Flashback Friday: Peanut Bars

Flashback Friday: Revisiting a recipe from long ago

We're going to color outside the lines on this one, it may be the start of a new theme.  There are lots of tried and true favorites I associate with certain friends and family members. These gooey bars aren't old-fashioned nor are they a tradition from my childhood.  They do, however, come from a family member and loyal supporter of this blog.  Oh, and they're deliciously addicting.

My Aunt Sue shared this recipe with me several years back and I've made it countless times since.  She is by far the best hostess I've come across.  Her hospitality is exceptional in all areas, and she makes everything look so effortless.  If only that could be passed on in recipe format.  Perhaps some of her talent will infuse into me if I make another pan of these bars.  Because this batch is, ummm, already long gone.

Salty peanuts enrobed in a gooey butterscotch caramel create an enticing sweet and salty combination.  Simple to make and hard to leave alone, this recipe will make it to the next generation for sure.  The bars themselves will be gone in a flash. 

  

Peanut Bars

recipe from my Aunt Sue

Ingredients:

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp butter, divided

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 cup salted peanuts

1 cup butterscotch chips

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

1 Tbsp water 

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

* Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Melt 1/2 cup butter and combine with brown sugar and flour.  Press dough into a 9-x-13-inch baking pan, forming a thin and even layer.  Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with peanuts.  

* In a microwave-safe bowl or medium saucepan melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter, butterscotch chips, corn syrup and water, stirring until smooth.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour syrup over peanut layer and return to oven.  Bake 10-12 minutes longer or until syrup is bubbly. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Store in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper. 

Food for Thought: "The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it." -Ralph Waldo Emerson