The Hungry MouseJoyce’s Butterscotch Refrigerator Cookies
Oftentimes, the best recipes are the ones passed down from generation to generation, from family to friends. My dear friend Joyce was kind enough to share her favorite childhood cookie recipe with me. Her grandmother made them for her when she was just a little mouse. They’re simple and straightforward to make—and waaaaay too easy to inhale.
Here’s part of the original, typewritten recipe from Joyce’s grandmother, Helen Blatchford Parlee, circa 1948.
This cookie is marvelously chewy, and gets its rich, butterscotch-y flavor from a hefty amount of brown sugar and vanilla extract.
What’s a refrigerator cookie?
You know those tubes of slice-and-bake cookie dough that are right by the eggs in almost every major market? Think of refrigerator cookies as their old-fashioned, made-from-scratch auntie.
I love refrigerator cookies because they’re so convenient. I mean, talk about having fresh cookies on command. Just make the dough, roll it up in wax paper, toss it in the fridge, then slice and bake as the mood strikes you!
The dough will stay fresh for about a week or so in the fridge. If it lasts, that is.
Shortening vs. butter
Now, normally, I’m an all-butter kind of gal when I bake. Sometimes, I even use olive oil. That said, there’s definitely a time and place for vegetable shortening—or lard, for that matter (hello, flaky pie crusts!).
When do use it, I usually buy Crisco in its relatively newfangled stick form, because it’s really easy to measure and store. If you don’t want to deal with shortening, substitute butter in this recipe.
A stick of Crisco shortening, cut in half
Make the dough at least a few hours before you want to bake the cookies, because it needs time to chill and firm up before slicing.
Joyce’s Butterscotch Refrigerator Cookies
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Make the butterscotch cookie dough
Put the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
Mix them together with a whisk to combine.
Put the shortening in the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl, if you’re using a hand-held mixer). Beat it on medium-high for a few minutes to fluff it up.
You want it to look about like this:
Scrape down the sides of your bowl with a spatula.
Toss in the brown sugar.
Beat the brown sugar and shortening together for a few minutes until well combined.
Add the egg and vanilla extract.
Beat on medium-high to combine well.
Add in the flour mixture.
Beat quickly to combine well. Stop mixing when the dough just comes together and all the flour is mixed in. If you beat it too long, it can make the dough tough.
Chill the butterscotch cookie dough
When the dough is made, you’re ready to chill it. Grab a piece of wax paper that’s maybe a foot-and-a-half long and set it on your counter.
Spoon the dough out into the center of the wax paper.
With your hands, form it into a log that’s about 2 inches in diameter, give or take.
Pull one edge of the wax paper over it, like this:
Wrap the paper around the dough tightly and roll it up.
When it’s rolled up, twist the ends tightly.
Pop it into the fridge for at least a few hours to firm up the dough.
Slice and bake the cookies once the dough is cold
After a few hours, your dough should be nice and firm. (If you don’t let it firm up, it will be really hard to slice.)
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Unwrap the dough and slice off as many cookies as you want to bake. Slice them about a quarter-of-an-inch thick or so.
Space the cookies out on your prepared sheet pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.
You want the cookies to be just golden brown.
The bottoms will look like this:
Let them cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
If you’re inclined, these cookies would make amazing ice cream sandwiches.
Enjoy!
29 Comments on “Joyce’s Butterscotch Refrigerator Cookies”
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Those cookies look absolutely yum. I need to eat one right now. Will def. bookmark this one!
Thanks so much, Megan!
+Jessie
Thank you! I am so completely thrilled – my grandmother would be so touched. They were just as delicious as I remember – more than 30 years ago! I have such fond memories of sitting in the kitchen with her while she baked – it brought it all back. Thank you!!
Awww, shucks, lady. Thanks for sharing the recipe! And I’m so glad you liked ‘em!
xo
+Jessie
These cookies look so good, and definitely would make great ice cream sandwiches. I have a few cookie recipes that have been passed on to me as well. Joyce’s granny must have been one heck of a baker!
Thanks, honey pie.
From the stories I’ve heard, she was totally a fabulous baker!
+Jessie
What a gorgeous spread of bliss! A lovely butterscotch cookie, all the goodness I need
Cheers!
Gera
Thanks, Gera!
+Jessie
This looks so wholesome! Love brown sugar.
Oh, I couldn’t agree more about brown sugar. I love it, too!
+Jessie
Oh! they look great and soooo yummy! Love the ice cream sandwich idea:)
Hehehe, I’m SUCH a sucker for a good ice cream sandwich. Especially with homemade cookies. Yum!
+Jessie
They look great Jessie! I love the slice and bake convenience!
Hehehe slice-and-bake convenience = a blessing and a curse. It makes it waaaaaaay too easy to bake cookies in the middle of the night.
+Jessie
Those look wonderful, adn so easy that even I might be able to attempt them.
Oh John, you could totally make these!
Let me know if you give ‘em a whirl.
+Jessie
The only butterscotch dessert I’ve ever had was pudding, so your cookies sound awesome. I’m gonna have to give them a try. And an ice cream sandwich cookie sounds awesome too.
Oh, oh! Definitely give them a try! I bet you’ll really like ‘em.
+Jessie
So easy to make, and looks soooo good. I have to make some really soon.
And I might add some chocolate chips into the mix too. Or some pecans. So many options. Thanks
Eric
Oh pecans would be great!!
+Jessie
Jessie!
I couldn’t believe my eyes that you gave up your “all butter gal” status!!!
Lovely recipe – say hi and thanks to Joyce!
Gabi @ mamaliga.
The word butterscotch makes me crazy. these look amazing.
You need some milk with those cookies!
thanks for the recipe.love it:)
Thanks so much! (And thanks for stopping by!) They really are very yummy.
+Jessie
Is that dark brown sugar you’re using in these cookies? It looks like it in the pics, but just want to be sure. Thanks.
OMG I cant believe I finally found this recipe. We made these when I was in like the 7th grade in my Home Ec class and somehow I lost my recipe. I’m so excited to come across this and can’t wait to make them. The pictures are what made me realize I had finally after all these years found the right one, they look exactly the same.
Thanks so much!
My recipe is similar but uses 1/2 tsp cream of tartar instead of soda and no vanilla. I’ll have to try vanilla to see if I like it better. I just finished eating one of these cookies and thought I’d check to see if anyone else has a recipe with the oven temp and bake time because my recipe is a bit more old fashioned and says to use a moderately hot oven and bake until golden brown. (Mom said that Grandma cooked on a wood stove and could tell how hot the oven was with a hand placed near it.)
Wow…. My mom had this recipe from and old dog-earred and stained piece of notebook paper from back in 1960 or so. I finally laminated it and my daughter and I still make this recipe during the holidays. I like to crush up some pecans very, very fine and add it to the batter…. gives the cookie a great texture!