Butterscotch Chocolate Bar Cookies

Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

## Ingredients

**The Crust and Topping**

* 2 cups ***(4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound)*** salted butter softened to room temperature
* 1 cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1 and ½ cups powdered ***(confectioners')*** sugar
* 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
* 4 cups all-purpose flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***

**The Butterscotch Chocolate Filling**

* 12.25-ounce jar butterscotch ice cream topping ***(I used Smucker's)***
* 12-ounce bag (approximately 2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips ***(I used Nestlé)***
* 1 Tablespoon sea or Kosher salt ***(the coarse-ground kind)***

**Directions**

* Preheat oven to 325°F, rack in the middle position.
* Before you begin to make the crust and filling, spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or another nonstick baking spray.
* Combine the butter, white sugar, and powdered sugar in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at MEDIUM speed until the mixture is light and creamy.
* Add the vanilla extract. Mix it in until it is thoroughly combined.
* Add the flour in half-cup increments, beating at LOW speed after each addition. Beat until everything is combined.
* Measure out a heaping cup of sweet dough and place it in a sealable plastic bag. Seal the bag and put it in the refrigerator.
* With impeccably clean hands, press the rest of the sweet dough into the bottom of your prepared cake pan. This will form a bottom crust. Press it all the way out to the edges of the pan and a half-inch up the sides, as evenly as you can. Don't worry if your sweet dough is a bit uneven. It won't matter to any of your guests.
* Bake your bottom crust at 325°F, for approximately 20 minutes or until the edges are beginning to turn a pale golden brown color.
* When the crust has turned pale golden brown, remove the pan from the oven, but DON'T SHUT OFF THE OVEN! Set the pan with your baked crust on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack to cool. It should cool approximately 15 minutes.
* After your crust has cooled approximately 15 minutes, take the lid off the jar of butterscotch ice cream topping and put it in the microwave.
* Heat the butterscotch topping for 15 to 20 seconds on HIGH.
* Let the jar cool in the microwave for 1 minute. Then use potholders to take the jar out of the microwave.
* Pour the butterscotch ice cream topping over the baked bottom crust in the pan as evenly as you can.
* Smooth it out to the edges of your crust with a heat-resistant spatula.
* Open the bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and sprinkle them over the butterscotch ice cream topping as evenly as you can.
* ***Here comes the salt!*** Sprinkle the Tablespoon of sea salt or Kosher salt over the butterscotch layer in the pan.
* Take the remaining sweet dough out of the refrigerator and unwrap it. It has been refrigerated for 35 minutes or more and it should be thoroughly chilled.
* With your impeccably clean fingers, crumble the dough over the butterscotch and chocolate chip layer as evenly as you can. Leave a little space between the crumbles, so the butterscotch sauce can bubble up through the crumbles.
* Return the pan to the oven and bake your bar cookies for 25 to 30 additional minutes, or until the crumbles on top are a light golden brown.
* After 5 minutes of cooling time, use potholders to carry the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
* When your Butterscotch Chocolate Bar Cookies are completely cool, cut them into brownie-size pieces, place them on a pretty plate, and serve them to your guests.

Yield: A cake pan full of yummy brownie-sized treats that everyone will love. Serve with icy-cold glasses of milk, mugs of hot chocolate, or cups of strong, hot coffee.