These thick, chewy, gooey butterscotch bars taste as if they came straight from a bakery! With a sweet & salty, rich buttery flavor they are the perfect, easy treat when you want to impress!
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Why I'm Obsessed With These Butterscotch Bars
- Buttery, Sweet & Salty Flavor: With the melted butter base & butterscotch chips mixed in, this dough is perfectly sweet, salty, and buttery (they taste like the have brown butter...without the work!). Serve with ice cream or a glass of milk for the perfect dessert.
- Chewy & Thick: We doubled the base dough from my sweet & salty butterscotch cookie cake so that you get a thick, bakery-style butterscotch bar when baked in a 9x13 pan. Gooey butterscotch bars are SO good homemade...move on over Betty Crocker premade mix!
- No mixer required: Since we're starting with a melted butter, you can mix this entirely by hand. No beating the sugar and butter required!
Ingredients for Toll House Butterscotch Bars
- Unsalted butter (you will be melting this)
- Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar
- Large Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Cornstarch
- Butterscotch Chips (for best flavor, use a higher quality chip vs. generic; I used Nestle Toll House)
- 9x13 Metal Pan
How to Make Butterscotch Bars:
Step 1: Melt Butter & Mix Dough
Warm the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan until it’s just melted. Combine the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl and use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir them together.
Next, stir in the egg, followed by the baking powder and salt. Mix in cornstarch and flour, followed by the butterscotch chips. Mix the dough until well-combined.
Tip: I recommend mixing this by hand (rather than with a mixer) to ensure a chewy texture. The gooey, thickness of these make are what I think make these the best butterscotch blondies recipe.
Step 2: Put Dough in Pan
Grease & line a 9x13 metal pan with parchment paper. Spread dough into an even layer in pan. For added presentation, press additional butterscotch chips into the top.
Step 3: Bake
Place the pan butterscotch bars in an oven preheated to 350ºF and bake it for 26 to 28 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden brown and the inside no longer looks super wet. It might look a little under-baked, but the residual heat from the pan will continue to bake the cookie even after you take it out of the oven. Slightly underbaking is the trick to a soft, gooey bar!
Tip: The bars will set up as they cool, so even if they seem too doughy after 26-28 minutes they should firm up after a few hours.
Step 4: Cut & Enjoy!
Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice it the butterscotch blondies into squares (I like to cut large bakery-style squares but you can also do them smaller!). Let cool (or don't!) and enjoy them with a glass of milk or ice cream.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: These butterscotch bars are best stored on the counter at room temperature and best eaten within 3 days for the best texture.
Freezing: If making ahead of time, wrap the baked bars in plastic wrap and freeze in an airtight container. Freeze up to 1 month. When ready to serve, let thaw completely.
Frequently Asked Questions:
I used Nestle Toll House chips but you can use any brand. I just recommend avoiding the super cheap, generic brands as the chips are often waxy and don't taste as good.
You sure can! While these bars are rich & buttery on their own, you could also mix in pretzels, chocolate or white chocolate chips, marshmallows or turn them into butterscotch caramel bars by drizzling on caramel.
More Cookie Cake Recipes:
If you make these gooey butterscotch bars, be sure to leave a comment below and tag me on Instagram @designeatrepeat. I LOVE seeing what you made!
Bakery Style Butterscotch Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter you will be melting this
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt If using unsalted butter, don't skip the salt!
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup butterscotch baking chips I use Nestle Tollhouse
Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. While preheating, be sure to read tips & tricks in post above for recipe success.
- Warm the unsalted butter (1 cup, i.e. 2 sticks) in a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan until it’s just melted.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the unsalted butter with the light brown sugar (1 cup) and granulated sugar (1 cup). Stir until combined. (I recommend mixing this by hand rather than a mixer.)
- Stir in the eggs (2 large) and vanilla extract (1 tablespoon), followed by the baking powder (1 teaspoon) and salt (1 ½ teaspoons).
- Mix in cornstarch (1 tablespoon) and all-purpose flour (2 ½ cups), followed by the butterscotch chips (1 cup). Mix the dough until well-combined.
- Spread dough into an even layer in pan. Sprinkle on some extra butterscotch chips for added presentation. Bake for 26-28 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden brown and then center no longer looks wet (they will look a tad underbaked, as this is the key to a soft, gooey bar).
