Get ready for a decadent Pioneer Woman dessert similar to sweet and salty fudge from the Food Network star. Ree Drummond’s Chocolate Butterscotch Caramel Bars feature layers of dulce de leche, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips. But learn from the Food Network star’s mistake and don’t use a food processor.
Following Ree Drummond’s Chocolate Butterscotch Caramel Bars recipe exactly isn’t a must
Don’t have mini chocolate chips like the ones the Pioneer Woman uses in her Chocolate Butterscotch Caramel Bars? That’s OK.
According to the Super Easy cookbook author, it’s perfectly fine to use something else. When she featured the recipe on her Pioneer Woman website in October 2014 Drummond gave the go-ahead to get creative with toppings.
“Add other kinds of nuts, M&M’s, whatever floats your boat” to the “incredibly rich and tasty treats,” she said.
So, keep in mind when scanning through the ingredient list, if butterscotch chips, mini chocolate chips, or Spanish peanuts aren’t in the kitchen pantry that doesn’t necessarily mean no Chocolate Butterscotch Caramel Bars. It simply means a variation on them depending on whatever’s available.
Drummond warns against using a food processor to make the base layer
Take the Pioneer Woman’s word for it and skip the food processor. Drummond explained on her website what happened when she tried using one to make the base layer of her Chocolate Butterscotch Caramel Bars.
“I was in a hurry and was also feeling lazy, so I hurriedly threw the mixture into the food processor to pulse it up rather than put forth the hard work with the pastry cutter,” she began.
“I mean, sometimes I just don’t feel like fighting the good fight anymore. But it was not a good idea,” she continued. “The food processor instantly—and I mean, lickety-split—pulverized the oatmeal.
While it was “still delicious,” she said that the oatmeal pieces should still be visible. So skip the kitchen gadget Food Network stars love.
How to make Drummond’s Chocolate Butterscotch Caramel Bars
Make the Pioneer Woman’s Chocolate Butterscotch Caramel Bars in five easy steps, according to Food Network. Before the baking starts preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
Next, mix together the dry ingredients. Put the oats — regular or quick-cooking — in a bowl with sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix in pieces of cold butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture in the pan and press it into the bottom.
Bake it for 35 minutes or until golden brown then set it aside to cool. While it cools move on to the other layers of the bars. Microwave the dulce de leche until it’s soft and spoon it evenly over the base.
Sprinkle a layer of peanuts on top and gently press them into the dulce de leche followed by mini chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. Chill the bars in the fridge for anywhere from two to three hours. Then remove them from the pan and cut them into squares.
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