Monday, June 20, 2011

Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars

Hope all of you had a great day yesterday with some delicious food.  We tried a couple new recipes that I will share later because today I want to share these little pieces of heaven.

Since spring is past and I never got around to cleaning out my cupboards like I wanted to (spring cleaning is so overrated!), I figured should at least go through my kitchen cupboards and see what I had forgotten about.  It's not like I have that many cupboards it's just that I'm not 7 feet tall and can't see at the back of the top shelf, anybody with me on that?
In the process I found 2 cans of key lime pie filling and 6 bags of butterscotch chips that I seriously couldn't believe I didn't know about it?

How could I forget about that.  Thank goodness nothing was expired because I think I would of sat down and cried about those butterscotch chips.
Then naturally instead of finishing my cupboard look through, I went and found a recipe that I could make with those pieces of delectableness.  I settled on this fabulous one.

I am loving bar recipes lately.  They are so easy, fast, and yummy.  The taste of a cookie but done all at the same time. 
Perfect!

Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars


Bars:
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. butterscotch chips
1 c. butter (2 sticks)
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 t. vanilla 
Glaze:
1/2 c. butterscotch chips
4 T. dark brown sugar
2 T. water
1/4 t. salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, letting the foil hang over the each short edge by one or two inches. Lightly grease the foil with cooking spray.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Place the 3/4 cup butterscotch chips in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and let the butter cook until golden brown in color, about 10 minutes, taking care not to burn. Pour the hot butter over the butterscotch chips and whisk together until melted and smooth. Whisk in the brown sugar until combined. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, just until incorporated.

3.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top, spreading the batter evenly to the edges. Bake the bars until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 16-18 minutes.

4.  While the bars bake, place the 1/2 cup butterscotch chips, brown sugar, water and salt in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the mixture until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes on 50% power. Whisk to combine well. (The recipe takes into account the fact that I doubled this part.  I wanted more of a frosting than a drizzle) Spread the glaze over the warm bars. Let the bars cool completely in the pan. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil overhang and cut into squares. Serve.  Enjoy!

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe


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