Peanut Butterscotch Chews

This was the Food Porn Friday recipe for the week. It was my turn to pick and I confess I forgot so this was more of an impulse choice than an informed wish to increase my baking skills. I was totally sucked in by the butterscotch in the title and the fact that I had everything I needed to make it in my pantry already, always a bonus.

These were more peanuty than butterscotch in my opinion but were still pretty tasty. Easy to put together, held together well when cut into bars, overall a good bar cookie. I think that the next time I will drizzle a little semi sweet chocolate over the top to balance some of the peanut taste but they were still good without. I did have to adjust the baking time and temp and have written the recipe to reflect those changes. Maybe it was my oven so take that under advisement.

Peanut Butterscotch Chews
Baking in America-Greg Patent

1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 T. (1/2 cube) butter
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 c. evaporated milk
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/3 c. dry roasted peanuts, finely chopped

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 8 in square baking pan and set aside.

Sift the flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside.

Melt the butter in a med. saucepan over med. heat. Add the brown sugar and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 1 minute or until the mixture starts to smell kind of toasty. Add the evaporated milk and blend well. Bring mixture to a boil. Cook while stirring constantly for exactly 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool to warm.

Beat the egg with a fork in a cup; add to mixture and blend until smooth. Add vanilla and blend well. Stir in the flour mixture only until incorporated, then add the peanuts. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Bake for approx 30 min, until a toothpick comes out moist with a few crumbs sticking to it. Do not overbake-bars are intended to be very moist. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, them tamp down the sides of the cake with your fingertips to level it. Cool completely and cut into squares.