So, in continuing our lessons of what-to-do-with-excess-caramel, here is a recipe for butterscotch pecan bars. I think the ‘bar’ part of the title is deceiving (they’re more cake-y than a bar) and they totally didn’t turn out how I was expecting them to in my head. There are limited pictures in this particular recipe book you see… I suspect these are good for school bake sales. For me they don’t really work as a mid-afternoon snack. There is just too much cake and not enough bar. I’m thinking of a redesign already but figured I’d share these with you anyway. I served them as dessert after Sunday lunch with Real Custard (recipe to follow) and peanut butter ice-cream. The custard and ice-cream add a necessary element, making the cake more spongy and thus less dry.

Butterscotch Pecan Bars
Adapted from All Cakes Considered

1 and a half cups pecans, roughly chopped
1 and a half cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
4 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
30g unsalted butter
splash of vanilla
1/2 cup butterscotch pieces (shards of previous caramel)

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the pecans on a baking tray and once the oven is at temperature, toast for 6 minutes, shaking the tray at 3 minutes. Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Bring a pan of water to the boil and in a bowl that fits over this pan whisk together the eggs, vanilla and sugar. Place the pan over the heat and add in the butter. Whisk slowly but steadily so that the mixture is moving continuously until the butter melts and the mixture is warm. Remove from the heat. Fold in the flour mixture followed by the pecans. Lastly fold in the butterscotch pieces.

Pour this into a square tin lined with baking paper and back for approximately 25-30 minutes. Less time will result in a gooey centre. (Your call.) Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Slice and eat!