These butterscotch bars with chocolate satin frosting are basically a marriage of butterscotch and brownies smothered with hands-down the best frosting ever.

An Epic Tale of Me, My Treats and the PTO:
When we made our big move last fall, I got roped into joining the PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) early on.

I have an extremely, extremely high can’t-say-no reflex. So, I was asked. And I joined. I didn’t want my equally high guilt complex to keep me awake at night considering I have three children at the school.

A white dish full of butterscotch bars topped with chocolate frosting and butterscotch chips.

Well, little did I know that in a school of hundreds of students, we max out with five parents at the meetings (no wonder I was so heavily recruited – I was fresh meat!).

After the first half of the school year, we decided that perhaps if we advertised treats at the PTO meetings, our numbers would increase. Skyrocket. Balloon to epic proportions. A few pathetic parents can hope, right?

These delightful and pretty little butterscotch brownie bars made their debut as the first PTO meeting treats of the new year. I sent out flyers to all the parents and teachers announcing that they should come to the meeting because

a) in doing so they may or may not be eligible for teacher or parent of the year (PTO is not responsible for the unawarding of this title) and

b) there.would.be.treats (I mean, come for the treats, people!) and I was positive we would have a crowd. So much so that I doubled the batch.

Let’s just say that I had enough brownies leftover to feed a small country. And, if that’s not bad enough, our enrollment has decreased by two, if you count tonight’s PTO numbers.

Should me and my treats take that personally?

Don’t worry, butterscotch brownie bars, I still love you (as should be clearly evidenced by how many of the leftovers I ate in my sorrow).

These bars are basically a marriage of butterscotch and brownies smothered with hands-down the best frosting I’ve ever tasted (in fact I waxed poetic about it on Facebook the other week – we’ve been eating it sandwiched between graham cracker squares for days and days and I’m still not tired of the glorious, decadent stuff).

Such a perfect, winning combination.

If leftover brownie and butterscotch bars are my solace for dipping PTO numbers, I’ll take it.

Chocolate can soothe all my wounds and worries.

Those parents have no idea what they’re missing, man. Long live the PTO and long live PTO treats! Can’t wait to bake something up next month…but this time, my common sense and burgeoning thighs are telling me not to double the batch.

Three square butterscotch bars topped with chocolate frosting and butterscotch chips on a white plate.

One Year Ago: Oatmeal Chocolate Moon Pies
Two Years Ago: Poor Man’s Stroganoff
Three Years Ago: Glazed Meatloaf

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Butterscotch Brownie Bars with Chocolate Satin Frosting

5 star (1 rating)

Ingredients

Butterscotch batter:

  • 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (113 g) butter, softened
  • 1 cup (212 g) packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup (85 g) butterscotch chips

Chocolate batter:

  • ½ cup (113 g) butter, softened
  • 5 ounces (142 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, a little less than 1/2 cup, chopped
  • 1 ½ cup (318 g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¾ cup (107 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (85 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Frosting:

  • 4 ounces (113 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • ¼ cup (43 g) butterscotch chips
  • cup evaporated milk or heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Extra butterscotch chips for sprinkling

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch pan with aluminum foil and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
  • For the butterscotch batter, in a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. With a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add the eggs and beat until blended. Gradually add the dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the butterscotch chips.
  • For the chocolate batter, combine the butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and cook until the butter and chocolate are melted. Whisk until smooth. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until the batter is smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  • Spread the chocolate batter in the prepared pan. Drop spoonfuls of the butterscotch batter on top and use a butter knife to gently swirl the two together. Don’t overmix or else you’ll end up with muddy batter. If you want distinct swirls, run your knife through a few times but don’t overdo it.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick or sharp knife inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
  • For the frosting, pour the evaporated milk or cream into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate and butterscotch chips. Cover the pot and let it stand for 10 minutes. Scrape the warm mixture into a food processor or blender and add the sugar, butter and vanilla. Process the mixture until it is perfectly smooth, 1-2 minutes. Let the frosting stand for a few minutes until it has thickened to a spreading consistency. Spread the frosting on the cooled bars and sprinkle with extra butterscotch chips. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Serving: 1 Bar, Calories: 363kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 193mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 40g

Recipe Source: bars from Bakerella, frosting adapted from Joy of Cooking