Butterfinger candy bars have a super crunchy texture and a crisp buttery flavor that make a wonderful Butterfinger cookie.
Quick to make with no chilling time required, these easy cookies are a great snack to enjoy anytime.
Why to Soften Butter for Butterfinger Cookies
Using softened butter in baking is important in creating a lofty texture. The technical explanation is when you cream softened butter with sugar, each sugar grain is thrust through the butter making a trail of minuscule air pockets. When exposed to heat during baking, the air pockets expand. This results in a light and fluffy cookie.
To recap—if the butter is too cold the sugar can’t create as many air pockets which gives you a heavy and dense result.
If the butter is too warm, the sugar can’t make any air pockets since the fat just collapses around the trails, this is one of the causes of a flat greasy cookie.
So now you know why softened butter is important in baking, the trick is what softened butter is and the best way to soften it.
What is Softened Butter?
The butter with still be in a cube, but when you press your finger into the butter it will easily dent with slight pressure.
How to Soften Butter
The simplest way to soften butter is to leave it out at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes depending on how cold it is.
Quick Ways to Soften Butter
So if planning ahead is not an option, resist the temptation to toss it in the microwave since that method doesn’t create butter that is uniformly soft so will not give you the best structure for creaming.
Instead, try these three methods for quickly softening butter.
- Use a hot water bath—microwave about a cup of water for 90 seconds. Nest another bowl over the bowl containing the hot water but shallow enough that the bottom of the bowl is above the surface of the water (you are constructing a double boiler) place the wrapped butter in the top bowl and rotate it to soften. Watch the butter carefully so it doesn’t melt
- Cut the butter into cubes—smaller chunks will soften more quickly and should be ready as you get the rest of your ingredients ready.
- Grate the butter—using the large side of a box grater, grate the butter to show more surface area. This will quickly soften the butter and make it ready to use.
Remember the pressure test of softened butter, if any of the methods above create butter that is too soft, simply pop it back into the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm it back up.
Cutting Candy Bars for Butterfinger Cookies
You can quickly chop the candy bars for these cookies using s chef’s knife. Unwrap the candy bars and coarsely chop the candy into medium-sized chunks.
- 5 Full-size Butterfinger Candy Bars
- 10 Fun size Butterfinger Candy Bars
- 20 Mini size Butterfinger Candy Bars
Butterfinger Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 32 cookies 1x
- Category: snack
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Quick and easy Butterfinger cookies ready in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature (see above)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 10 fun size Butterfinger candy bars, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda, salt, and flour. Set aside.
- Chop the Butterfingers into small to medium-sized chunks.
- In a large bowl cream together the softened butter, white sugar and brown sugar for five minutes with an electric mixer over medium speed.
- Beat the eggs into the creamed butter mixture.
- Gradually mix into the flour mixture until just combined.
- Stir in the chopped candy bar chunks with a spoon until evenly distributed.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, drop the cookie dough on the parchment-lined baking sheets. (The cookies will spread, so leave space around them.)
- Bake each tray for 10-11 minutes or until lightly browned. (Do not overbake.)
- Remove the tray from oven and let the cookies firm for 3 minutes on the baking sheets.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to allow to cool completely.
Notes
The cookies will be lightly colored when baked but will flatten slightly as they cool.
You can form the cookie dough into balls and arrange on a baking tray so the cookie dough balls don’t touch. Freeze for 1 hour until the cookie dough is frozen. Remove the frozen balls from the baking sheet and store in an label zip-close bag for up to three months. When ready to bake, arrange the frozen dough on parchment-lined baking sheets and cookie for 10-12 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
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