Psalm 139: 13-14
For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”
I don’t know why, but this morning was one of those days when I started thinking about my Mom.
Mom has been gone since 2000, but not a day goes by that I don’t have some memory of her and this morning was no different.
Perhaps it was when I opened the freezer to grab some meat to thaw for dinner tonight…and saw the butterscotch morsels on the freezer shelf.
I smiled to myself because Mom loved butterscotch.
As a teenager growing up, I thought my Mom had “weird” taste.
I mean she loved cottage cheese.
And coconut cream pie with tons of coconut on anything and everything!
And candied sweet potatoes loaded with tiny marshmallows!
And crushed pineapple!
And lime green jello filled with green spiced grapes from a can.
And Cherry Mash Bars you bought in a red and white wrapper!
And of course, butterscotch!
Of course over the years, as I “matured” and started sampling these foods (with out the screwed up faces and “yucky” comments); I have come to love all “her special” foods with the exception of cottage cheese!
I’ve NEVER acquired a taste for cottage cheese!
I love lasagna, but omit the Ricotta cheese when I make it.
But I digress…back to the butterscotch morsels.
I pulled them out of the freezer container and decided to try and find my recipe for butterscotch brownies with chocolate chips.
I have not made butterscotch brownies in like …..forever, I wasn’t sure I could even locate the recipe!
(I think they call them “Blondies” these days; but I call them brownies no matter their color.) LOL
So I sat down with my trusty recipe file box that I have moved from house to house over the last 50 years or so and I vowed to start organizing this treasure box so I could find certain recipes from my family who have long since passed away.
My Aunt Lucy’s baked beans with her secret ingredient that she swore she would never tell…. and my Grandma’s sugar cookies that she made so regularly the pink depression glass cookie jar was never empty as it sat in full view inside the glass doors of her Hoosier cabinet.
My Aunt Dorothy’s thin cocoa cake recipe she gave me when I was 16 years old (which btw, many young bakers call Texas sheet cake and claim it’s origin). LOL!!! My Aunt Dorothy never claimed to invent this recipe…someone handed it down to her over 50 years ago too.
And then I found the Butterscotch Brownie recipe!
Yay!
Now for years, Mom made her butterscotch from scratch using brown sugar and butter. When butterscotch morsels became available, Mom used those.
The recipe is below:
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Butterscotch Brownies with Chocolate Chips
1 cup Butterscotch morsels
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 room temperature eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4-1 cup chocolate chips
1/4-1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but pecans work also)
Melt butter in small saucepan and add butterscotch morsels stirring to melt and combine.
(Or you can melt morsels over double boiler or in microwave.)
Cool mixture for 5 minutes.
Add 1 cup of brown sugar
Add eggs
Add vanilla
Add baking powder and salt to flour and add to wet mixture
Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips and the nuts (reserve some chocolate chips to add to top when brownies are removed from oven).
Stir well and add to an 8X8 baking dish (or any size you like depending on how thick you want your brownies.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes
Cool and cut into bars.
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For sure my Mom loved sweets!
I will always remember how she kept a perpetual candy bowl of Brach’s chocolate stars candy or Hershey’s chocolate kisses sitting by her living room chair.
All my kids used to love that too…they would almost ‘wipe her out’ when they went to visit in her latter years, but she always had an extra bag hidden deep in her cabinet.
I’m not sure Brach’s makes those chocolate star candies anymore.
And by the way, Mom was about 5 foot 1 inch tall (in shoes) and weighed maybe 89 pounds sopping wet! LOL
Thanks Mom….and I do love these Butterscotch Brownies with Chocolate Chips!
Lest you think I forgot the heart shaped potato…here is a pic just as I found it in the potato bag when I unpacked the potatoes to put in the potato bin.
And if you turn the potato over, it looks like this!
Isaiah 66:13
“As one whom his Mother comforts, so I will comfort you.”
Hugs and Blessings Always on this Lord’s Day!
