Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Butterscotch Bourbon Bars

Butterscotch.  Bourbon.  Bars.  I still remember the day in English class we learned about alliteration.  I may have hated English, and disliked a great many of my English teachers, but this is one concept I caught onto.  You may have noticed, while I’m not the best writer, I do enjoy playing with words here & there.  Don’t you just hate it when you realize later in life something you HATED learning in school you actually use/like/need in the real world?!  (Don’t even get me started on mathmatical expressions.  In high school I sat in math class learning expressions thinking “Screw this, I’ll never see this again in the real world.  I’m going to work in television.”  Yeah… expressions do pop up here and there as a video editor.  😛)

I digress.  Butterscotch Bourbon Bars certainly rolls off your tongue in a fun way, doesn’t it?  But ya know what’s more fun for your tongue?  Eating these.  I promise you that.  These bars have quickly moved to the top of the list in my Brownies & Bars category.  The #1 spot previously occupied in my heart, mind, and tummy was either the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bars, or the Cocoa Brownies with Peanut Butter Chips.  But you know what both of those are missing?  Alcohol, most importantly BOURBON.  You don’t have to be a bourbon lover, and you don’t have to be a lush to enjoy these.  There’s only a mere 2 Tablespoons in it, and I’d say most of the alcohol bakes out.  These do retain the subtle, yet complex, bourbon essence I enjoy so much.

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Butterscotch Bourbon Bars

adapted from frites & fries
Yields: 9 servings (So you may want to double and bake in a 9x13 pan!)

Ingredients:

1 c. (generous amount) unbleached all-purpose flour (pssst, I used 1/2 cup all purpose & 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour, you know, to make these "healthier")
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. light brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. butterscotch chips
2 Tablespoons bourbon (we love Bulleit)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and light brown sugar together. In another small bowl, whisk the butter, milk, vanilla, and egg. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry batter. Add in the bourbon and then fold in the butterscotch chips.

Pour the batter into a greased 9” square pan (I lined mine with parchment paper for really easy removal). The batter may seem dry because it doesn’t spread across the pan easily; use a spatula to cover the entire pan with the cookie batter. Bake for about 20 minutes; use a toothpick to test the center. The toothpick should not be completely clean but with very small bits of cookie dough on it.

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