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By Stephanie Williams Dean

Bless Your Spoon

Butterscotch is long overdue a little time in the limelight.

Share the love, caramel.

You might think the two are the same.

Much like caramel, butterscotch is a cooked sugar – but there’s a difference. Butterscotch is made with brown sugar instead of white sugar. Traditional butterscotch recipes call for butter to be melted with brown sugar from the get-go. The result is the distinctive and delicious taste of caramelized brown sugar combined with salty, buttery flavors. Baking with chips/morsels produce a more intense butterscotch flavor.

Recently, the host at a moonshine tasting said he injects his beef roasts with butterscotch moonshine – yielding a delicious result. I added the liquor in my favorite pound cake, substituting milk with the flavored moonshine. Yes, the cake was moist and delicious – and decadent.

Whether you love an understated or more intense butterscotch flavor, both are included in today’s classic butterscotch recipes. Try substituting sea salt for regular salt and adding a little bourbon, which takes butterscotch from better to best.

Any time you substitute real cream for milk, you’re doing your desserts a favor – taking taste a notch upward – as well as your belt. Tell yourself it’s ok for special occasions – go decadent or leave your desserts at home.

FAVORITE BUTTERSCOTCH PIE

4 beaten large egg yolks

4 Tbsp. salted butter

1 ½ cups whole milk

½ tsp salt

4 Tbsp. flour

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 graham cracker crust

Meringue:

4 egg whites

½ cup sugar

In a saucepan, combine egg yolks, butter, milk, and salt. Add flour, white sugar, and brown sugar. Over medium heat, stir constantly for 15 minutes or until thickened. Cool. Add vanilla. Pour into pie shell. For meringue, beat egg whites and sugar together until stiff. Spread over pie. Cook in a 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

BUTTER & BROWN SUGAR POUND CAKE

2 sticks softened, salted butter

½ cup Crisco shortening

1 lb. light brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

5 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking powder

1 cup milk

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup chopped pecans

In a mixer, cream butter, Crisco, and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add sifted flour, salt, and baking powder while alternating with milk and vanilla. Mix well. Fold in chopped nuts. Bake in a greased and floured tube pan in a 300-degree oven for 1 hour 20 minutes or until tests done.  Ice with frosting.

Frosting

¼ cup salted butter

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup milk

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup chopped pecans

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add sugar and heat until dissolved. Add salt and milk. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Pour over a warm cake.

SCOTCH SQUARE BROWNIES

½ cup melted salted butter

2 cup brown sugar

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ cup chopped pecans

In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar until dissolved. Cool. Add eggs and beat well. Add vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Fold in chopped pecans. Pour in a greased and floured pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Cool. Cut into squares.

BUTTERSCOTCH POUND CAKE

2 sticks softened, salted butter

½ cup shortening

2 cups sugar

1 cup brown sugar

5 eggs

6 oz. butterscotch morsels

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp maple flavoring

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 cup milk

In a mixer, cream butter, shortening, and sugars. Add eggs one at a time and mix well in between. Melt morsels and add to sugar mixture. Add flour, baking powder, and salt while alternating with milk and flavorings. Bake in a greased and floured tube pan in a 325-degree oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until cake tests done. Make glaze and spread over cake.

EASY SCOTCH PUDDING DELIGHT

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 stick melted, salted butter

½ cup toasted, chopped almonds

8 oz. softened cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 large carton Cool Whip, divided

2 pkgs. instant butterscotch pudding

3 cups whole milk

½ cup toasted, chopped almonds

In a bowl, combine flour, butter, and ½ cup nuts. For the crust, press mixture into bottom of a 9 x13 pan. Bake in a 300-degree oven for 15 minutes to set. Cool completely. In a bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Mix well. Fold in 1 cup of Cool Whip. Spread on baked and cooled crust. In a bowl, mix pudding with milk and spread over cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining carton of Cool Whip. Sprinkle with ½ cup toasted almonds. Refrigerate. Chocolate pudding can be substituted.

APPLE CAKE WITH BUTTERSCOTCH

2 beaten eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup cooking oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts

3 cups diced apples

In a mixer, beat eggs. Add sugar and oil. Mix well. Sift flour, salt, soda, and cinnamon. Combine with sugar mixture. Mix well. Fold in apples and nuts. Bake in a greased and floured 9 x 11 baking pan in a 325-degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until done. While hot, pour butterscotch top over the cake. You can also make this in a Bundt pan.

Butterscotch Topping

2 stick melted, salted butter

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup milk

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Dash of cinnamon

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add brown sugar and flour and stir until dissolved. Add milk and cinnamon and mix well. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes. While hot, pour over warm cake. Good drizzled over ice cream, too.

BUTTERSCOTCH DROPS

12 oz. butterscotch morsels

2 Tbsp. plain peanut butter

2 cups crisp cornflakes

¾ cup toasted, slivered almonds

½ tsp. vanilla extract

In a double boiler, melt the butterscotch. Add peanut butter and mix well. Add cornflakes, toasted nuts, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoons on a greased cookie sheet. Refrigerate until firm. Yield: 4 dozen.

FILLED BUTTERSCOTCH LAYER CAKE

¼ cup softened salted butter

¼ cup Crisco shortening

1 ¼ cup sugar

3 beaten eggs

2/3 cup butterscotch morsels

¼ cup water

2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

In a mixer bowl, cream butter and Crisco. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs and mix well. In a saucepan, melt butterscotch morsels in water. Blend in melted butterscotch. Add flour, soda, and salt while alternating with buttermilk. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch cake layers. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely.

Scotch Filling

½ cup sugar

½ cup evaporated milk

1/3 cup butterscotch morsels

1/3 cup water

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 beaten egg yolk

2 Tbsp. salted butter

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Whipped cream

In a saucepan, combine sugar, evaporated milk, butterscotch morsels, water, and cornstarch. Add beaten egg yolk. Cook over medium heat while stirring until thickened. Remove from heat. Add butter, coconut, and pecans. Cool. Spread between cake layers and on top to within ½-inch of outer edge. Frost sides and top edge with whipped cream or a frosting.