Naughty Bars

Does anybody remember Nordy Bars? They used to be served in the Nordstrom cafe and were something of a cult classic back in the eighties.  I don’t believe they make them anymore.

I recently stumbled upon the original recipe (courtesy of The Oregonian’s Food Day from way back when ) and in a fit of nostalgia decided to make them. The only problem with the bars — and it’s a big one really — is that the butterscotch chips taste unbearably fake.

So I decided to retool them and use a combination of butter and brown sugar to get the butterscotch flavor and eliminate the chips altogether. And while melting the butter, I decided to go ahead and brown it — not absolutely necessary, but it does add some nice caramel-y depth and is relatively easy to do. I also chopped up some Heath bars and threw them in to add a nice bit of toffee crunch. And I left out the nuts, because nuts aren’t my thing. But you do you.

I personally love the results. The bars are not quite a brownie and not quite a blondie.

What they are is a little bit toffee, a little bit chocolate and a whole lot of gooey.  Not to mention that they’re easy to make, travel well and freeze nicely.

As for the re-name? Well, when I was describing the bar’s backstory to someone they misheard Nordy as naughty and so Naughty Bars they became. Although not nearly as naughty as me for always eating too many.

~Naughty Bars~

• unsalted butter – two sticks, cubed
• brown sugar – two cups, packed
• eggs – two
• vanilla – one tablespoon
• salt – 1/2 teaspoon
• flour – two cups
• milk chocolate chips – one twelve ounce packet
• heath bars – six, coarsely chopped
• miniature marshmallows – two cups

Pre-heat the oven to 350˚F and then line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper.

In a large saucepan or skillet (8-10″or so) over medium heat, add the butter cubes and melt. The butter will start to foam and as the foam subsides you will see golden brown solids start to sink to the bottom and you’ll get a deliciously nutty aroma. Swirl the pan or stir with a wooden spoon so that the solids don’t stay too long in one place and burn — this can happen quickly so be vigilant

As soon as the butter is a nice golden brown, take it off the heat and stir in the sugar. The coolness of the sugar will help stop the cooking process, so do it quickly. Add the eggs, vanilla and salt and stir until well combined. Everything should be nice and glossy and cohesive at this point.

Stir in the flour and mix until no white bits are left and then throw in the heath bars, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Stir just to combine.

Pour into the prepared pan, spread evenly and bake for about 25-30 minutes. The tops should have that nice, dry crackly look.

I forgot to photograph the browning of the butter but Epicurious has a great in-depth with photos article here, if you need a visual.