People can’t get enough of these butterscotch bars. They’re made with whole wheat flour but no one knows. They’re made with only five ingredients that you probably have on hand – so easy!
I originally posted this recipe in 2010, but decided to post it again for you today. Why? Because butterscotch bars. And also because I have only been home 3 of the past 11 days so I’m behinder than ever. While I play catch up and work on new projects (wait till you see!), I wanted to bless you a recipe so you could bless others.
You’ll be glad to know that this is a High Five Recipe! (High quality recipes + five ingredients or less = High Five Recipe)
This is not a Low Sugar Recipe, however. So make them to share with others, and saver them slowly (as opposed to gobbling down half the pan before you realize what happened).
Easy Butterscotch Bars
- 1 cup melted butter
- 1¾ cups sucanat or brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- Stir melted butter and sucanat together.
- Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well.
- Stir in flour and mix until well combined.
- Pour batter into a 9x13 inch baking pan.
- Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.
These bars are gooey, rich, and need I remind you to make them to share with friends?
Now that I’ve been making these butterscotch bars for so many years, I get frequent requests for them.
- “Laura, would it be too much for me to ask you to make a batch of your butterscotch bars for me for my birthday? Like very year for the rest of my life?”
- “Laura, my friends and I were talking about your butterscotch bars and now we want some. I told them I’d ask…can you make us a batch?”
- “How much arm twisting would it take for you to make another pan of your butterscotch bars?”
These requests make my day, and since the bars are so easy to make, I almost always say yes! If you haven’t tried these bars yet, do it. They’re crazy easy, but beware: people will beg you to make more. You’ll have more friends than you ever had before and everyone will love you for providing the butterscotch bars. It’s hard, but you can handle it.
I was just wondering about Sucanat. I have never heard of it before. What is the difference is between sucanat and sugar?
Those look so good!!!!
SUCANAT = SUgarCAneNATural – Natural, much less refined sugar cane.
I will be making these today! I can definately see the need to NOT make these too often! :)
Debbie, sucanat is a form of sugar cane, but less refined, therefore retains many of the vitamins and minerals. It has more of a molasses taste (similar to brown sugar) than processed white sugar and a more grainy texture.
Sucanat is dehydrated cane sugar juice. It is the least refined form of sugar you can find…and it tastes SO good! I order mine through my health food coop or order it from Amazon. It exchanges one to one for sugar in recipes.
I will have to try these after Lent. By the way we made the cheese crackers yesterday…can I say Yum?
Okay, here’s a good afternoon snack for my kiddos (and me!) to munch on! Can’t wait to try them.
I REALLY like the fact that you seem to have a sweet tooth, like me!! lol :)
Kristy @ Homemaker’s Cottage
Here’s a stupid question… what makes up the butterscotch?
I love reading all the yummy receipes you post here. I will try the butterscoth bars, they sound great.
Thanks for the email about the pretzels. I will try them again. I am committed to keep trying to cook and bake from scratch. Thank you for all your inspiration!
If I don’t have sucanat, can I substitute in honey, white, or brown sugar?
maybe someone else will have other suggestions, but you can definitely sub brown sugar. in fact, that’s what the original recipe called for. i have a half batch in the oven as i type :) i don’t have sucanat, so i used organic evaporated cane juice (which might just be sugar?). i think they’re going to turn out great!
laura, thanks for the recipe! my grandmother had a similar, but more complex recipe called chewie cake, which i LOVE. i’m excited to have a simpler version on hand!
Made them….and they are fabulous! Even the picky hubby liked them!
those look SO GOOD! thanks for sharing :)
Not a stupid question at all. The mixture of sucanat (or brown sugar) and butter create a butterscotch taste.
Yeah, I’d do brown sugar.
We just made these and they are delicious! My girls and I think added some chocolate chips might be good too…may try that next time!
I just made these and oh my goodness are they so delicious. All I can say is that I could not stop at just one.
They look so good that the minute I saw some, I started to whip them up. I need to bring birthday treats to work tomorrow. I did half brown sugar and half rapadura because I was running low. I also used half red whole wheat and half white all purpose flour b/c I’m clearing out my flours for hard white. Some day I might even start grinding my own, but for now you are inspiring me to make small changes. Thanks so much for your website, your counsel and the inspiration you provide. I look forward to helpmeet days, recipe days and learning about your healthy living journey! And everything in between.
