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butterscotch

Divine Butterscotch Pie

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I do believe that this homemade Butterscotch Pie is one of the best pies I’ve ever made!

Butterscotch Pie
It’s a brown sugar and butter-based pie with plenty of whipping cream added in along with egg yolks and a little vanilla. Cook and stir, stir, stir and you’ve got the creamiest, most delectable pie filling you’ve ever had. (NOTHING like Jello-O butterscotch pie filling, trust me.)

In my younger days I didn’t like pie crust. My Mom could bake some really good desserts, but I didn’t like her homemade pie crust. I’d eat the filling out of the pies and leave the crust. She didn’t take too kindly to that and wouldn’t let me eat pie because I threw the crust away. I was ten – I’ve gotten much more polite since then.

Butterscotch Pie

After I discovered different pie crusts (graham cracker, shortbread, good flour-based pie crust), I found out that homemade pie is fantastic! Cakes and cookies are still tops on my list, but a really good pie is climbing up that list fast.

I made this for a dinner party last week and it went over well, so I made it again for some good photos. The first try at crust in a 9″ pan shrank up and was hideous. I pulled out the 8″ deep-dish pie plate and tried again. It was fairly successful, but still shrank up a little. I’m gonna have to get better at crusts so this perfect pie filling will have someplace nice to be.

Butterscotch Pie

Although this Butterscotch Pie is fairly easy to throw together, be patient when stirring everything together while it’s cooking. You want a smooth, creamy texture and if you’ll give it a little time, it’ll be perfect.

I’ve made this pie twice this week and it will definitely be in my regular rotation not only for special occasions, but also when we’re wanting a divine, luscious pie!

Butterscotch Pie

*Adapted slightly from Midwest Living True Butterscotch Pie

Butterscotch Pie

Butterscotch Pie

Yield: 10
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes

Creamy, dreamy butterscotch pie. Smooth, cooked filling - a fantastic homemade pie.

Ingredients

  • Baked and cooled 8 or 9" pie crust
  • 1 1/4 C packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 C butter
  • 1/3 C all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 C heavy whipping cream
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 3 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Whipped Cream Topping
  • 1 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 C powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. Bake pie crust and prepare filling while it cools.
  2. For the filling: In a medium nonstick saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and 1/4 cup butter. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until smooth , about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup of the brown sugar, and cornstarch. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter/brown sugar mixture, stirring to combine. (It will be a thick paste.) Gradually add the whipping cream while stirring to mix it in. Return the saucepan to medium heat and stir constantly until thickened and simmering. Reduce heat to low and cook/stir for 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat.
  4. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks together. Get 1 cup of the hot filling and slowly drizzle into the egg yolks, constantly whisking. Add the yolk mixture into the hot filling, stirring constantly. Bring the filling to a simmer over medium heat (still stirring). Reduce the heat and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
  5. After the butter is melted and mixed in, pour the filling into the cooled pie crust. Gently shake to remove air bubbles. Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature, then cover the pie filling surface with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at 2-3 hours before serving.
  6. When ready to serve, prepare the whipped cream: Pour the whipping cream into a clean medium bowl and beat with for 1-2 minutes until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds to 1 minute more until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie (or put the whipped cream in a bowl and make it available to your guests). If you have any leftovers, store covered in the refrigerator.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

The filling will look like it has brown sugar lumps in it when you're combining everything, but don't worry - they'll smooth out by the end.

This is a creamy pie - it won't firm up a lot.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1191Total Fat: 79gSaturated Fat: 38gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 36gCholesterol: 172mgSodium: 743mgCarbohydrates: 109gFiber: 5gSugar: 33gProtein: 13g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© MidWest Living
Category: Pies/Pastry/Puddings

Butterscotch Cashew Bars

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Butterscotch Cashew Bars
This week I stumbled across a bag full of hundreds recipes that I’ve been collecting for almost 20 years! Bret used to laugh when I would say “someday I’m gonna make all these recipes.” Hah! I’ll show him!

Lately I’ve been a little frustrated at the lack of new, inventive recipes, and am so excited to have rediscovered this bag. One of the first recipes I pulled out is these Butterscotch Cashew Bars from an old Taste of Home magazine (Lori Berg, creator).


I had all of the ingredients on hand and whipped up these babies this morning. Bret can’t eat most nuts, but does like cashews, and we both love butterscotch. And don’t forget the incredible shortbread crust all this good stuff sits on top of.

Butterscotch Cashew Bars

These Butterscotch Cashew Bars are exactly what I thought they would be. Very buttery, delicious shortbread base, perfect chewy caramely butterscotch filling, then sprinkled with fresh lightly salted cashews.

Such simple ingredients come together to make an outstanding sweet/salty dessert or snack bar. They’re fairly rich, so I cut them rather small – about 1 1/2 x 2″.

Even though they’re quick to make, you’ll need to give them an hour or so to cool. They’re a terrific little bar that we just can’t stop eating.

I halved the original recipe (original recipe TOH link above) and they came out perfectly. You’ll like these and they’ll be very, very popular at your next family gathering.

Butterscotch Cashew Bars

Butterscotch Cashew Bars

Yield: 2 dozen
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Buttery shortbread base with a chewy butterscotch filling, then sprinkled with lightly salted cashews.  Amazing!

