Butterscotch Recipe: 5 Common Butterscotch Desserts

Butterscotch refers to both a candy made from the caramelization of white or brown sugar and butter, as well as the flavor of this product. You can add other ingredients, such as salt, vanilla extract, heavy cream, or alcohol, to season or alter the consistency of butterscotch for use in many desserts.

There are a few theories about the origins of the name “butterscotch.” Some historians believe the term comes from a style of scoring the surface of early butterscotch candies to make them easier to snap apart after cooling, while others see a derivation of the word “scorch” as a reference to the cooking process itself.

In the world of candy-making, butterscotch, caramel, and toffee often get confused for each other. Here are the main differences between these sweets:

• Ingredients: The key difference between butterscotch and caramel lies in the ingredients. Butterscotch, as suggested by its name, features a combination of butter and sugar. Caramel features sugar alone or a mixture of sugar and water or heavy cream. Toffee also contains butter: It’s technically butterscotch cooked to a very high temperature.
• Flavor: Though they share many of the same flavors, the difference in sugars and dairy sets caramel and butterscotch apart. The heavy whipping cream in many caramels has a much higher lactose content than butter, the secondary ingredient in butterscotch. When this lactose cooks, it undergoes the Maillard browning process, resulting in a deeply nutty flavor, similar to dulce de leche. Basic butterscotch and toffee, often made with brown sugar, can have a molasses-like flavor.
• Temperature and texture: The texture of caramel depends on the temperature: The higher the temperature, the more set the caramel mixture will be. Generally speaking, you cook butterscotch to the soft-crack stage (270–290 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer). You can cook caramel to various degrees depending on its ingredients and final texture (anywhere from 215–360 degrees Fahrenheit). Toffee is butterscotch cooked to what’s known as the hard-crack stage in confectionery: over 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can incorporate rich, salty-sweet butterscotch flavor into a range of candies and desserts. Here are some of the most popular:

1. 1. Butterscotch candies: Butterscotch candies, also known as Doncaster butterscotch, are hard candies made with treacle or molasses and butter. Unlike regular butterscotch, these candies get cooked through to the hard-crack stage, similar to toffee. For soft, chewy butterscotch candies, cook the mixture to the soft-crack stage, and set it in an even layer.
2. 2. Butterscotch cookies: Incorporate butterscotch flavor into a variety of cookies, blondies, and brownies by substituting butterscotch chips for chocolate chips.
3. 3. Butterscotch pie: Butterscotch pie features a base of set butterscotch pudding or custard, presented in a pie crust topped with a fluffy, toasted layer of meringue.
4. 4. Butterscotch pudding: Homemade butterscotch pudding is a caramel-flavored custard thickened with milk, eggs, pure vanilla extract, butter, and cornstarch. Learn how to make butterscotch pudding at home.
5. 5. Butterscotch sauce: Butterscotch sauce combines butterscotch and heavy cream for a thick, liquid consistency. Like caramel sauce, butterscotch is best served over ice cream, sundaes, or cheesecake. Many recipes add liquor, like whiskey or bourbon, for an aromatic, boozy warmth.