Butterscotch Cashew Bars

 
Printable Recipe 

This recipe comes from the cookbook "The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread"

Crust
2  2/3 cups flour
2 tsp kosher salt
1  1/4 cups cold butter
1 cup plus 2 tbsp brown sugar

Topping
1  2/3 cups butterscotch chips
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp light corn syrup
3  1/2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 cups cashews, roasted and salted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12x17" sheet pan lightly with softened butter and line it with aluminum foil, pressing the foil up the sides of the pan and into the corners. Grease the foil with softened butter.


To make the crust: In a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Dice the cold butter into 1-inch pieces and place half into the food processor with the flour. Pulse for a few minutes. Add half of the brown sugar and pulse again, then add the remaining butter and brown sugar and process for 20-30 seconds until a coarse meal is formed and the dough is just beginning to gather into a ball.

If you don't have a food processor, follow the same procedure but cut the butter into the flour, alternating with the brown sugar, using a pastry blender to form a coarse meal. The dough will be a little crumbly but will almost form a ball.

Spread the crust evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Pat it gently and evenly into the pan all the way to the corners. Be careful not to pack it down too much or the crust will be tough. Bake it 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, then prick the dough lightly with a fork all over, and return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes. The crust should be slightly browned and soft to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool for several minutes. Do not turn off the oven.


To Make the Topping: In a medium saucepan, add the butterscotch chips, corn syrup, butter, water, and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the chips have melted completely and the topping has just begun to simmer, about 5 minutes.

Stir the cashew pieces into the hot topping and spread it evenly over the baked crust. Try to spread it out to the corners if possible, but the topping will spread into any bare spots during baking. Bake again for 11-15 minutes, or until the surface is brown and very bubbly
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 Allow the bars to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting them.