These easy Keto Butterscotch Bars have all the flavor of oatmeal scotchies with a fraction of the carbs! Tender and chewy, and packed with sweet butterscotch flavor.
Have you noticed that keto-friendly baking products are ephemeral things? New items come and go at lightening speed, it seems. And other well-loved products change formulas, and not always for the better.
As the self-proclaimed keto baking expert, this complicates my life at times. If I can’t rely on a standard product with widespread availability, it makes it hard to do my job! But I still strive to do my best.
About 4 years ago, Lily’s came out with some sugar-free butterscotch baking chips. I was delighted by that development and quickly created these Keto Butterscotch Bars to test them out. I also tried them in some Keto Magic Cookie Bars as well as some chewy Keto Butterscotch Cookies.
They now appear to be discontinued, despite the fact that they were an incredibly popular item. ChocZero stepped up to fill the void with their own version, which are also delicious (but they are currently sold out!).
Still, I thought it was worth updating these delicious keto cookie bars and offering you some options. Because they really are delicious!
Why this recipe is so phenomenal
If you love butterscotch flavors, these tasty keto blondies are for you. They are chewy and sweet, with all that buttery caramel flavor. And they have a delicious oatmeal-like texture too.
I took some inspiration from my Keto Oatmeal Cookies, using the flaked coconut and sliced almonds as the base. But I made them even gooier, with plenty of brown butter and brown sugar substitute to really bring out that butterscotch flavor.
I also discovered some delicious butterscotch extract, which helps intensify the flavor. Which means that you don’t need to rely on the elusive butterscotch chips to enjoy these bars. They are good with regular chocolate chips or with some of Lily’s caramel chocolate chips. Honestly, it’s just icing on the cake!
Recipe reviews
“YUM, these are tast-EEE!! I used the butterscotch extract. These stay together after cutting WHEN THEY ARE COMPLETELY COOLED, trust the recipe. Thanks for another great one Carolyn!” — Karinc5
“OM GOOOD! These are super delicious just like every other one of your recipes that I’ve made. Thank you!!!” — Linda
“Carolyn, is there anything you CAN’T do? The idea to use coconut flakes and sliced almonds to mimic oatmeal is positively brilliant. These were so delicious and a welcome improvement over the original.” — Carrie
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: These bars use browned butter, so butter is a must! It can be salted or unsalted, that’s up to you.
- Almonds: When coarsely ground, sliced almonds have a similar texture to oats. Make sure you aren’t using slivered almonds, as they are much thicker and won’t provide the same consistency.
- Coconut: Use unsweetened flaked coconut, such as Let’s Do Organic. Shredded coconut doesn’t work as well, since it’s smaller to begin with. If that’s all you can find, don’t process it with the almonds. Simply add it in along with the other dry ingredients.
- Almond flour: This helps give the bars some structure, along with the sliced almonds and flaked coconut.
- Sweetener: My keto brown sugar substitute is perfect for these bars.
- Collagen: I like to use a little collagen to give these bars a chewy quality. It’s an optional ingredient. Perfect Keto Caramel collagen is delightful in these!
- Extract: Vanilla, caramel, or butterscotch extract all work in this recipe.
- Keto butterscotch chips: If you can’t get your hands on these, use more chocolate chips or use white chocolate chips. See me tips selection below for more options.
- Kitchen staples: Eggs, baking powder, and salt.
Step by step directions
1. Brown the butter: In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until it becomes a deep amber color. Watch carefully, do not let it over-brown (if it froths and you can’t see the color, stir it a little bit). Set aside to cool.
2. Process the nuts: In a food processor, combine the flaked coconut and sliced almonds. Pulse a few times until the mixutre resembles oat flakes. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Combine the ingredients: Whisk in the almond flour, sweeteners, baking powder, and salt, then add the browned butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined. Stir in half of the butterscotch chips, reserving the remainder for the top. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Transfer dough to pan. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into an 8×8 metal baking pan lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake the bars. Bake at 325ºF for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and just barely firm to the touch. Remove and sprinkle with the remaining butterscotch chips.
6. Cut into bars: Let cool in the pan, then lift out by the edges of the parchment and cut into bars. Sprinkle lightly with flaked sea salt, if desired.
Tips for Success
Take the time to brown the butter, as this helps deepen that unique butterscotch flavor. Then make sure to let it cool properly before adding it to the bars so it doesn’t cook the egg or melt the chips.
Line the baking pan with parchment paper. These are soft, tender bars, and this will allow you to lift them out more easily after they cool. Let them cool completely before attempting to lift them out and cut them up. They will be fragile and quite crumbly if you attempt it too early.
Sweetener Options: For best results, I recommend a brown sugar replacement. It can be erythritol or Allulose-based. If using allulose, keep a close eye on them in the oven as they may brown a little faster.
If you can’t find the butterscotch chips:
I recommend getting hold of some butterscotch flavoring. I have tried the ones from Savory Spice and Dolce Flav and both work well. Barring that, you can always use caramel extract instead.
Don’t skip the browned butter and brown sweetener, because both of these help amplify the butterscotch flavor. As for the chips, you can simply use chocolate, or even white chocolate, if you prefer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional butterscotch is high in sugar. But with the new low carb sweeteners becoming readily available and with butterscotch extracts, you easily replicate the flavor of butterscotch without the high carbs. If you are lucky, you can also find butterscotch chips at some grocery stores.
