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Easy Butterscotch Pecan Cookies

Butterscotch pecan cookies? Oh yes! Such a satisfying combination of flavors to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth! 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.

Raw cookie dough balls on a baking sheet above a plate of baked butterscotch pecan cookies.

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.

Butterscotch Cookies Recipe from a Cake Mix

Although you start with a cake mix, these cookies better than any cookie you can buy at the store. In fact, I’ve had requests for more recipes that are just like them.

Butterscotch pecan cookies on a plate

Ingredients

These delicious cookies only have a few ingredients. Here is what you’ll need:

  • 1 box of yellow cake mix (regular or gluten-free, standard 2-layer cake size)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup cooking oil
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2/3 cup butterscotch chips
  • 2/3 cup chopped pecans
Cake mix, butterscotch morsels, cooking oil, pecans, and eggs

If you want to print this information, go to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

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.

Mixing ingredients for the cookies

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.

Cookie dough on the baking sheet

Bake for 12 minutes. After they’re done, let them cool. Now they’re ready to eat!

Baked cookies

If you want them crispier, bake them for a minute or two longer. Or you can take them out of the oven a minute earlier if you like your butterscotch cookies chewy.

Regular or Gluten-Free Butterscotch Pecan Cookies

I like the fact that these cookies can be made with either regular or gluten-free cake mix. 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

Butterscotch pecan cookies on a plate

These cookies are excellent food gifts. Just put them in a decorative container or a plastic bag with a colorful ribbon to make them look even more special.

Two plates of butterscotch pecan cookies

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.

Butterscotch pecan cookies on a plate

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.

Plate of butterscotch pecan cookies

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.

Cocoa Krispie treats with peanut butter chips are a great dessert or snack for the family.

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.

Yield: 24 cookies

Butterscotch Pecan Cookies

Cookies on a plate

Serve these butterscotch pecan cookies for dessert or afternoon snack!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 box of yellow cake mix (regular or gluten-free)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon of water
  • 2/3 cup of butterscotch chips
  • 2/3 cup of chopped pecans

Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.
    2. Combine the cake mix, eggs, and oil in a large mixing bowl until the dough is thick
    3. Fold in the butterscotch chips and pecans.
    4. Drop the batter onto the baking sheet with a tablespoon about 2 inches apart. If you’re using gluten-free cake mix, roll each tablespoonful into a ball before putting it on the cookie sheet so it won’t fall apart.
    5. Bake for 12 minutes.
    6. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 5 minutes before you remove them from the cookie sheet.
    7. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

3 cookies

Amount Per Serving Calories 482Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 47mgSodium 507mgCarbohydrates 65gFiber 2gSugar 38gProtein 5g

The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

See this recipe shared at Weekend Potluck.

Please feel free to share!

Johanna

Sunday 28th of January 2024

Amazing cookies. Wanted to send a variety to work with my husband and was look for quick and easy. Found these and Yay! So good, so easy and quick. As with your Brownie pecan cookies, these are delirious. Thank you.

southernhomeexpress

Sunday 28th of January 2024

Hi Johanna. I'm so glad you enjoyed these cookies. Thank you for letting me know!

Gen

Saturday 9th of May 2020

Might have been nice if the actual recipe were on the website. Can't make these without ingredient amounts and instructions

southernhomeexpress

Saturday 9th of May 2020

Hi Gen. I am so sorry about that! The recipe card had somehow disappeared, but I found it and added it back in as soon as I saw your message. Please check again. Thank you for letting me know.

Miz Helen

Saturday 31st of August 2019

Congratulations! Your awesome post is featured on Full Plate Thursday,447 this week. Thanks so much for sharing with us and come back to see us real soon! Miz Helen

southernhomeexpress

Monday 2nd of September 2019

Thank you so much, Miz Helen! I appreciate the feature!

Mother of 3

Wednesday 21st of August 2019

OH wow! Those sound delicious. I love both pecans and butterscotch chips. Pinned.

southernhomeexpress

Thursday 22nd of August 2019

Thanks! These cookies are perfect for those times when you want something sweet, and they're so easy to make!

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