I wanted to make these right away, but I had just made ice cream sandwiches. I’m hoping they disappear quick so I can make these beauties. They look positively mouthwatering.
I was just wondering about the pricing for Sucanat. What kind of pricing per ounce would you suggest is a good deal. I’m looking at your link to Amazon and see the current price but not sure if that is normal or high or what. I have never bought this before and would like to get some but just want to be sure I’m getting it at a good deal, but I have nothing to compare it to.
I’m also confused about the difference between Turbinado and Sucanat. They sound very similar…are they both just as nutritious. The Sucanat seems to me a bit pricier.
I am going to make these tomorow. I have never had them before, but it sounds like they would be good with some coconut in them. (I think anything is better with coconut in it.) Since I don’t have any vanilla, it would still be 5 ingredients.
The price at Amazon is decent, but a little high. I usually order mine through my health food coop, Azure Standard, but I link to Amazon because many people don’t have access to a health food coop.
Sucanat is quite a bit higher priced than regular sugar, and hard to adjust to at first (price wise). But, I find that I just make fewer sugary treats this way, which is of course better for us..and then when we do have a sweet treat, it’s one that’s much higher in nutrients!
Turbinado is processed differently than Sucanat. The process Sucanat has gone through leaves quite a bit more nutrients in it than Turbinado. BUT, turbinado is a better choice than regular sugar, so if that’s all you have access to, it would certainly work in this recipe!
Ooh, coconut sounds like a great addition!!
Not sure where you live, but I was paying $3 per lb for Sucacat at a health food store. We moved and I called a local health food store and they charged around $4. I asked if she knew of a co-op and she gave me the name and number to our local co-op. I just received my first order for 20 lbs of Sucanat. With shipping and all it came to less than $35. I was so excited to pay $1.75 per lb. And I live in a decent size town, not huge by any means. So it never hurts to check around to see what is out there.
These are incredible. Thanks for the great recipe and no thanks for the extra pounds. I love these and will not make them too often. : )
Oh my…now I’m feeling very lucky to be paying only $1.50/lb at my local health food store!
Tried them and they are a hit at my house. Really like the fact that they are quick and easy to whip up. We also tried the graham crackers and liked them as well. They were a hit with my diabetic father in law as well.
Laura,
I’ve made these twice already. I even blogged about them as well here: http://thehouseofshelbys.blogspot.com/2010/03/easy-butterscotch-bars.html
These are fabulous! I didn’t bring one home from church:)
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Amy
I’m a little mad at you, (not really) because I have made these so many times since your post, and we keep eating them within a day or two. Actually, I’m the one that keeps walking by the pan and scooping out a chunk. They’re just so easy, and sooo good! :) I threw in a few chocolate chips one time…yum!
I think there is a very similar way of making these called Brown Sugar Chewies by Paula Deen, or the 1950’s version was called Blond brownies. Either way, DELISH!
I can’t make these that often because I eat 3/4 by myself straight out of the oven.
This is the perfect brownie substitute for those who can’t or won’t do chocolate..
Mine came out more cake like then gooey. Did I overcook them you think?
I have IgG allergies to wheat, dairy, & eggs so I made some substitutions. I used coconut oil for the butter, a gluten-free mix of flours (bean & grains) for the wheat, & EnerG egg replacer for the eggs. I also halved the recipe since everyone commenting said they couldn’t stay away from it! Which is what happened to me as well. :) I also added chocolate chips. I found it was better when it had completely cooled. My version turned out toffee-like around the edges & cookie dough-like in the center… YUM!
Maybe they got overcooked. Every oven is different, so yours may just take 20 minutes.
Yummmmmmm – I linked these up on my weekly roundup too since we made them this week – a half batch, which is good because after a few hours, there was only 1 piece left. I’m thinking next time I’ll add more flour as mine were REALLY really buttery on the bottom. Oh, man, I wanted to just sit down with a fork and the pan, though!
We made these delicious treats last night. I added 3 TBSP of Flour and Baked at 375 to adjust for High Altitude. They came out perfect. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
these are awesome! my parents thought they were a bit on the sweet side, so i might decrease the sugar amount. i actually used organic sugar cane crystals, or something like that. regardless, they were sooooo yummy! thanks a bunch, laura! i love all your recipes!
