butterscotch + lemon
Here we go again with “I’ll take flavor combinations that surprised me for $200, Alex”. I decided last minute that I wanted to make cookies for a friend dinner I was having that night. The only baking chips I had on hand were butterscotch (my youngest son has a habit of finding my baking chip stash and “helping” me use them….i.e, remove them just a few at a time until the bag is empty – and then obviously he just leaves the bag instead of throwing away the evidence).
Anyone else have such a helpful child? 🙂
I didn’t want to make a butterscotch chip cookie like I’ve made before (basically where you just sub in butterscotch chips in a chocolate chip cookie recipe), so I looked to the Flavor Bible for some different ideas. Admittedly, butterscotch has a pretty short list and the only one I could wrap my brain around in the moment for a cookie was butterscotch and lemon. Knowing that my friends will love me even if I bring them a sub-par cookie (or maybe it’s because I bring them ANY cookie), I decided to run with it and threw together a lemon cookie with butterscotch chips and a lemon glaze.
The reaction to these cookies (including my own), took me completely by surprise. In fact, I wondered why we aren’t seeing butterscotch and lemon combined in cookies or other desserts more often! How did my friends react? Let’s just say that I returned home with zero cookies.
So why did these work? Let’s start with butterscotch. At it’s heart, butterscotch is a combination of brown sugar, butter and cream (with some salt and vanilla thrown in for good measure). I’ll be the first to admit that at some point in my life, I was told that scotch was a key ingredient in butterscotch originally and hence where the name butter-SCOTCH came from.
Nope, not true. Based on flavor research I did, there’s not much certainty from historians on the origins of the name. Butterscotch is believed to have come from one of two places.
- In the 1800’s, apparently to “scotch” was a term used by confectioners to cut or score the candy. Since this candy was originally sold in squares, some believe this influenced the name.
- The other possibility is the closeness of the word “scotch” to “scorch”. As a key part of creating butterscotch is caramelizing butter and brown sugar to get it’s characteristic flavor, others believe that THIS might be where it came from.
If you’ve ever had butterscotch, you’ll know this is a pretty sweet ingredient. While that doesn’t make butterscotch any less delicious, it does lead to flavor fatigue a little bit sooner. That is why lemons are the perfect pairing to add into a butterscotch cookie!
Adding in lemon juice to the cookie adds a tangy offset to the sweetness of the butterscotch. By also including lemon juice in the glaze, we’ve added a second level of acid to even out the heavier sugar notes.
Zest versus juice – In this combination, I chose to only use lemon juice. Adding in the zest is a great way to really punch up the lemon flavor AND aroma. If I was making a lemon cookie (where I wanted lemon to be the strongest flavor in the room), I would absolutely have chosen to use the zest. However, in this application, I wanted lemon to be a supporting flavor in the cookie but not the most dominant.
I’m a huge fan of using olive oil in baking because I find it makes baked goods lighter than butter alone. So this recipe uses 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil but this is not where you want to use a really flavorful olive oil. Look for a light flavored EVOO in the grocery store. If you are a frequenter of any olive oil/vinegar tasting rooms, ask them for their lightest EVOO for baking!
If you don’t have any on hand, you can absolutely replace it. Switch out 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil with 2 tbsp of butter, avocado oil or vegetable oil.
butterscotch + lemon
Now it’s your turn! What would you make with this flavor combination? Tell me in the comments!
Printbutterscotch lemon cookies
the way the lemon balances with the butterscotch is such a surprise in this lovely cookie!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: about 24 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (or 1/2 tsp lemon extract)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all purpose
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand mixer, add butter, olive oil, lemon juice and sugar. Mix on medium low speed together until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, mix until well-incorporated.
In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Add mixture to mixing bowl and mix on low speed until fully combined. Add butterscotch chips and use hands to bring mixture together. Roll into balls and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until very lightly golden brown on top. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Mix glaze ingredients in a bowl with a whisk. Dip tops of cookies into glaze and shake cookies gently to drip any excess glaze back into the bowl. Let set (if you’re patient enough to wait!).