Store the bars in a covered container on the counter for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 10 days. You can also freeze them for several months. Bring the bars to room temperature before serving.
This keto butterscotch bar recipe has 6.1g of carbs and 3.1g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.0g net carbs per bar.
More delicious keto dessert bars
Keto Butterscotch Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter
- 3/4 cup (63.75 g) flaked coconut
- 3/4 cup (90 g) sliced almonds
- 3/4 cup (78 g) almond flour
- 2/3 cup (91 g) brown sugar replacement
- 1/4 cup (59.15 g) collagen protein, optional
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large (1) egg
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, (can sub caramel or butterscotch flavor)
- 1/3 cup (56.67 g) keto butterscotch chips
- 2 tbsp sugar free chocolate chips
- Flaked sea salt for sprinkling, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line an 8×8 metal baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until it becomes a deep amber color. Watch carefully, do not let it over-brown (if it froths and you can't see the color, stir it a little bit). Set aside to cool.
- In a food processor, combine the flaked coconut and sliced almonds. Pulse a few times until the mixutre resembles oat flakes. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Whisk in the almond flour, sweetener, collagen, baking powder, and salt, then add the browned butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined. Stir in half of the butterscotch chips, reserving the remainder for the top. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and just barely firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining butterscotch chips. Let cool in the pan, then lift out by the edges of the parchment and cut into bars. Sprinkle lightly with flaked sea salt, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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I have bad news that as of Jan 2025, ChocZero has discontinued their butterscotch chips (which means there are zero low carb butterscotch chips on the market right now). I spoke with a rep last week who said they’ve been shelved, but if enough people reach out they may reconsider, or they may launch them again as a limited holiday release. I expressed my disappointment and I hope you will too. The complaint coming from a well-know keto blogger like yourself would go much further than my input as an aspiring blogger who hasn’t yet officially launched my blog yet.
So good! I used maple extract as I’d just run out of vanilla. Can’t actually tell, but they are fantastic. 🙂
Hi love!! These are my favorites and I am devastated that I can’t find the lilies butterscotch chips anywhere anymore. Do you have any intel?? What can I do?? Would your caramel sauce be able to be chipped per say… idk help please!!! Love you!!
I’ve been finding them (cheap!) at Grocery Outlet – which may mean they’re being discontinued (?)
these turned out excellent. top of our go-to list.
YUM, these are tast-EEE!! I used the butterscotch extract. These stay together after cutting WHEN THEY ARE COMPLETELY COOLED, trust the recipe. Thanks for another great one Carolyn!
OM GOOOD! These are super delicious just like every other one of your recipes that I’ve made. Thank you!!!
So perfect! Followed recipe exactly and these are wonderful! I never knew the power of browning butter before. That makes all the difference!
I just made the butterscotch bars recipe from your cookbook and it is quite different from this one. The bars are very tasty but fell completely apart when we tried to take them out of the pan. Any suggestions?
They shouldn’t fall apart at all, they are basically blondies and I have many blondie recipes. Did you let them cool completely? Did they stick to the bottom of the pan? Did you use good almond flour? Did you use a different sweetener?
This recipe looks so amazing and I can’t wait to make it! Quick question, in the metric measurements the sliced almonds reads 177.44 grams, should it be 77.44? Just want to be sure before I make them. I have your book The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking, I love it! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes.
Thanks for the catch. The metric conversion is automatic and it’s got some big errors in it. I usually go in and fix the ones for almond flour but now I know I need to fix the ones for sliced almonds too! It’s more like 90g.
A real keeper. I love butterscotch and love this recipe.
Carolyn, is there anything you CAN’T do? The idea to use coconut flakes and sliced almonds to mimic oatmeal is positively brilliant. These were so delicious and a welcome improvement over the original.
Delicious! I will definitely make these again! will definitely use less sweetener next time. Questio for you, half would crumble as I took them out of the glass pan. I did use olden monk fruit and erithytal for the other sweetener. Any ideas on what could have caused this? Thank you.
Did you let them cool completely?
Kind of disappointed with these… I have had to cook them wayyyyyyy longer than recipe says. They are super wet in the middle every time I go to take them out. Is this normal and do they set as they cool?
Something DEFINITELY went wrong. 2 questions: 1. Did you bake them in ceramic or a non-metal pan? and 2. Did you use a different sweetener? Those will both be huge issues.
I had the same issue as Rebekah (7/21), they needed about 30 minutes to cook thoroughly and even when completely cool they sort of crumbled. And there was a LOT of melted butter in the bottom of the (metal) pan after I removed the bars. I double checked that I had measured everything correctly, also. Tasty, but….
1. Did you use a different sweetener? 2. Did you bake them in glass or ceramic?
I sadly have to rule out almonds…any suggestions as a replacement to go with the coconut flakes for the “oats”? This was a childhood FAVE of mine at Christmas so I’m over the moon to get them right…just hoping to find another nut to sub!
I just made these and they are delish!!! Thank you!!!
If I want to make these for a loved ones lunch box do I want them to be less gooy and maybe firmer? How would I accomplish that. I’m using BochaSweet.