Butterscotch Bars with Cashews and Chocolate Chips

Cashews are my favorite of all nuts, whether it is for snacking, baking or stir- frying.  It reminds me of the time growing up in the Philippines. Once a year, our family would go to Antipolo, a city 25 kilometers east of Manila, to visit the “Our Lady of Antipolo Shrine”. The trip won’t be complete without buying  suman (a local delicacy made from glutinous rice), locally grown mangoes and cashews to take home. So I was quite excited when I found this Butterscotch Bars with Cashews and Chocolate Chips recipe and I wanted to try it right away. I was not disappointed; my family and I love it.

The original recipe calls for 1 1/3 cups of brown sugar. When I saw that corn syrup and chocolate chips are also part of the ingredients, I decided to reduce the amount of brown sugar in half. Baking time may vary depending on the oven being used. Mine took 40 minutes to bake and on my second try, I even baked it 5 minutes longer. The butterscotch turned out brown on top and tasted delicious despite using less sugar. My husband is not a big fan of cookies and bars. So I was surprised when I saw him eating the freshly baked bars and going for seconds. That is why I already made it twice this week 😀

Butterscotch Bars with Cashews and Chocolate Chips

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Serves: 24 bars

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup salted butter, melted
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup corn syrup
• ¾ cup raw cashew nuts, coarsely chopped
• ⅓ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 340°F.
2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat at low speed for 1 minute.
4. Switch to medium speed and beat for 1 more minute. Add the eggs and beat at low speed for 30 seconds. Add the vanilla flavor and beat at medium speed for 30 seconds.
5. Add the flour mixture and half of the chopped cashew nuts; mix at low speed for 1 minute. Scrape the bottom and the sides of the bowl.
6. Warm the corn syrup in the microwave for 1 minute and then add to the mixture. Mix at low speed until well incorporated.
7. Pour the batter onto a greased 9”X 13” baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining cashews and chocolate chips, if using.
8. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
9. Let the butterscotch cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
10. Let it cool completely before slicing.
11. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe adapted from Goldilocks Bakebook.

3.5.3208