Butterscotch Bars

Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease a 9×13 glass baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Stir in the vanilla and the egg. Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level each with a knife. You don’t want to add too much flour or pack it in or it will make the bars dry.

Combine flour, oats, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Add oat mixture into the sugar mixture all at once and stir with a fork until combined (mixture will be crumbly).

Place about 3 cups of the oat mixture into the bottom your glass baking dish, to cover it. Press it down to create a nice, even layer of bottom crust. Set aside.

Place sweetened condensed milk, butterscotch morsels, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on full-power for about 1 minute or until butterscotch morsels melt, stirring every 20 seconds. Repeat for additional 20 second increments until smooth and combined.

Stir walnuts into the butterscotch mixture then scrape the mixture into the baking dish, spreading evenly over the crust. Sprinkle evenly with remaining oat mixture, gently pressing it into the butterscotch mixture.

Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and place pan on a cooling rack and run a knife around outside edge. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

As the bars come to room temperature, they will take on a delicious fudge-like texture in the center. For a special treat, scoop some of the bars out when they’re hot (with a spoon) and serve over ice cream.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.