I considered waiting until after Halloween to share this recipe, but I couldn’t resist. If you enjoy Butterfinger candy, these Chewy Butterfinger Bar Cookies are a must-try. They deliver a rich, sweet, brown-sugar blondie flavor with a pronounced Butterfinger taste that develops even more as the bars rest.
These bars are baked in a 13×9-inch pan and slice cleanly into portable bars, which makes them ideal for sharing. If you prefer a smaller batch, halve the recipe and use an 8-inch pan. They wrap and transport well, so if you have the ingredients on hand, consider making the full batch to share with friends or family.
Chewy Butterfinger Bar Cookies
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt (if using salted butter, reduce to ¼ teaspoon)
¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
4 regular-size Butterfingers (a little over 2 oz each), chopped
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a 13×9-inch metal baking pan by spraying it with baking spray or lining it with nonstick foil. If using regular foil, spray the foil with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the dry mixture aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat the room-temperature butter with the brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and beat in the eggs and vanilla, mixing only until the eggs are incorporated.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture until just combined, then fold in 1 cup of the chopped Butterfinger pieces. Press the batter evenly into the prepared pan, spreading it to the edges. Sprinkle the remaining chopped Butterfinger pieces over the top.
Bake for 28–30 minutes, until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. For a half batch baked in an 8-inch pan, reduce the baking time to about 25 minutes.
Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares. They are excellent at room temperature, and I particularly liked them chilled—the Butterfinger flavor becomes even more pronounced after refrigeration.
Yield: about 32 bars.