Trisha Yearwood’s Butterscotch Bars are rich, chewy cookie bars built on a buttery brown-sugar base and loaded with sweet butterscotch flavor. They bake up in a simple 9×13‑inch pan and slice into soft, nostalgic bars that feel like a cross between a blondie and a butterscotch cookie.
Why these bars are so chewy and flavorful
These bars rely on a creamed butter–sugar base, a generous amount of brown sugar, and careful, slightly underbaked timing to stay soft and chewy. The high brown sugar ratio, minimal gluten development, and inclusions like butterscotch chips (and toffee or oats in some versions) all contribute to a moist, flavorful bar that keeps well for days.
- Brown sugar–forward dough keeps the bars moist and gives classic butterscotch depth.
- Creaming butter and sugar, then adding eggs and vanilla, mirrors the base method in Trisha’s butterscotch peanut butter bars and other chewy blondies.
- Baking just until the edges are set and the center is slightly soft preserves chew rather than turning the bars cakey or dry.