A Golden Lesson

A big Thank You to those who cast their vote for the kind of recipes you’d like to see most on Deanna’s Happy Accidents! It appears that desserts have topped the list – who’d a thought? :) So, if it’s dessert you want, it’s dessert you shall have. Here is my recipe for Butterscotch Cheesecake bars, and why I felt such a great need to create the recipe.

A Golden Lesson, (Originally published at BIN)

My sisters and I sometimes felt it tortuous to grow up in the sticks of Laurel Bloomery, Tennessee, so it was a real treat when we got to travel to “the big town of Bristol”.  We’d park in a huge lot at the corner of State Street and Volunteer Parkway, and stroll to the Paramount or the Cameo movie theater.  As we walked downtown, we’d look in the store windows, and dream of having the pretty dresses and toys we saw; window shopping Mom told us it was called. 

Going to the movies in Bristol was a Really Big Deal.  We probably drove Mom nuts, Lord bless her heart, but she never showed it.  She put her whole self into making these excursions as fun as she could. 

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One of my favorite places in Bristol was Giant’s, this shiny grocery store that made Blackburn’s, our only grocery store in Mountain City, look like a produce stand.  I loved the way Giant’s was set up.  There was a tall display of Brach’s candy, each kind separated in its own tub, with bags you could fill with the different flavors.  We went to Giant’s on most every trip to Bristol.  If we’d been good, Mom would let us choose some candy to buy.  One day we had not been good at all and Mom told us we were not allowed to have candy.  When she said no she meant no and begging her to give in would never have entered our minds.

At the time we owned a Volkswagen Bug.  We never even thought about seat belts back then, so Mom saw no problem with me squeezing into the tiny space between the rear windshield and the back seat.  I loved it back there.  I would lie down and look up at the sky, at the tops of the trees passing by, marveling at God’s beauty and blocking out the racket of my sisters trying to kill each other.

I’ve always been a big thinker, so I thought about what God would think of me, of how wrong it was to have taken that piece of butterscotch candy from the store as I took it out of my pocket, quietly unwrapped the gold plastic, and popped that little piece of heaven into my mouth.  I felt a little guilty, but the taste of that butterscotch was so sweet, so rewarding.  I closed my eyes and did nothing but revel in the taste of that candy.  

Then we hit a bump and the ball of gold flew promptly down my throat.  I couldn’t breathe.  After a few seconds I realized I needed help, that if I didn’t say something soon I would choke to death.  But if I asked for help Mom would know I’d stolen the candy, and what consequences would that bring?  I didn’t even want to consider it. 

With no time to think about it, I had a choice to make – face the music or die.  I sat up and forced myself into the back seat, pushing my sisters aside as I waved my arms and tried to say I was choking.  Of course with that big disk in my throat I couldn’t speak, but I must’ve been turning blue because Mom looked at me in the rear view mirror and immediately pulled over.  She jumped out of the car, opened the back door, reached in, and jerked me out.  I thought she was trying to go ahead and finish me off, so sure I was in her disappointment of me.  But of course she didn’t know what I was choking on until she performed the Heimlich maneuver. The candy flew out of my throat, and landed on the pavement with a loud crack.

Mom didn’t spank me, or even fuss at me.  When we made it home she carried me inside the house and told Daddy what had happened.  That was it; I didn’t even get a “talking to”.  I guess she figured my lesson had been learned, and she was right.  Never again would I steal.

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These Butterscotch Cheesecake Bars is the closest I’ve come to the taste of Brach’s ball of golden heaven.  They’re great for a holiday get-together, or just whenever you feel you deserve a reward. 

Deanna’s Butterscotch Cheesecake Bars

*        Cooking spray

*        Aluminum foil

*        1 ½ cups vanilla wafers, crushed (about 50 cookies)

*        1 cup finely chopped pecans, divided evenly

*        ½ cup melted butter

*        4 – 8 oz packages cream cheese, (use Philadelphia Brand for best results)

*        1 cup sugar

*        1 cup sour cream

*        3 Tbs. cake flour

*        1 Tbs. vanilla extract

*        4 eggs

*        ½ cup butterscotch sauce, recipe follows [for caramel instead of butterscotch you can use caramel ice cream topping instead]

Set all refrigerated ingredients out to come to room temperature. 

Preheat oven to 350°.

Prepare pan: Line 13”x9” baking pan with foil, leaving 3 inches of foil (per side) extending over short sides of pan.  Create “handles” by crunching up extended foil.  Grease foil lining well with cooking spray; set aside.

Make crust: In medium mixing bowl mix crushed wafers, ½ cup of the pecans, and butter, folding until you have a doughy consistency.  Press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan; set aside.  Optional: drizzle about 2 Tbs. of butterscotch sauce on top of crust.

Make cheesecake: Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add sour cream, flour, and vanilla extract; mix well.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended.  Be sure not to beat the eggs.  Pour over crust.  Bake 45 minutes or until center appears almost set, (cheesecake should jiggle a little when pan is moved).  Set on rack on countertop for 30 minutes to cool.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours.  Lift out of pan onto large cutting board, using foil handles.  Pour butterscotch sauce over cheesecake, gently spreading to edges.  Cut into bars.

Butterscotch Sauce

*        8 oz (about 2/3 of 12 oz bag) butterscotch chips

*        3 Tbs. brown sugar

*        1 ½ Tbs. butter, (not margarine)

*        1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

*        ½ cup chopped pecans

Cook all except pecans in heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring continuously with wire whisk until smooth and creamy, about 7 – 8 minutes after the mixture begins to melt.  Remove from heat and stir in pecans.  Let cool about 10 minutes before pouring on cheesecake.