As always, love your little stories. I’m still lucky enough to have my momma, she is 92,one of the world’s greatest cooks,but not now,her hands are to crippled up. Always love watching her cook and her Mom was such a great cook too,I have a few of Grandma’s recipe. I really miss you guys and our elite group. Hope you and Captain had a great Valentines Day.
thanks Celeste…so good to hear from you! You are in our daily prayers! Treasure your Mom, because too soon they are gone! If you have a special recipe from your Grandma or Mom and would like to share it, let me know and I will post about you and it. Originally, this blog was to give my kids copies of all my recipes and have them in one place. Blessings always sweet friend and thanks for stopping by with your comments. (We miss the Elite Fleet too!)
Kari, this is such a heartwarming post. I think of my Mother every day. She went home in 2007, but I will always miss her. The recipe sounds wonderful and thank you for sharing with us. I hope you and your captain have had a wonderful Valentine’s Day, my friend ♥️🌹
Thanks Pam, In my younger days, I thought I knew so much more than my mother and then when I reached the age of 21…I was amazed at how smart she really was. LOL It seemed she became smart and knowledgable overnight. LOL I miss her so much as you do your Mom. I am sure you and Butch had a great Valentine’s Day also, it doesn’t matter what we do as long as we do it together. Hugs my sweet friend.
What a heartwarming post on this day, Kari! I love memories of my mom, and yours too. I always love that I have my dear Mr. P. on this day, but it doesn’t take long before I feel empathy for all those who are alone and feel loneliness today. Memories of family love sustain us, and I hope everyone reading this knows that they are just perhaps one person away, one conversation away from feeling good in the gift of what this day is. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your Captain.
So glad to hear from you Rita…and you are right about those who don’t have anyone or who have recently lost a loved one. One of my dear friends in Kansas lost her 52 year old son to Covid and she is having such a hard time. We all feel that we should “go” before our children and it is difficult when it happens the other way around. We pray for all those who are alone and lonely each and every day. There are so many. 🙁
I am sure you and Mr. P celebrated just the way that was perfect for you both on Valentine’s Day. Bless you both my dear friend. (FYI, I believe we play you on the 19th…..good luck to us both) Go Mountaineers!!! and Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!
Dear Kari, You brought so many memories back of my mom. I think of her every day. Often I talk to her too. I always talk to God every day and give him my cares.
Your butterscotch brownies with chocolate chips look so scrumptious that I’m drooling. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and the Captain.
Oh Sandra how we miss our Mom’s when they are gone…but we always carry them in our hearts and will one day give them hugs again. What a friend we have in Jesus….He knows our every care! Happy Valentine’s day my friend.
Happy Valentine’s Day Kari! You should cook the heart potato for your Captain today! The brownies sound wonderful 🙂
Jenna
Great idea on the potato Jenna, I might just do that. Going to have lobster tails for just he and I. Are you at the beach or home for Valentine’s Day? Perhaps your son will make you a special dinner and you can celebrate with your littles too. Happy Valentine’s Day to all. Blessings and hugs
Yum, lobster tails! I’m in Birmingham right now but will be headed to the beach for President’s Day weekend. Actually I’m cooking for my son tonight because today is his birthday! I got some chicken stuffed with mushrooms from Fresh Market, and some truffle cream gnocchi from Trader Joes. All I have to do is make a creamy bacon sauce and roast some asparagus 😋 Happy Valentine’s Day Kari & Captain!
yummy!!!!!!
Kari, Such a sweet post. I’ve been thinking of my mother a lot lately too. One of my friends makes your butterscotch brownies a lot. Tastes and smells do evoke memories. Yours are so sweet of your mother.
I have good intentions about my recipe boxes full of recipe cards from 50 years of marriage. I don’t use many of them anymore but I can’t seem to throw them away!!!
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Bonnie, one of these days I will get to sorting old recipes…..maybe…LOL!!! I really miss my Mom. I can see her sitting in her chair with her ‘chocolate stars’ beside her and her expression of dismay over something I said or did. LOL Thanks for stopping by my dear friend,
Oh Kari… such sweet memories of your Momma! My Mom always had chocolate covered Graham Crackers in her jar… ❤️
I will have to try the brownies. They look scrumptious.
I love your heart potato… that’s a Godwink from above.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
THANKS NANCY…. I love that we have our memories….how sweet are they? I can still see and hear my Mom just as when she was with us. Happy Valentine’s Day my sweet friend.