I’ve got a batch in the oven right now. These are definitely an easy dessert to mix up.
I just made these…and…I think I am in LOVE. For real. I have a new weakness. This is just what I needed today. Thank you!!!
Made with half butter, half coconut oil, and with organic sugar. Tastes lovely!
We added some Vanilla hemp ice cream to go with these and the two together were SO good!
My very first order of Sucanat came in the mail today, so I looked here for a recipe that would highlight the special taste. This one seemed to fit the bill. It was delicious, although my presentation could have been better. When they first came out of the oven they were so soft that it was impossible to lift a portion out intact. By the time they had cooled, the material in the final two corners (we had eaten one half already!) was so hard that even a fork had trouble digging anything out. I grind my own flour, from red hard wheat. The butter and eggs were dehydrated but I added back the amount of water specified for each on their packages. The batter was more of a cookie dough than something pourable, is the only difference that I could see between your instructions and what I managed to do. Regardless, the flavor was richly butterscotch and the travails of getting them from pan to plates did not stop us from finishing them all within the hour of their baking.
holy schmoly – these are fabulous!!! I LOVE your site! thank you so much for putting ideas and new foods into my kitchen!
I made these for my family last night; well, mainly my husband because he LOVES butterscotch. Everyone LOVED them! I have to say these were about the easiest dessert I’ve ever made too! I did use regular brown sugar in mine. Keep the yummy recipes coming please! :)
Just tried making these for the first time with my first order of sucanat. They came out really grainy and crumbly… is that from the sucanat or the whole wheat flour (which I just purchased from the grocery – Hodgson Mill)?
My guess is that the problem was the flour, not the sucanat. Sometimes store bought whole wheat flour is a little more course than freshly ground. Maybe try putting in just a little less flour next time to see if that makes a difference?
I don’t know if you have researched sucanut very well, because it is still refined somewhat…let me explain…they take the sugar cane, get the juice and dehydrate it…to make sucanut, they seperate the molasses from the sugar crystals and then put it back in…thus altering the chemistry of the sugar and not allowing our bodies to break it down as well! RAPADURA or ORGANIC WHOLE CANE SUGAR (made by RAPUNZEL brand) is less processed because the molasses has never been separated! It is still about the same price as Sucanut, but will be even better for your body! Goodluck with your health and hopefully more people will understand the difference between these sugars! Me and my sisters blog explain all about the different sugars and which ones are good, bad, and ugly…
Yes, I have read that information about sucanat in the past. However, it is my understanding that more recently they are “processing” sucanat just like Rapadura is “processed”, which makes it basically the same thing, just under different names. I’ve read an article on this from Sally Fallon and for the life of me, I can’t find it to link to for you!
Holy cow, are these good! I just finished baking our second pan in 24 hours because Hubby wants to take them to work with him tomorrow. These will go into regular rotation here. Yum!
MAde them with coconut oil instead of butter, and half turbinado half brown sugar. I also added dairy free chocolate chips. YUM! What a treat!
Wow!! These are so yummy! After reading other comments, I decided to cut the sucanat down to 1 1/2 cups. And since we are just starting to transition from white flour, I used 1/2 cup unbleached white flour and 1 cup spelt flour. Yum Yum!
Hi Laura
Thanks so much for this recipe….I make it and toss it in my children’s lunch for a special treat! Healthy and yummy, too…that is what you are all about…every single recipe I have tried..and I have tried a lot…has been a smash hit with my family! Can’t thank you enough…because I can’t cook very well…so you are a huge blessing!
God bless you and your family :D
Delicious and simple. I did not have sucanat, on hand I had turbinado…still was good. Thank you for helping me to put better meals on the table…or lunch box. Your hands and heart are truly blessed.
Can I make a batch of these, slice them in sections, and freeze them? trying to make items for kids school lunches and snacks that I can make ahead and freeze.
Thanks
Traci
Yes, this is a great idea and should work very well!
I made these and for some reason read the recipe wrong and added 1 stick of butter instead of 1 cup and they turned out fantastic! I took them to a 4H meeting and the kids gobbled them down and the parents were asking for the recipe! They were chewy in the middle and crunchy on the outside, so everyone got what they liked. I also sprinkled chocolate chips on top, because in my world, chocolate makes everything better :)!
ugh i just did the same thing! ha they do still taste great. i should follow directions better.