- Cut into 12-24 bars (I like to cut them big) and enjoy! Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Cheryl says
Love this recipe! I have made it 3 times and my husband can't get enough. The guys at work asked for a batch also. So easy my grandson helped me.
Melissa says
I'm so happy to hear you all love this recipe! Thank you so much for leaving a review, Cheryl! I really appreciate it!
Cathy says
Very easy to make. Moist and delicious. I added some mini choc chips. Will definitely keep this recipe
Melissa says
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Cathy! Thank you so much for leaving a review!
Diane says
These are easy and delicious. I followed the recipe exactly, except I didn’t have unsalted butter so I reduced salt by 1/4 teaspoon. The salt is key to the flavor. They are perfect as is, but I might throw in some toasted pecans next time for my nut-loving son. I’m going to make a batch for Christmas and drizzle them with red and green white chocolate stripes. A very versatile, foolproof recipe.
Melissa says
So glad you loved this recipe, Diane! and some toasted pecans sound like a great addition! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Ranae says
These turned out beautifully! I made them for a cheerleading bake sale and people loved them!
Melissa says
So happy to hear everyone loved the recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Ranae!
Suzanne Clar says
Can I halve this recipe? If yes, should I use an 8 x8in. pan, or a 10 x6in. pan? If I can halve it, can I use more than 1/2C of chips in the reduced size recipe?
Advance thanks for your reply. Suzanne
Melissa says
Yes, you can halve it and bake in a 8x8" pan. I'd check on them after 22 minutes, as they may not need the full time. For the chips, you could add a bit more! I just wouldn't use too much or they can get too gooey to slice :)
Susan Appelberg says
Absolutely love this recipe. Turned out wonderful.
Melissa says
So glad you loved this recipe, Susan! Thank you so much for leaving a review!
Lena says
Delicious & easy. I’ve made 4 times so far! Big hit with my family.
Melissa says
So happy to hear everyone loves the recipe! Thank you so much for leaving a review, Lena!
Jessica says
So easy to make! So delicious!
Melissa says
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Jessica!
Teresa Cross says
Got my Kitchen-Aid mixer out, then read the directions. Didn't know if they were going to work but they did! So much easier than using a heavy mixer, etc. I used a large wire whisk to blend everything, step by step. They really are delicious!! Next time I might hit the batter with a touch of cinnamon!
Melissa says
So glad you loved this recipe, Teresa! Thank you so much for leaving a review! :)
Linda Wilson says
Really good recipe. Will make again
Melissa says
Thank you for leaving a review, Linda!
Michael D Hooper says
Absolutely delicious. A bit sweet for me. Next time I will use 1/2 the sugar
joan bergman says
So delicious! I will be making these again soon!!!
Melissa says
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Joan! :)
Christi Farrell says
Best bar I’ve ever made, thank you for sharing your recipe! I love not using a mixer, and they turned out perfect. Delicious
Melissa says
Glad to hear you loved this recipe so much, Christi!! Thank you SO much for taking the time to leave a review!
Naomi says
Omg yum!! And so easy too! I may or may not have also added some chocolate chips 🤷♀️
Melissa says
Can't go wrong with adding some chocolate chips to any recipe :) Thank you so much for leaving a review!
Kari beattie says
I truly like these bars. The flavor is great. My trouble comes with cooking time. If I cook them like the recipe says they are raw in the middle. If I let them cook until done the edges are Too hard to eat. Don't get me wrong, they are tasty and easy. I have made them at least 10 times. Still trying to find that perfect timing on the bake.
Melissa says
Hi Kari - so glad you love them! That's interesting on the center; may I ask what kind of pan you are baking them in? Is it a light-colored metal, dark metal, or glass pan? Also, do you happen to use an internal oven thermometer? Let's start there & I can help you troubleshoot!
Tracie says
The Most Perfect Butterscotch Bar Ever!
I've baked other recipes and it dosent come close to this one!
I would always make cookies using this dough. but baking the mixture into bars came out so gooey! Heaven help me.
Thank you for getting it right Melissa!
Melissa says
Ahh, I'm so glad you loved this recipe, Tracie! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!