Butterscotch Marshmallow Bar Cookies with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder

**Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.**

## **Ingredients for the Crust:**

* 1/2 cup salted butter ***(1 stick, 4 ounces, 1/4 pound)***
* 1-ounce square unsweetened chocolate ***(I used Baker's)***
* 1/2 cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1 cup all-purpose flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 cup chopped salted cashews ***(measure AFTER chopping)***
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 eggs lightly beaten ***(just whip them up in a glass with a fork)***

## **Ingredients for Cream Cheese Filling:**

* 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened to room temperature ***(buy an 8-ounce package -- you'll use 6 ounces for this layer and the remaining 2 ounces for the frosting)***
* 1/2 cup softened, salted butter ***(1/2 stick, 2 ounces)***
* 1/4 cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour ***(that's 1/8 cup)***
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 beaten egg ***(just whip it up in a glass with a fork)***
* 1/2 cup chopped nuts ***(I used salted cashews)***
* 1 cup butterscotch chips ***(I used Nestle)***
* 2 cups miniature marshmallows ***(I used Jet-Puffed)***

**NOTE:** Before you start to make these bar cookies, prepare your baking pan. Spray the bottom and insides of a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, and then lightly flour the bottom and sides of the pan.

**Hannah's 1st Note: Alternatively, you can spray the inside of the baking pan with Pam Baking Spray, which already contains flour. Spray your pan once, let it dry for a minute or two, and then spray it a second time.**

## **To Make the Crust:**

* Place the **salted butter** and the square of **unsweetened chocolate** in a saucepan on a stovetop burner.
* Turn the burner on LOW heat and stir just until the chocolate melts. ***(You can do this in the microwave if you prefer -- just read the directions for melting the chocolate that are given on the box.)***
* Once the chocolate and butter have melted, pour the mixture into a mixing bowl.

* Sprinkle in the cup of **white sugar** and stir it in thoroughly.
* Sprinkle in the cup of **all-purpose flour** and stir that in.
* Sprinkle in the teaspoon of **baking powder** and stir until it is combined.
* If you haven't already done so, chop the salted cashews into smaller pieces about the size of gravel ***(I use my food processor with the steel blade in an on-and-off motion to do this.)***

* Measure out one cup of the chopped, **salted cashews** and add them to the mixing bowl. Stir them in until they are thoroughly combined.
* Add the teaspoon of **vanilla extract** to your bowl and stir it in.
* Add the **beaten eggs** and stir until everything is well combined.
* Use a rubber spatula or your impeccably clean hands to **spread** the crust out in your prepared baking pan.

## **To Make the Cream Cheese Filling:**

* **Cut 2 ounces** off the brick of cream cheese and place in a small bowl on the counter, **reserving it for the frosting**. (That's one-quarter of the package.) **Cover** the bowl with plastic wrap.
* Rinse out your mixing bowl with hot water, dry it with paper towels, and get ready to use it again. ***(Can you tell that I don't like to wash dishes, even in the dishwasher?)***
* Place the 6-ounce piece of the **softened cream cheese** and the **softened butter** in the bowl of an electric mixer.
	+ If your **cream cheese isn't soft enough t**o stir, heat it in a microwave-safe bowl for 10 to 20 seconds until you can stir it. If your next ingredient, **the butter, is still cold**, you can throw that in when you heat the cream cheese and do both together -- 20 seconds on HIGH in the microwave should be long enough to soften both of them, if not, give it a little more time.
* **Once** the cream cheese and the butter are softened and placed in the mixer bowl, turn the mixer on LOW speed and mix them together thoroughly.
* With the mixer still running on LOW speed, add the quarter-cup of **white sugar** to your cream cheese and butter mixture. Mix that in thoroughly.
* Leave the mixer running on LOW speed and sprinkle in the 2 Tablespoons of **all-purpose** **flour**. Mix that in thoroughly.
* Again, with the mixer still running, drizzle in the half-teaspoon of **vanilla extrac**t and mix it in.

* Next, with the mixer still running, add the **beaten egg** to the mixer bowl. Then add the **chopped cashews** and mix until everything is well combined.
* **Spread** the cream cheese filling over the crust. Use a rubber spatula to smooth it out.
* Sprinkle the cup of **butterscotch chips** over the top. Do this as evenly as you can.
* **Bake** at 350 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes. ***(Mine took 23 minutes.)***

* **Take the pan** out of the oven and move it to a cold stovetop burner. DON'T SHUT OFF THE OVEN!
* Sprinkle the top of the pan with **miniature marshmallows**.
* **Slip the pan** back into the oven and bake for another 2 minutes.
* While the marshmallows are baking, **start** **your frosting**. ***(Your bar cookies will come out of the oven before you're through making the frosting, but that's okay.)***

**Hannah's 2nd Note:**

* **These bar cookies are very rich, even without the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.**
* **If you wish, you can leave off the frosting.**
	+ **If  you decide to do this, simply sprinkle a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips over the top of the melted marshmallows when the pan comes out of the oven, and quickly cover the pan with a  cookie sheet or a sheet of heavy-duty foil tucked in around the sides of the pan.**
	+ **Leave the cookie sheet or foil in place for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, take off the cookie sheet or foil and use a heat-resistant rubber spatula to swirl the chocolate over the melted marshmallows.**

## **To Finish Your Bar Cookies:**

* When you can handle the pan without using pot holders, slip it into the refrigerator and let it **chill** for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving. ***(This make the bars less crumbly and easier to cut.)***
* **To serve**, cut the refrigerated bars into 32 pieces. ***(That's 8 rows down and 4 rows across.)***
	+ Place the cut bars on a platter, cover them tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve to your guests.
	+ Make sure  you have an extra pot of fresh, hot strong coffee and/or icy-cold glasses of milk.

**Hannah's 3rd Note: Butterscotch Marshmallow Bar Cookies are very rich. I've only seen 2 people eat more than one. The first person is Doc, who adores these bar cookies and ate two after dinner for dessert. The second person, of course, is Mike Kingston, who once ate FOUR for afternoon coffee at The Cookie Jar!**

**Yield:** One recipe makes 32 incredibly rich and yummy bar cookies.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting