Jeweled Nut Bars

I just finished the second batch of "Jeweled Nut Bars" that I've made within the last week. This recipe is phenomenal! It came from a Christmas cookie recipe-a-day email I signed up for at the beginning of the month. I made it last weekend and brought it to the cubes on Monday, where it was a big hit. Best of all, it's not overly difficult or time-consuming to make, it doesn't use ingredients we don't already usually have, it works at this altitude, and the bars are easy to get out of the pan.

Ingredients:

For the base,
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (cold)

For the topping,
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 package (6 oz) butterscotch chips (just under 1 cup, near as I can tell)
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups mixed nuts (I've been using 1 cup peanuts, 1 cup cashews)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

To make base: In medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in the 1/2 cup butter (pastry blender works well). Press into greased pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

To make topping: While base is baking, melt butter and butterscotch chips over low heat. Stir in corn syrup and vanilla.

When base is done baking, sprinkle mixed nuts over base. Pour (or drizzle) butterscotch topping evenly over the nuts.

Bake for 9-10 minutes or until sides start to bubble. About 5 minutes into baking, use a spatula to press the nuts down into the base.

Cool completely, cut into squares, and enjoy!

The bars end up with a cookie-like base, and the butterscotch topping turns into a delicious caramel mixture that envelops the mixed nuts. The recipe notes that you can also substitute chocolate chips for the butterscotch chips, but I think you'd lose out on the caramel and it probably wouldn't be as pretty.

Great holiday treat, but I bet it would be awesome any time of the year!