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You’re going to love these one-bowl Butterscotch Bars! They’re a delightful treat that deliciously balances rich, buttery flavors with the soothing sweetness of brown sugar. Hello, yumiliciousness!! Imagine sinking your teeth into a chewy, soft bar that literally melts in your mouth. Each bite is studded with pockets of gooey butterscotch goodness.
Whether you’re baking for a family gathering, a cozy night in, or to satisfy your own cravings, these bars are sure to be a hit, and you’re only one bowl away from them! No mixer needed, simply stir the batter with a wooden spoon in a large bowl. With just a few simple pantry ingredients and easy-to-follow steps, you’ll have a scrumptious gooey bar ready in no time at all. Let the luscious aroma fill your kitchen as you whip up this delicious recipe. It’s bound to become a new family favorite!
I hope you’ll check out more of our bar desserts, such as our butterscotch blondies, caramel apple blondies, lemon bars, and blackberry pie bars next!
Before You Start
→Most Important: Do not overbake. These bars are supposed to have a slightly gooey texture.
→Eggs: I use large eggs. They are best when brought to room temperature before you begin baking. This improves the emulsification. For this recipe, emulsification remains crucial for effectively combining the melted butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract.
→Add-Ins: You can switch up the add-ins. Swap butterscotch chips for regular chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, M&M’s, chopped pecans or walnuts, or even shredded coconut.
→Sling: I like to make a sling to pull the bars out of the pan easily, and it helps you cut the squares more neatly. This is especially important if you bake in nonstick baking pans. You can spray your baking dish with Baker’s cooking spray instead of lining it with parchment paper. Having parchment paper helps for easy removal from the dish
→Baking Pans: For best results, use a lighter-colored baking dish. If you use a dark metal one, the bars will be slightly darker on the bottom and need a shorter baking time. This is my favorite 9X13-inch baking dish. It has a nice coating that isn’t too dark.
→How To Tell Bars Are Done Baking: The top of the bars will no longer look wet, and the middle will look set, and not jiggle if you shake the pan slightly. They’ll begin to get a darker color on top.
Butterscotch Bars Ingredients
- Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe. If you use unsalted butter, add 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the recipe. I melt the butter in the microwave.
- Brown Sugar: I prefer dark brown sugar in this recipe. Light brown sugar will work, too. The dark brown sugar has a stronger flavor with deeper caramel notes.
- Flour: I like to use Gold Medal Flour for these bars. The protein content in Gold Medal all-purpose flour is balanced, making it suitable for this recipe. It typically ranges from about 10.5% to 11.7%. This is a moderate protein level. Gold medal (no endorsement) is known for its consistent quality, which helps achieve reliable results. Ardent Mills all-purpose flour from Costco works well, too. It has rigorous quality control and typically has a protein content of around 10-11%, making it versatile for various recipes.
- Salt: Even though we use a small amount of salt, don’t skip it. It enhances all the flavors in the bars.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How To Store: Store completely cooled bars in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? In an airtight container, they can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days. Gently heat them in the microwave if you store them in the refrigerator.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes. Wrap individual slices well (I suggest you hotel wrap it for maximum freshness. Here’s how to do it!) Then freeze for up to 4-6 months. To thaw, let it sit in the fridge overnight.
- Make-Ahead Tips: These bars can be baked ahead of time. You can store them in the fridge or freezer.
- Food Safety: For more information on food safety, please visit this link.
How To Make Butterscotch Bars Recipe
More Yummy Bars
- Peanut Butter Bars
- Peach Crumb Bars
- Strawberry Bars
- Lemon Coconut Bars
- S’more Bars
- Carmelitas
- Almond Joy Bars
- Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Brookies
- Cake Mix Cookie Bars
- Sugar Cookie Bars
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Butterscotch Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter melted and cooled slightly *see note
- 1 3/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips reserve ¼ cup for dotting the top
- prepared butterscotch or caramel sauce, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together with a wooden spoon the melted butter (1 cup), brown sugar (1 3/4 cups), and sugar (1/4 cup) until combined. Add the eggs (2) and vanilla (2 teaspoons) and mix until well combined. Add the flour (2 1/2 cups), and sprinkle the baking powder (1 teaspoon) and salt (1/4 teaspoon) over the top of the flour, not in one big blob. Mix until just combined. Add 1 1/4 cup butterscotch chips and mix until just combined one last time.
- Pour and press the batter into the prepared baking dish and dot the top with the remaining chips. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Do not overbake. You want the edges to be deep golden brown and the center to look just set.
- Remove from the oven and let the baking dish cool on a wire cooling rack until almost completely cooled.
- Cut into squares and serve.
- Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of butterscotch or caramel ice cream topping, if desired.
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