I thought I would share a fun Holiday which falls on May 9 National Butterscotch Brownie Day and is the perfect addition to our Homeschool Home Edition Cooking Class as we can make Butterscotch Brownies. Can you believe Charlie and I’ve never had a Butterscotch Brown and before you ask what about David I don’t know if he has had a Butterscotch Brownie or not. What about you?
If you love Buttery treats then National Butterscotch Brownie Day on May 9th is the perfect holiday for you. Butterscotch Brownies are a perfect mixture of chewy and chunky, a combo that is certainly worthy of celebration. For the uninitiated, a Butterscotch Brownie is a baked treat made from a combination of Flour, Brown Sugar, Butter, Eggs, Baking Powder, Vanilla, and of course, Butterscotch Chips. Sharing the ingredients is enough to make the mouth water. On National Butterscotch Brownie Day, we get to gorge on all the Butterscotch-flavored soft dessert treats we can get our hands-on because this is one of the most delicious holidays around.
It’s a shame no one knows the creator of National Butterscotch Brownie Day because they deserve this individual deserves a ton of appreciation for establishing a Holiday to honor the delicious treats that make our lives a little sweeter. Butterscotch Brownies are also known as Blondies or Blond Brownies, as opposed to the more popular Chocolate Brownies.
Apart from the color, a significant difference between Blondies and Brownies is that Blondies use Vanilla instead of Cocoa. Here is a fun fact for you. Blondies actually came before Brownies. Butterscotch Brownies existed as far back as the late 19th Century, while Chocolate Brownies only came into existence in 1905. Did you know that because I would have thought Chocolate Brownies would have came first. What about you?
Traditionally, Blondies are made with the regular baking ingredients including Flour, Butter, Eggs, Baking Powder with Brown Sugar, Vanilla, and Butterscotch Chips giving it a unique coloring and flavor and surprisingly, no Scotch at all. Some recipes add Chocolate Chips and Nuts to their Blondies for an extra kick.
The origins of Butterscotch, the tasty treat behind the even tastier treat, can be traced back to the town of Doncaster in Yorkshire, England. A confectioner, Samuel Parkinson, began selling Butterscotch as hard candy. The treat got so popular that the tins had the royal seal of approval. Butterscotch is made primarily by mixing Butter and Brown Sugar, although some people also add Cream, Vanilla, and Salt.
The earliest Butterscotch recipes used Treacle, an uncrystallized Syrup made from the remains after Sugar is refined, in place, or in addition to Sugar. Unlike with Toffee, the Sugar for Butterscotch is boiled to the soft crack, rather than the hard crack, stage. Butterscotch is used for a range of things. Including as a topping, used to make Pudding, and used to create tasty Chips for Cookies or Blondies, or taken as a hard candy even.
NATIONAL BUTTERSCOTCH BROWNIE DAY ACTIVITIES
- As if you didn’t already know how National Butterscotch Brownie Day is the perfect holiday to dust off your apron and try to create a Blondie for the first time.
- Show some love to your local baker, who has provided you with your favorite Butterscotch Brownies throughout the year and thank them with a tip or just a thoughtful note.
- Today is the perfect day to throw a party and you can gather your friends and family and throw a Butterscotch-themed party. Have everyone bring there favorite dish containing Butterscotch or host a Butterscotch Brownie tasting party and everyone bring there own recipe.
FACTS ABOUT BUTTERSCOTCH BROWNIES AND BUTTERSCOTCH
- Butterscotch Brownies have the chewiness of Brownies and the chunkiness of Cookies, Butterscotch Brownies are sometimes called ‘Brookies,’ a combination of ‘Brownie’ and ‘Cookie.’
- Did you know Butterscotch Brownies are also celebrated on National Blond Brownie Day in January,
- Butterscotch sold by the Parkinsons was endorsed by the British Royal household, with this Butterscotch being publicly presented to different Royals, from Queen Victoria, to Princess Elizabeth, and the Duchess of Edinburgh.
- There are translucent yellow hard candies, called Butterscotch disks or buttons, which are actually made with an artificial Butterscotch flavor. Doesn’t that just sound so tasty? Not.
- Because of their royal endorsement, the Parkinsons called their treats Royal Doncaster Butterscotch, which are still sold to this day.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL BUTTERSCOTCH BROWNIE DAY
- Blondies are easy to make and anyone can make a Blondie because you don’t need any fancy equipment or magic powers to whip up a batch of Butterscotch Brownies, which is something amateur Chefs like us are certainly grateful for.
- Butterscotch Brownies can be very versatile and you can eat them straight off the pan; you can soak them in Caramel Sauce and take them with Ice Cream. You can gift Butterscotch Brownies, and have them as dessert treats. Did you know there are many options and varieties to choose from, and that’s part of what makes Blondies so amazing.
- Whoever thought of making a treat that is both chewy and crunchy is a complete genius who deserves a medal. Through Butterscotch Brownies, we get the best of both worlds including the dense, gooey chewiness of Brownies as well as the crisp crunchiness of Cookies
Recipe for Butterscotch Brownies
Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Additional Time: 25 mins Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
Servings: 36 Yield: 36 bars
Ingredients
Butterscotch Bars:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Coffee Frosting:
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a 7×11-inch baking pan.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
- Make the bars: Beat brown sugar and melted butter until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla, then gradually stir in flour mixture. Fold in walnuts until well combined. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until light golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out of the pan and finish cooling on a wire rack, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the frosting: Dissolve coffee in water in a small bowl.
- Beat confectioner’s sugar and butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in coffee mixture until incorporated.
- Spread frosting over cooled bars. Let frosting set before cutting into 36 squares
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
