When Life Calls For Butterscotch, Make It From Scratch

"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Don't believe it? Spend a few minutes with my boyfriend, the lover of what he likes to call, "yum yums," which are basically any tasty treat that is most likely really bad for your health.

Although I do worry about his yum yum obsession, it did make it easy to decide what to do for him to celebrate one year of dating. I went with one of his favorite yum yums, "Scotcheroos." His mom made them this past Christmas, so I was able to experience first hand just why he raves about this dessert.

She was nice enough to give me the recipe, and as I bought the ingredients, I tried not to think about the fact that I was going up against years of Scotcheroos perfection. That didn't last long, though, because the recipe calls for butterscotch chips, and apparently they don't sell butterscotch chips in Pasadena this time of year. How could I not think about the years of Scotcheroos perfection knowing I was going to have to make homemade butterscotch?!

Also, I gave my mom a good laugh when I called to ask her if corn oil was different than corn syrup. Note to self: it is.

Anyway, although intimidated, I was bound and determined!

Before I knew it, it was Saturday night, and I was preparing my ingredients. Every butterscotch recipe I read stressed the importance of moving fast between each step. Apparently, I didn't move fast enough, though. Somewhere between dumping in 1/4 cup of whipping cream and pouring another, the butterscotch began to harden. Crap. I was sure my frantic attempt was a lost cause. I decided to try cranking the heat, hoping to re-liquidize (is that even a term?) the butterscotch to the desired consistency.

I'll admit, I was feeling pretty proud as I poured the sweet smelling butterscotch into a readied glass bowl of melted chocolate chips. However, when it was time to slather it on the peanut butter, rice krispies goodness that is Scotcheroos, my heart sank a little. The butterscotch and chocolate spread took on a sand like texture. All I could do was hope it tasted better than it looked.

24 hours later, Dave and I devoured 3 slices of the Scotcheroos...EACH...IN A ROW! That should tell you something about the finished product.

Also, it should tell you a little something about life. It might not look how you thought it would, but that doesn't it mean it can't still taste sweet.

Yum yum on my friends,

<3 Elise