Butterscotch Brownies
Instructions:
Basically brownies without chocolate and nearly as well
loved because the butter flavor is so distinct.
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus a little for
the pan
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon almond
extract
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
MAKES: About 1 dozen
TIME: 30 to 40 minutes
- Heat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan or line it with aluminum foil and grease the foil.
- Melt the butter over low heat. Transfer to a bowl and use an electric mixer or whisk to beat in the sugar until very smooth, then beat in the egg and vanilla, stirring down the sides of the bowl every now and then.
- Add the salt, then gently stir in the flour. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until just barely set in the middle, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack before cutting. Store, covered, at room temperature for no more than a day.
- Magic Bars.
- So named because you can put almost anything in them: Add up to 11/2 cups of anything from shredded coconut to any kind of chocolate chunks, toffee or caramel chunks, roughly chopped nuts, and/or dried fruit. Stir the additions into the batter just before pouring into the pan.
- Apricot-Almond Bars.
- A bit more sophisticated: Use the almond extract. Add 1 cup chopped dried apricots, 1/4 cup apricot jam, and 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds to the batter along with the eggs. Reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup and the flour to 3/4 cup.