bit by bit, and stir until it becomes a nice dough.
• Add your butterscotch chips (or whatever other mixings you’d like).
• Use your hands and form into small balls (about 1.5″ in diameter), and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 10+ minutes until slightly browned but still tender.