Buttery butterscotch cut-out cookies
This buttery cookie has melted butterscotch chips stirred in for a special cut-out cookie flavor
Vintage buttery butterscotch cut-out sugar cookies recipe (1994)
Butterscotch cut-out sugar cookies – ingredients
1 cup butterscotch flavored chips
1 cup Land O Lakes butter, softened
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Frosting ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
In 1 quart saucepan, melt butterscotch chips over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth (3 to 5 minutes). Pour into large mixer bowl; add all remaining cookie ingredients. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed ( 2 to 2 minutes). Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate until firm (1 hour).
Heat oven to 375 F. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough, half at a time, to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 2-1/2-inch cookie cutters. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely.
In small mixer bowl, combine all frosting ingredients. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until fluffy (1 to 2 minutes). If desired, color frosting with food coloring. Frost and decorate cookies as desired.
Here’s a version of these cookies from the ’70s.
Butterscotch cut-out sugar cookies recipe for Christmas (1970)
Ingredients
1 cup butterscotch-flavored morsels
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2-1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
Combine and melt butterscotch-flavored morsels and butter over hot (not boiling) water. Remove from heat. Cool 10 minutes.
Add sugar, egg and vanilla [to butterscotch mixture], beat till light in color.
Sift together flour and baking soda. Gradually blend into butterscotch mixture.
Roll dough out 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut cookies into holiday shapes with figured cutters.
Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 F for 10 minutes. Cool on cake rack. Decorate with ornamental frosting [recipe below].
Ornamental frosting
2-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Sift together powdered sugar and cream of tartar. Add egg whites and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer or rotary beater until frosting holds its shape. Cover with damp cloth when not in use to prevent hardening.
How to make butterscotch cookie marionettes (1970)
Here’s an idea that is different for your Christmas decorations. Cookie marionettes are gay little figures and shapes to bake and put together with ribbon to hang on tree or mantel.
Bake head, body and feet in separate units on the cookie sheet. Decorate them, and your cookie marionettes are all ready to brighten Christmas at your house.
The cookie dough is flavored with butterscotch-flavored morsels, those convenient little pieces that give you old-fashioned butterscotch flavor with no risk of burnt butter or scorched sugar.
To decorate the cookies, use a chocolate frosting made with just two ingredients — semi-sweet chocolate morsels and a little shortening. The morsels are pre-sweetened, which makes possible modern shortcut chocolate cookery.
Cookie marionettes recipe (made with butterscotch cut-out sugar cookies)
[Use butterscotch cut-out sugar cookies recipe above, except follow directions below after rolling out the dough 1/8″ thick]
For marionette pieces, cut 2-1/4-inch circles for head and 2-1/2 x 3/4-inch rectangles for legs. Cut rectangular pieces for body — 3-1/2 inches wide and 2-1/2 inches long. (Cut 1-1/2 x 1/2-inch pieces off sides to shape arms – see photograph.) Cut 3/8-inch holes at points where pieces are to be joined to make marionettes.
For Christmas cookie chains, cut hearts, bells, trees, stars and other Christmas shapes. Make holes at both top and bottom of most of cookies; make hole only at top of cookies that will be bottom of chains.
Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in 375 degree F oven 10 minutes. Cool on cake rack. Fasten cookies together with pieces of colored yarn or ribbon. Decorate with chocolate decorative frosting [recipe below]. Let set.
Chocolate decorative frosting
Melt together one 6-ounce package (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels and 1 teaspoon solid shortening over hot (not boiling) water. Cool to room temperature and spoon into cake decorator.