Ingredients

  • Shortbread
  • 1/2 C plus 1 tbsp butter, softened
  • 7 tbsp packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/4 C all-purpose four
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • Topping
  • 7 oz butterscotch chips
  • 1/4 C plus 1 tbsp light corn syrup
  • 1 1/2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp water
  • 1 1/4 C salted cashew halves

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line a 9x9" pan with aluminum foil with two ends longer so you can lift the bars out after cooled.
  2. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar.  Add the flour and salt to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. 
  3. Press the dough into the pan and prick four or five times with a fork.  Bake for 12-13 minutes until lightly browned. 
  4. After you remove the shortbread from the oven, press it down gently, but firmly (this will compact the base a bit), using folded paper towels or the bottom of a smooth glass.  Be careful - it's hot!
  5. When the shortbread has 5 minutes left to cook, make the topping.  In a medium saucepan combine the butterscotch chips, corn syrup, butter, and water.  Cook and stir over medium-low heat until the chips and butter are melted and smooth.  Spread the mixture evenly over the crust.
  6. Sprinkle the cashews on top of the topping and press in them in gently, taking care of the hot mixture.  Bake for 12-13 minutes or until topping is bubbly.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack, then after completely cooled, pull out of the pan and remove the aluminum foil.  Cut into bars and serve.

Notes

Not many tips on this one because it's so easy to make. The original recipe is doubled and made in a 15x10" sheet pan, so if you need a bunch, do that.

Stir the butterscotch mixture until completely smooth, smushing down the little butterscotch pieces with a spoon to blend more. This mixture is hot, so be careful.

Next time I'll stir the cashews into the melted butterscotch mixture, just to make it easier!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 bar
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 113Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 138mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© Taste of Home, Lori Berg
Category: Bars

Maple Butterscotch Brownies

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We’re always looking for something sweet after dinner and lately the pickins’ have been a little slim. I have a tendency to give away part or all of the desserts I make because we usually can’t eat the entire dessert before it goes stale or becomes another shade of ookie.

Browsing the cookbook shelf (shelves), I pulled out Taste of Homes’s Complete Guide to Baking from 2004. I was looking for something that had simple ingredients already in the cabinet and these Maple Butterscotch Brownies jumped out at me.

They’re easy to throw together and bake up nicely into a moist, lightly sweet, wonderfully maple-flavored bar.

Maple Butterscotch Brownies

The recipe is slightly altered to use pecans on top instead of walnuts in the batter. I think pecans and maple just go together and it’s just right on this combination. Plus, Bret the pecan hater can pick it off the top if he wants to.

Anything with maple flavoring is tops on my list, and these bars are chuck full of that Vermont tree juice. It’s one of those bars that you keep going back to and sneaking a bit here and there. I can always blame it on the dog, I guess.

Maple Butterscotch Brownies2

We’ll be finishing these Maple Butterscotch Brownies for sure and not be giving any away – this time at least.

Bret thinks they need frosting, but he thinks everything except barbecue needs frosting. Don’t let the simplicity of these bars fool you – they are packed with flavor and are wonderful.

Maple Butterscotch Brownies3

Maple Butterscotch Brownie dough before being baked

Maple Butterscotch Brownies

Yield: 16 - 20
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Wonderful little maple-flavored snacking bars.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 C packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 C melted butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp maple flavoring
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 20 pecan halves

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare an 8 or 9" square pan with parchment paper (or spray with Pam).
  2. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter and maple flavoring.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add slowly into the egg mixture and mix.
  3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and place the pecan halves in rows on top of the batter, pressing lightly so they won't fall off.  
  4. Bake bars at 350 degrees for 27-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.  Cut into 16 - 20 bars.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

The original recipe added 1 cup of chopped walnuts to the batter.  That would be fine, although I think pecans go better with the maple flavor.

You can dust powdered sugar over the top if you want them to look prettier.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1 bar
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 134Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 100mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 2g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© sblades
Category: Bars

Butterscotch Spoonnoodles

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Butterscotch Spoonnoodles

There’s a debate whether Butterscotch Spoonnoodles is a cookie or a candy.  It seems more like a candy to me – butterscotch-coated pecans and chow mein noodles ingredients dropped onto waxed paper. 

This recipe has been passed down through my family and always called a cookie, though, but we’ll compromise and call it both.

I make these ‘cookies’ occasionally throughout the year, but mainly at Christmas. I love the combination of flavors and often use fresh pecans from our own trees (eight of them in our front yard). The best thing is that sweet/salty combination.

It’s hard to stop eating them. Butterscotch Spoonnoodles are quite addictive.

 

Butterscotch Spoonoodles

This recipe has been in our family forever and I’m not sure how or when they got their unique name. It’s cute, though, and fun to say.

This has to be my favorite cookie/candy hands down and I’ve never seen it published anywhere else. Although it has chow mein noodles in it, it’s not the haystack that you’re used to. 

Honey is the ingredient that really kicks it up a notch and gives the butterscotch a sweet richness that is just heavenly.  They’re chewy, crunchy, buttery, sweet and salty. 

Years ago I submitted them to the Good Morning America cookie contest and was runner-up. *Pat on back*

Spoonnoodles1

Fairly easy to stir together, Butterscotch Spoonnoodles are tops on my good stuff list.

I think you’ll really like these unusual little ‘cookies.’  Er, candies.

 

Butterscotch Spoonnoodles

Butterscotch Spoonnoodles

Yield: 4 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

*****The best and fairly simple to throw together.

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups chow mein noodles
  • 1 Cup coarsely chopped nuts
  • 1/3 Cup honey
  • 1/4 Cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 package, (6 oz or 1 Cup) butterscotch morsels

Instructions

  1. Combine the chow mein noodles and nuts in a medium bowl; set aside.  Combine honey, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt in saucepan and bring to full boil over moderate heat, stirring constantly. 
  2. Remove from the heat and add butterscotch morsels.  Stir until melted and smooth.  Pour over noodles and nuts, mix gently until coated. (Careful - the mixture is hot.) Drop by tablespoon onto wax paper.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

Be patient after adding the morsels to the hot honey/butter sauce.  It may take a few minutes to get the mixture smooth.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 48 Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 44Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 45mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g
© sblades
Category: Candy