Double Chunk Butterscotch Brownies

Remember the Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Bars that I made recently? You know, the ones that I said were so great and yummy and perfect? Well, I made a mistake.

You see, those bars are good. They are easy. They are quick. They make a nice big batch and will likely impress your friends even though you know that they only took you about 10 minutes to put together. But those bars are not these bars...

The problem is that both recipes come from the same book. I have the memory of a gnat and I confused the two bar recipes when I made the brown sugar bars earlier. I meant to make these bars and to rave about these bars. But as I was flipping through the book last week I saw the brown sugar bars and thought those were the best bar cookies in the book and I made them without really thinking about it. I didn't remember this recipe and the similarities between them until later, until I was flipping through the book randomly a couple of days later. So, I made them today, curious to see just how much difference there is in the flavor... and once again I know that there is no contest.

The recipes are essentially the same. The only differences are that the brown sugar bars have 3/4 cup more flour, use baking soda instead of powder, and have a 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. But what a difference those things make. The brown sugar bars rise higher and have more body to them -- not a lot more, they are still fairly thin, but more than the butterscotch bars.

The butterscotch bars... now those... thin, dense, buttery, and rich.. these are the bars that make your jaw clench a little with the sweetness. The edges are super chewy, the middle soft from all that brown sugar and butter. White chocolate chunks for added sweetness, bittersweet chocolate for contrasting flavor.

To be fair, all the things I said about the brown sugar bars are true. They are sweet and good and yummy and very easy to make. The problem is that the butterscotch bars are all those things too -- only sweeter, and better, and yummier and just as easy to make.

If you made the brown sugar bars and liked them -- you should make these as well. If the idea of the brown sugar bars appeal to you, you should make these too. Actually, the bottom line is that you should make either recipe -- both are easy. both use standard pantry items (well, my pantry at least), and both are very good. But, if I were to choose between the two recipes, the butterscotch bars would win every single time.



Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups tightly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 oz white chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. (I lined my 9x13 pan with foil to make it easier to get the bars out, but that was just me. Otherwise you can just use your nonstick 9x13 and call it good -- you don't even have to spray it.)

In a sifter (yeah, skipped that), combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Sift onto a large piece of wax paper and set aside until needed.

Place the butter and brown sugar in a 7 quart bowl and whisk to combine. (um... more confession time, I missed the part where it said melt the butter, so I creamed it instead... oops... I probably affected the texture some, but it was the flavor was still the same.) Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add the sifted dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to incorporate. Add the semisweet and white chocolate chunks and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the nonstick baking pan and bake on the center rack of the oven for 25 minutes until set in the center. Remove th pan from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for 1 hour before cutting.