I just made these and they were great. Thank you
I had to confess that I too, like these bars way too much! So does my husband and 3 children + I’m sure the nursing baby loves them too! My 3 year calls them hop-scotch bars, which is a good reason to make them often…to hear her say that. This last batch we made, we “substituted” a handful of chocolate chips for one stick of butter. Ahem. Will do it again. And again. (:
What kind of syurp would you recommend. Mapel syrup grade b?
If I halve the recipe and use an 8 x 8 does anyone know how long these would take to bake?
I would say about 30 minutes or so – just a guess!
Yes. :)
What kind of wheat? I’m guessing soft white would be good here.
Hi, thanks for the info on Sucanat….have never used it, and am trying to eat more healthy and use APLENDA instead of sugar…..so am wondering if this is a big plus for me ? Thanks for posting this….
Sorry about the word SPLENDA…. being mispelled….when I hit reply underneath the comment, it did not let me see all of what I was typing and this happened :( sorry
My girls LOVE these bars. I have a sweet little girl who refuses to eat her veggies so I am always looking for ways to sneak it in things we eat. Today I added a whole baked sweet potato that I pureed with a little milk. Can you say YUM! They still loved them and had no idea there was a veggie in it. Thanks for the great recipe!
That should work, however, Laura uses hard white. :)
I would steer clear of splenda or any other artificial sweeteners.
It is better to go the natural route. :)
So I’ve never used sucanat before but I bought some because we’re trying to quit sugar, but baby steps. I really, really don’t like the smell of the sucanat out of the bag and so I didn’t have high hopes for these. I made them anyway because I trust your recipes, they’re always good. These were no exception. Thank you for a good introduction to sucanat.
I don’t have sucant on hand can I use coconut sugar or I have molasses or maple syrup?
I think I’d go with coconut sugar for this recipe.
Yum!! Making these very soon–thank you so much!! :-)
Hi-Larious to me that these are such a fave at our house that I thought I’d read through the comments here & see how other folks love them so. Only to discover some other Alicia really likes them too, she has “just” 3 kids & they love them too. Oh wait!!! That was ME 6 years ago!! (; (; 2 more kids later, now all 7 of us love them & it’s a great go-to recipe for beginning bakers! And freeze awesome! And even better with a handful of chocolate chips!!
I have been making these since you first posted the recipe, I make them gluten free though.
A few times we have added a frosting to the top to make it a cake.I use Brown sugar and cook it on the stove.
I just made these bars. They have a nice texture, but it just seems like something is missing, like salt. Did you mean to leave it out of the recipe or do you really not include it when you make them? I think these bars would be great with that simple addition. As is, I can’t give these to the family that I made them for. Disappointing.
Fun to see these pop up, I still make them too! Mostly at harvest time. :)
I don’t add salt, but I do use salted butter. :)
These have so much potential to be yummy, but the recipe desperately needs some salt!
Sounds delicious. Do you think I can substitute butter flavored margarine for the butter to make them dairy free?
Hmm. Laura usually doesn’t recommend cooking with margarine. Have you considered using coconut oil instead of butter to make them dairy-free?
-Bethany (Laura’s assistant)
Yummy, tasty, “the best ever, mommy!!” ~ just a few comments from my 8 taste testers. Many requests for “please make these again!”
We are so glad that your family enjoyed them!!
-Bethany (Laura’s assistant)
those look so good
Thankyou For this tasty food recipie. Can you provide alternate of eggs so vegetarian can also enjoy this.
They really do look so good
this is really looking so delicious i cant wait to taste it.
Have you ever doubled this recipe and made it in a sheet pan? I found this recipe link on a cooking for a crowd post, and I really do need to make 250 of these. Any recommendations for bulk batches?
I love reading all the yummy receipes you post here. I will try the butterscoth bars, they sound great.
I have and it works great! You may need to adjust (shorten) the cooking time when making them in a sheet pan.
Can you use white flour instead of whole wheat?
Yes, that will work!
THIS RECIPE DOES NOT CALL FOR SYURP
THIS RECIPE DOES NOT CALL FOR MAPLE OR ANY OTHER KIND
I’m gonna make the Easy Butterscotch Bars over the weekend. Thanks for the recipe.