Butterscotch Squares From a Vintage Childrens' Cookbook

by Marisa McClellan, Posted Nov 17th 2008 @ 2:33PM

Last night, some friends came over to help us recover the used dining room chairs I found at a thrift store in Chestertown, MD last summer. In return for their labor (and since they are far craftier and handier than either Scott or I, they did the vast majority of the work) I made dinner and dessert. Dinner was a big pot of Beef and Barley Stew (which was delicious but dreadfully unphotogenic) and for sweet treat, I whipped up one of the easiest bar cookies I know.

From Fun With Cooking, I've been making this recipe for Butterscotch Squares since I was nine years old. There are many wonderful things about this bar cookie, including the fact that I almost always have every ingredient on hand. Also it mixes up in a single saucepan (you don't even need to rig up a double boiler like you do for brownies) and the texture can either be crispy or tender, depending on length of baking time. They go great with ice cream, coffee or tea and keep really well (if you happen to have any leftover).

Butterscotch Squares
from Fun With Cooking by Mae Blacker Freeman

1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (I use kosher salt because I like the slightly larger grain of it)
1/2 chopped nutmeats (I use finely chopped pecans that have been toasted, their flavor ups the sophistication level of these humble squares)

Melt the butter over medium heat in a 2 quart saucepan.
When the butter is melted, add the brown sugar and stir until melted and bubbly
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
After letting the sugar mixture cool for a couple of minutes, add a spoonful of it to the beaten egg and stir it in to temper the egg. Add a few more spoonfuls to be sure that the hot butter/sugar/vanilla mixture won't scramble your eggs.
Sift the dry ingredients together and stir them into the batter in the pot.
Add the pecans and stir to combine.
Line a square baking pan with parchment paper (they will stick terribly if you don't). For softer bars, use an 8 x 8 pan, for crispier ones, use a 9 x 9 one.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (shorter baking time also means a softer cookie).
Remove from pan (just by lifting the parchment paper) and cut immediately.
Store any leftovers in an air tight container.

Filed Under: Methods
Tags: baking, bar cookies, BarCookies, butterscotch squares, ButterscotchSquares, fun with cooking, FunWithCooking, mae blacker freeman, MaeBlackerFreeman, pantry cooking, PantryCooking, quick desserts, QuickDesserts

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

11-17-2008 @2:54PM Sarah said... Yum! That is pretty close to the ones my mom always made us :-)

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11-17-2008 @3:02PM Angela said... I, too, used to make a similar butterscotch square when I was young - maybe from a long lost Better Homes & Garden cookbook. I definitely prefer these over brownies. Thanks for posting the recipe - I am so happy to have it again.

Now I can teach my son how to make them.
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11-17-2008 @3:48PM Monika said... Take out the nuts and yum yum yum! I have to try these!
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11-18-2008 @9:44AM bug said... They sound wonderful! I may have to make some tonight. Do you use light brown or dark brown sugar, or does it even matter? (My initial thought would be to use light brown.)
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11-18-2008 @9:45AM Marisa McClellan said... Bug, I tend to use whatever brown sugar I happen to have in the kitchen. I've used dark and light both have turned out delicious butterscotch squares.
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1-01-2009 @12:22PM azon said... hi there, do you think this nice recipe would turn out a more moist if not same product if i were to steam it, would that even be possible? tnx, my kids love butterscotch but my oven isnt working now.
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1-01-2009 @12:23PM Marisa McClellan said... Hmm, I have no idea how it would work if you steamed it. If you try it, let us know how it turned out!
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