Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Bars

Another sweet treat for my secret sweet treat exchange gal!

I saw these bars on Dinners for a Year and Beyond and while they looked delicious, I was puzzled by the lack of actual butterscotch.  So, I decided to make up for this by using half chocolate chips and half butterscotch chips.  Perfect!

INGREDIENTS
1C. Unsalted Butter, softened
1 3/4C. Brown Sugar, packed
1T. Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1C. Dark Chocolate Chips
1C. Butterscotch Chips
2 1/2C. Flour
1t. Baking Powder
1t. Salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.

Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until creamy.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt – set aside.

Beat eggs into the butter and sugar mixture.

Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir in 1/2C. of the chocolate chips and 1/2C. butterscotch chips.

Spread into prepared pan and sprinkle remaining chips on top.

Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan.

Husband Rating – 3.5 out of 5 – Very good, verging on too sweet.

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Samoas Bars

I love girl scout cookies…especially samoas.  There’s something about the combination of chocolate, coconut and caramel that I just love.  Unfortunately, my co-worker’s Granddaughter – my only source of said cookies – only sells them one precious time per year.  But, after finding this recipe on Beantown Baker I can fulfill my samoas craving whenever it hits.

These do take a bit of time, as each step has to cool completely before you put them together, but it’s definitely worth it!  I skipped the step at the end where you dip the bottom of the shortbread into the chocolate…mine was a little too crumbly to do that…but they’re absolutely delicious even without it.

INGREDIENTS
Cookie Base:
1/2C. Sugar
3/4C. Butter, softened
1 Egg
1/2t. Vanilla extract
2C. All purpose flour
1/4t. Salt

Topping:
3C. Shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened) – I used sweetened
12-oz Chewy caramels – I used the Kraft caramel bits
1/4t. Salt
3T. Milk
10 oz. Dark or semisweet chocolate

DIRECTIONS
First, make the crust.

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepared pan and press into an even layer.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.

When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter.

Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper – I used a spoon to spread some melted chocolate on the bottom of each bar. I then laid them chocolate side up to set the chocolate.

Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Almost as good as the original.  The guys at work loved these too!”

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