These Salted Chocolate Butterscotch and Toffee Pudding Cookies with Cashews are rich, chewy, lightly crisp around the edges, and full of sweet, buttery flavor. They were made by request, and it is easy to see why they became such a favorite. Each cookie has the cozy taste of butterscotch, the deep flavor of dark chocolate, crunchy toffee bits, and lightly salted cashews pressed right on top.

If you have never baked pudding cookies before, this is a wonderful recipe to try. The “secret ingredient” is instant pudding mix, stirred directly into the cookie dough. It gives the cookies a soft, tender center while helping the outside bake up with just the right amount of delicate crispness. The result is a cookie that feels bakery-style but is still simple enough to make at home without complicated steps.

This version uses butterscotch instant pudding mix for a warm, caramel-like flavor that pairs beautifully with chocolate and toffee. Butter rum extract adds another layer of buttery sweetness, while a small splash of Buttershots liqueur deepens the butterscotch flavor even more. The dough comes together quickly, making it a dependable cookie recipe when you want something special without spending all day in the kitchen.

The combination of textures is what makes these chocolate butterscotch pudding cookies stand out. The toffee bits melt slightly into the dough, the dark chocolate pieces become rich and soft, and the cashews add a salty crunch. A light sprinkle of kosher salt over the tops may seem like a small detail, but it is important. The salt balances the sweetness and makes the chocolate, butterscotch, and toffee flavors taste even better.

Do not skip the salt if you enjoy sweet and salty desserts. These cookies are designed to have that perfect contrast: sweet dough, buttery toffee, smooth chocolate, and a savory finish from the cashews and kosher salt. They are especially good when served with coffee, milk, or packed as a lunchbox treat.

The dough is easy to work with and does not require any fancy equipment. Once the butter and sugars are creamed together, the pudding mix, eggs, flavorings, and dry ingredients are added. After the toffee bits are mixed in, the dough is shaped into large walnut-sized balls. Each cookie is gently flattened, then topped with pieces of chocolate and three whole salted cashews before baking.

One important tip for this recipe is not to overbake the cookies. When they come out of the oven, the centers will not look fully done. That is exactly how they should look. The cookies continue to set as they cool, leaving the centers soft and tender instead of dry. The edges should be lightly browned, but the middle should still appear slightly underbaked.

This recipe makes about 28 to 30 cookies, depending on how large you shape them. If your kitchen has cookie lovers nearby, you may want to make a double batch. These salted chocolate butterscotch toffee pudding cookies tend to disappear quickly, especially when they are fresh from the oven and the chocolate is still soft.

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Whether you are baking for family, neighbors, after-school snacks, lunchbox surprises, or a simple weekend dessert, these cookies are a delicious choice. They are sweet, salty, chewy, crunchy, and packed with flavor in every bite. If pudding cookies are new to you, this butterscotch, chocolate, toffee, and cashew version is a memorable place to start.

Yield: approx. 28 – 30 cookies

Salted Chocolate Butterscotch & Toffee Pudding Cookies with Cashews

Ingredients

• 2¼ cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 sticks real butter, softened
• 1/4 cup regular sugar
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 (3.4 oz.) box butterscotch instant pudding mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. butter rum extract
• 1 1/2 Tbl. Buttershots Liqueur
• 1/2 cup toffee bits, plain or chocolate covered
• 1 (3.5 oz.) pkg. Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate Toffee Interlude squares, broken into 12 pieces per square; use 3 pieces per cookie
• Whole salted cashews, 3 per cookie, approximately 90
• Kosher salt, approximately 2 tsp.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F (175º C).
2. Whisk together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.
4. Beat in the instant pudding mix just until blended. Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, butter rum extract, and liqueur.
5. Blend in the flour mixture and toffee bits.
6. Drop the cookie dough by large rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets and roll into large balls, about the size of a large walnut. Lightly press each cookie flatter with the palm of your hand.
7. Tuck pieces of chocolate halfway into each cookie. Lightly press 3 cashews onto the top of each cookie.
8. Lightly sprinkle the tops with kosher salt as desired.
9. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. The edges should be lightly browned, but the centers will not look fully done. Do not overbake.
10. Carefully remove the cookies from the baking sheet and transfer them to a rack to cool.
11. The cookies will look underdone at first, but they will set as they cool.
12. Store in an airtight container on the counter.