Stephens’ Butterscotch bites

If you’re entering college this fall, or know someone transitioning to dorm and cafeteria life for the very first time, you may have already been advised to add “the Freshmen 15” to the list of campus concerns.

Some may consider these warnings about college freshman weight gain during that first year on campus to be folklore or an overstatement or folklore. It wasn’t for me.

Truth is, I maintained a very healthy diet during my first semester at Columbia, Missouri’s Stephens College by limiting French fries, homemade bread and pizza and focusing on salads. But living away from home for the first time “back in the day” took it’s toll. My bell bottom jeans no longer fit by Christmas vacation.

The cause? One irresistible dessert from the Blue Room, which I discovered during my first week on campus in the basement of a stone building of what is now described as the “second oldest women’s college in the United States.” I had been captivated by the historic cafe’s dark blue leather booths and cozy atmosphere the moment I opened the door, but the butterscotch brownies made return visits imperative.

Wardrobe issues and a second semester health class describing portion control helped me lose those “freshmen 15” …in time to zip my favorite “mod” shift for spring dances. I graduated weighing the same as when I entered but with a treasured recipe edited with as much passion as my journalism assignments.

Today, the elegant Blue Room has been closed for decades, but these luscious butterscotch bars remain on a regular dessert rotation at my house along with the philosophy my fashionable grandmother passed down about enjoying both food and fashion. “Copy French home cooks and don’t even consider cutting back on high-quality ingredients like butter, just cut back on the serving size,” she said. 

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

1/2 cup each: dark and light brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons almond extract

2 eggs

1/2 cup each: chopped pecans, chocolate chips (semi-sweet or bittersweet)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.  

Cream the butter, dark brown sugar, light brown sugar, white sugar and almond extract in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed, beating until light.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture slowly, beating just until combined. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips with a wooden spoon. 

Transfer to a square 8-inch baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper, leaving edges of paper slightly extended to help remove baked brownies. Bake until golden and an inserted tester comes out almost clean, with just a few crumbs, about 35 to 38 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Remove from pan by lifting the sides of parchment paper. Cut into 16 bars. Cut desired portion control (PC) bites in half lengthwise. Makes 16 to 32 pieces, (depending on your willpower.)

Donna Battle Pierce, former Assistant Food Editor and Test Kitchen Director for the Chicago Tribune is currently working on a book about Freda DeKnight. Web Find more recipes and information: https://skilletdiaries.substack.com/archive?sort=new or contact Donna by email: Dpierce@SkilletDiaries.com.