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cashews

Honey Nut Bars

September 25, 2020 by sblades Leave a Comment

Honey Nut Bars

New holiday recipes are so much fun to test out and experiment with. Every year I try to include at least one new candy or cookie on the friends and neighbors’ Christmas trays.

I’m starting testing this year with these Honey Nut Bars that have been in my little “To Try” packet for years. So many recipes, so little time.

Honey Nut Bars

Honey is a tricky ingredient in baking. You have to be absolutely determined to get the best honey you can find. This is a good opportunity to try your local honey products.

Did you know that local honey is supposedly more healthy for you than others? Since local bees make it, they bring back pollen from local plants. There aren’t conclusive official tests, but some people swear their allergies are better after consuming local honey.

Also, local honey isn’t filtered and is usually unprocessed, unlike store brands. Pure honey is supposed to be better for your health.

Be sure you do like honey because these Honey Nut Bars are loaded with it and you can really taste the honey in every bite!

Honey Nut Bars

I halved the original recipe, so if you feel you need more bars, just double everything. I’ve included the halved measurements in the Tips and Stuff section of the recipe below. You’ll want to cut these in small squares, as the honey really makes them sweet and rich.

There’s a nice shortbready base that’s loaded with a honey-butter caramel sauce and nuts galore. I used salted-roasted almonds, cashews and pistachios – three of my favorites. Walnuts would be good too, and the original recipe calls for hazelnuts.

Hazelnuts and I have a unsavory/unpleasant past history together, so I don’t put them in anything. Use what you’d like, though.

I’m not sure these bars are right for my delivered, wrapped Christmas trays, but I can see them on a pretty holiday tray. They’d be nice (and unique) on a holiday or potluck party table for sure.

Honey Nut Bars

Honey Nut Bars

Yield: 20
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Definite honey flavor in a sweet bar topped with butter-honey-caramel sauced nuts. Cut small pieces!

Ingredients

  • For the Base:
  • 1 tbsp plus 3/4 C cold butter, divided and chopped
  • 2 1/3 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • For the Topping:
  • 2/3 C honey
  • 1/2 C packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp butter, cubed
  • 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • 3/4 C roasted, salted cashews
  • 1/2 C roasted, salted almonds
  • 3/4 C pistachios

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line an 13x9" pan with aluminum foil, hanging the ends over the edges to lift out after baked. Grease the aluminum foil liberally with 1 tbsp butter - sides and bottom.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk together. Cut in the remaining 6 tbsp butter with your fingers and combine until you have coarse crumbs and the butter is distributed. Stir in the egg and combine completely. Firmly press into the prepared pan (layer will be rather thin).
  3. Bake the base for 15-18 minutes until the edges are light golden brown. Set on a wire rack and prepare the topping.
  4. For the topping, in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the honey, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a low boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Boil for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes without stirring. Stir in the butter and cream (may boil up a little, be careful) and return to a low boil. Cook and stir on medium-low for 1 minute, until smooth and cream is completely incorporated. Remove pan from heat and stir in the nuts. Stir to coat all of the nuts evenly.
  5. Pour the cooked mixture into the pan, spreading out evenly to the edges.
  6. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the topping is bubbly. Remove to a rack and cool completely.
  7. Lift out the bars carefully (they'll be bendy) by the aluminum foil, then slowly peel off the foil (it may stick a bit) and discard. Cut into small bars (about 1 1/2").

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

Here are half the ingredients, except for the nuts  (make in an 8x8" pan):

For the Base:

1/2 tbsp, plus 6 tbsp cold butter, divided and chopped

1 C, plus 2 tbsp, plus 2 tsp of all-purpose flour

1/4 C sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 egg (1 1/2 tbsp) , lightly beaten

Topping:

1/3 C honey

1/4 C packed brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

3 tbsp butter, cubed

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp heavy cream

1/2 C cashews

1/4 C almonds

6 tbsp pistachios

Follow instructions as written.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1 bar
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 259Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 217mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 3g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© Adapted from TOH Barbara Driscoll
Category: Bars
Honey Nut Bars

Filed Under: All Recipes, Bars Tagged With: almonds, cashews, holiday desserts, honey, honey bars, nut bars, pistachios

Butterscotch Cashew Bars

March 9, 2019 by sblades Leave a Comment

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

Filed Under: All Recipes, Bars Tagged With: butterscotch, butterscotch bars, cashew bars, cashews, dessert, snack bars, Taste of Home

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Welcome!  I’m Susan and I love finding wonderful new recipes.  I hope you’ll find a few new ones here that you and your family will love. Browse around and stay a while!Save

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