Brown Butter Peanut Butter Caramel Bars with Butterscotch Caramel Sauce
Brown butter, peanut butter, peanut butter cups, melted Rolo’s, chocolate chip cookie dough and butterscotch caramel sauce.
A treat that’s gonna make you want more and not want more, but you’re gonna eat more because they are so darn delicious!! So just eat them and enjoy them. You will enjoy these, I promise.
If you’re not aware Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups aren’t that cheap here in the UK compared to a Mars bar, so when I was looking for a recipe to use for my sacred stash I wanted it to be a good one. One that was worth all the sugary goodness I was going to consume. One bar that I would never forget. These bars are far from forgettable, I’ve already got variations planned. I can’t believe I’ve never made something like this before as they are so easy to make and over the top scrumptious.
So what goes into these melt in the mouth bars. To begin with is melted butter. I didn’t just stop at melted butter though, I decided to keep on melting, thus turning it into brown butter. Brown butter needs to be used more in my kitchen, I love the smell and the flavour it gives to these bars. Another layer of deep, buttery, nutty tones. This brown butter is used in the foundation of these bars, peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough!
OMG! So good eaten by itself, so easy to whip up and the perfect base and topping. I used dark chocolate chips as with all the sweetness of the bars, a little bitterness is a welcome addition. Smooth peanut butter gets swirled into the choc chip cookie dough, do use smooth and not crunchy. The better the quality the better the flavour. The cookie dough is soft and smooth, flecked with choc chips and simply explodes with flavour in your mouth.
A thick, chewy layer of melted Rolos is the middle of the bars, once they’ve melted you do need to spread it immediately into your tin as it hardens pretty quickly. This element to the bars adds a nice soft and stringy caramel layer, chewy amongst the soft peanut butter cups. Speaking of peanut butter cups, this is the next layer. Use the large variety, not the mini ones.
Sweet and salty is what you’ve got going on with this layer. I love the salty peanut butter filling to Reese’s peanut cups. Press as many as you can fit into the baking pan, the more the merrier. I cannot resist peanut butter cups and this layer is absolutely scrumptious. On top of the cups gets the second layer on the peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough.
Everything bakes up wonderfully together and if that’s not enough you can then drizzle these with homemade butterscotch caramel sauce. Such an easy and sumptuous topping for this out of this world bar.
I love finding new products and I recently came across LorAnn Oils. I bought a variety and the butterscotch flavour was one of them. By adding a few drops of this to a simple homemade caramel sauce you get a whole new flavoured sauce. Rich, buttery, caramel notes ring through the sauce making whatever you drizzle these on amazing. I used this Salted Caramel Sauce that I made for Salted Caramel February and tweaked a few things. The butterscotch oil is extremely concentrated so a few drops is really all you need.
I didn’t use the whole batch for these bars so I’ll have another recipe for you soon for which I used the rest up for. Butterscotch Brownies anyone?
Crispy on the outside then soft thick layers of peanut butter chocolate chip loaded cookie dough and bugling out of the middle is an indulgent chocolate caramel layer and thick peanut butter cups.
Looking at the photo’s is making me crave one. Wait until these bars have cooled before you slice them. I chill my bars in the fridge for a good couple of hours until nice and cold. This makes for easier and attractive slicing.
Drown the bars with the butterscotch sauce or better still crumble some bars into a good quality ice cream and then drizzle over the caramel. You’d be hard pressed to find a tastier dessert anywhere and what’s even better you can enjoy these from the comfort of your home. You also get more to eat the next day, and the next.
These are going to disappear fast, trust me if not into your mouth then into the mouth of others. Who wouldn’t say no to all the scrumptious components of these bars. Stash some away for yourself, I kept some in the freezer and they were gone within the week! You’ll fall in love at first bite. Then at second bite, and third and so on.
Yields One 13 x 9-inch baking tray
Ingredients
- 300 grams (2 1/2 cups) Plain flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1 teaspoons Maldon sea salt
- 150 grams (2/3 cup) Unsalted butter
- 400 grams (2 cups) Light brown muscovado sugar
- 3 Large eggs
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- 200 grams (1 cup) Smooth peanut butter
- 150 grams (1 cup) Dark chocolate chips
- 350 grams (12 ounces) Reese’s peanut cups (large)
- 350 grams (12 ounces) Rolo’s
- 3 tablespoons Whipping cream
{butterscotch caramel sauce}
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) Whipping cream
- 2 1/2 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) Caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons Golden syrup
- 2 tablespoons Water
- 2 drops LorAnn butterscotch oil
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 175C,350F and spray a 9 x 13 inch baking tray with non stick cake release spray. Line with parchment paper and set to one side.
- Place the butter in a small saucepan and brown it. You do this by melting it until it turns a deep, amber shade and smells nutty. Remove from the heat.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add the sugar and brown butter and mix until smooth. Add your vanilla extract and the eggs one at a time mixing well between each addition. Scrape down your bowl then add the peanut butter and continue to mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and the salt. Carefully add the flour then stir in the chocolate chips.
- In a small saucepan melt the Rolos along with the cream.
- Spread half the cookie dough into the baking tray, smooth over then pour the melted Rolo’s on top. Smooth again, then press in the peanut butter cups. Add the remaining cookie dough and smooth over.
- Bake for 30-40 minute or until golden brown on top and cake tester comes out clean.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes then transfer the wire rack to cool completely.
{butterscotch caramel sauce}
- In a small pan set over a low heat melt the butter in the cream. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In a larger pan set over a low heat add the sugar, golden syrup and water and heat until amber in colour. Do not stir.
- Add the cream mixture to the syrup and whisk until smooth.
- Remove from the heat, let cool a little and add the butterscotch oil to taste.
Notes
* Recipe adapted from Lemon’s For Lulu
* These will last for up to 4 days stored in a cake tin with a tight-fitting lid.
* Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
* Store the butterscotch caramel sauce in a sterilized jar.
Tagged: American Candy, Brown Butter, Brown Butter Bars, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Brown Butter Cookie Dough, Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Butterscotch Caramel Sauce, Butterscotch Flavouring, Caramel, Caramel Bars, Cookie Bars, LorAnn Oils, Peanut Butter Bars, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Cups, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Rolo's, USA Candy
