No Bake Chocolate Caramel Butterscotch Cookies

These are some of my favorite cookies, really they are more candy than cookie. To quote the modern expression, they are “seriously good”. I have liked them for years, but I never was able to make them well – until now! For the first time recently they turned out for me. This is a milestone in my life. :-)
Thus, I would like to dedicate this post to:
- Mom, because she had the recipe first, and could only make them somewhat better than I could.
- my sister who could make them quite well every time.
- my brother, who after tasting my new version of these cookies, declared they were 1/8th of an inch from being as good as cheese cake (high praise from him). He nearly went delirious when I suggested using them as topping on cheese cake.
- my sister in-law who wanted the recipe so she can make these for my brother.
- Sarah P., who never made good biscuits till her 10th wedding anniversary when she finally stopped following the recipe. That memory helped me break out of this recipe and finally get them to turn out, after years of futile efforts that ended in either dry crumbs or gooey “spoon cookies”.
:-)
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This is the original recipe, which may turn out just fine for you if you have my sister’s touch. :-)
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No Bake Caramel Cookies
Combine in sauce pan:
2 C. sugar
3/4 C butter
2/3 C. evaporated milk
Bring to a rolling boil, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat and add:
1 4 oz. pkg. instant butterscotch pudding mix (may be 3.5 oz.)
3 1/2 C. quick-cooking rolled oats
Mix thoroughly. Cool 15 minutes. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined tray.
Makes 5 doz. cookies
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This is the way I made them when they finally turned out for me, and the ones which my brother about swooned over. ;-)



No Bake Chocolate Caramel Butterscotch Cookies
3/4 C. of butter
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 3.5 oz. pkg. cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix
3 1/2 cups mixed quick-cooking rolled oats, old fashioned rolled oats and unsweetened coconut
2-3 handfuls of bittersweet chocolate chips (optional)
Place butter in heavy sauce pan and heat over lowish heat till almost completely melted, stirring often. Add sweetened condensed milk and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat stirring constantly. (This is important as it will start burning quite easily.)
Remove from heat. Add butterscotch pudding mix and stir well. Add oats and coconut and mix well. Allow to cool about 5-8 minutes. Add chocolate chips and stir briefly. Do Not stir them in well or they will completely melt and your cookies will be something a little different – the butterscotch will not be as distinct of a flavor.
Drop on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet by teaspoonfuls. Allow to cool completely before serving. I recommend putting them in the refrigerator or freezer for a while, especially in warm weather.
Store in frig in a sealed container with waxed paper between layers. I put some in the freezer, but I don’t know how they will turn out when thawed. Probably they will be fine.
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If you try my version of this recipe please let me know how it turns out for you. I’m hoping this may be a more foolproof method that will turn out well with more consistency, at least for those of us who don’t have the “magic touch”. :-)