Sweet Melissa Sundays: Butterscotch Cashew Bars

This is my first recipe from Sweet Melissa Sundays. But, due to my busy Sunday, I made this on Monday!

I made these while I was making the taco ring. The recipe was really quite simple. They tasted good. My son says AWESOME. They aren't my favorite bars, but they were good. I would even try another nut on top.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

11 ounces butterscotch chips

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water

2 cups roasted salted whole cashews

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9″x 13″ pan with cooking spray. Using two sheets of parchment paper or foil, line the pan’s width and length, creating a “sling.” Spray parchment paper with cooking spray.

2. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and salt for 1 to 1 & 1/2 minutes. Decrease mixer speed to low and add the flour. Mix just until combined.

3. Lightly press dough evenly into the prepared pan. Poke holes in the dough with a fork. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the crust is a golden color. Remove to wire rack to cool.

4. In a heavy saucepan over low heat, stir together butterscotch chips, corn syrup, and water. Stir until mixture comes to a simmer and butterscotch chips are melted. Pour over crust.

5. Sprinkle cashews over the butterscotch caramel. Bake for 5 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. After cooling, remove from pan and use a very sharp knife to cut into bars.

Yield: Makes 2 dozen 2-inch bars.