Halfway Cashew Butterscotch Bars

We had some classic spring Minnesota weather here this past weekend.
Seventy-five and gorgeous on Saturday… and then Sunday rolled in with wind and a thirty-degree temperature drop.

You’d think I would be incredibly sturdy after living here my whole life. I’m not. I am cold constantly. I have been known to turn our fireplace on as late as Memorial Day and as early as Labor Day, depending on which way the wind blows (pun intended).

The issue in our house is this: I am alone in that camp. Every other person here seems to operate with a built-in furnace. The long-standing joke is that I somehow missed that genetic gift.

So my secret weapon? The oven.

If something warm and delicious comes out of it, no one complains about how toasty the kitchen gets.

And on a forty-degree “spring” day, what does one make?

Dessert. Obviously. Something warm and comforting, with a little melt and a little crunch.

In other words: Halfway Bars.

If you’ve never heard of them, allow me to introduce you. They’re the kind of classic, old-fashioned dessert you’d find tucked into a well-worn church cookbook, at least in my case.

 The original recipe sent me down a bit of a trial-and-error path over the years, and here’s why:

• It calls for chocolate chips. You can absolutely use them. I just happen to have a butterscotch addiction.

• It used shortening. I’m a butter gal through and through.

• No nuts were included, and I felt like it needed a little something extra.

• And, as older recipes sometimes do, there was no oven temperature, no bake time, and no pan size listed.

That last one? A learning experience. Burned meringue. Too-small pan equals too-thick blondie base. We’ve grown to love one another, but it was a journey.

But I am nothing if not persistent.

So here is my well-practiced adaptation. Made this way, they’re wonderful. The blondie base is gooey and fully cooked. The butterscotch and cashews bring that sweet-salty balance, and the brown sugar meringue on top is light, crisp, and just a little marshmallow-y.

As with most baked goods, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.

Separate your eggs, reserving the whites for the meringue. Set aside one full cup of brown sugar for that meringue as well.

For the blondie base, cream together softened butter, granulated sugar, and ½ cup of brown sugar. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and water, mixing until smooth. The batter will look a little like loose frosting at this stage.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until you have a soft, cookie-like dough. Spread it evenly into a greased 9×13 pan.

Sprinkle your chips and nuts evenly over the top. I love butterscotch and cashews, but chocolate chips and walnuts would be classic. Choose your own adventure.

For the meringue, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. They’ll stretch and gently fold over when you lift the whisk. Gradually add the remaining brown sugar in batches, mixing well between each addition. Once incorporated, increase the speed and beat until firm peaks form. This can take 5 to 10 minutes, so don’t rush it. Watch closely. There’s a fine line between glossy peaks and grainy overmixing.

Spread the meringue gently over the bars. It will want to pick up chips and nuts, so spreading in small batches is easier to manage.

Bake the bars for about 20 to 25 minutes. The edges should pull away from the sides of the pan, and the top will become a lovely golden color.

My best advice? Serve immediately, or at least warm.

In our house, “serve immediately” usually amounts to “leave the lid off the pan.” If you somehow happen to have leftovers, I’ll send my boys over.

Halfway Cashew Butterscotch Bars

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Ingredients

  

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar separated
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs separated
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp water
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 pkg butterscotch chips you can sub chocolate, if desired
• 1 1/2 cups cashew pieces

Instructions

 

• Heat oven to 350 degrees
• Cream together butter, granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup of the brown sugar
• Add 2 egg yolks and combine fully
• Mix in vanilla and water
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in separate bowl
• Slowly blend dry mixture into wet ingredients
• Spread batter into prepared 9X13 pan
• Sprinkle with butterscotch chips and cashew pieces (batter should be mostly covered)
• Beat egg whites until soft peaks form
• Add the remaining one cup of brown sugar in 3 batches (1/3 cup measurements)
• Combine each fully and then whip whole mixture to firm/stiff peaks
• Spread egg whites over the top of bars
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges of bars and top of meringue brown a bit