Salted Cashew Butterscotch Bars

Butterscotch lovers beware!   You will love, love, love these bars and find it hard to resist chowing down the whole pan.  They are rich - I mean really, really rich and buttery.  The salty cashews on top does cut the richness a little, but they're still best with a big glass of milk.  The short crust is made with brown sugar instead of regular granulated sugar, which adds to the butterscotch flavor and I like it so much I may try using it for the base of some sort of fruit - pear or apple - tart or bar.  Yum!!

from The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bakery

Yield: 12x17 pan, 25 bars

For the Crust 

2 2/3 cups (13.68 ounces) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) unsalted butter, cold

1 1/8 cups (8.82 ounces) light brown sugar, packed

For the Topping 

1 2/3 (10 ounces) butterscotch chips

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (7.23 ounces) light corn syrup

3 1/2 tablespoons (1.76 ounces) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) water

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups (9.03 ounces) salted cashew pieces

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 12x17 inch sheet pan lightly and line it with aluminum foil, pressing the foil up the sides of the pan and into the corners.  Grease the foil with softened butter. 

To make the crust:  In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the flour and salt.  Dice the butter into 1-inch pieces and place half in the food processor with the flour.  Pulse for a few seconds.  Add half of the brown sugar and pulse again.  Add the remaining butter and brown sugar and process for 20-30 seconds until a coarse meal is formed and the dough is just beginning to gather into a ball. (If you don’t have a food processor you can use a pastry blender to do this.) 

Spread the crust evening in the prepared pan.  Pat it gently and evening into the pan all the way into the corners, but do not pack it down too much or the crust will be tough.  Bake for about 5 minutes, then prick all over with a fork, return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes until the crust is slightly browned and soft to the touch. 

To make the topping: In a medium saucepan, add the butterscotch chips, corn syrup, butter, water, and salt, and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the butterscotch chips have melted completely and the topping has just begun to simmer, about 5 minutes. 

Stir the cashew pieces into the hot topping and spread it evenly over the baked crust.  

Bake again for 11-15 minutes.  The longer you bake it, the more firm the topping will be.  If you want a chewy, caramel-like topping bake for closer to 11 minutes, for a firm topping bake for closer to 15. 

Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting them into pieces.

Recipe Source: http://onceuponatable.typepad.com/once-upon-a-table/page/2/