I learned something yesterday.

Yeah. I was surprised, too.

Okay I learned two things actually. Now that I’m thinking about it. (Wow. Yesterday was a really. Good. Day.)

First. I learned that Bill Nye. The Science Guy. Is still alive.

I used to watch him on PBS. Daily. And he seemed old then. Now he’s veritably ancient. (Maybe it was really just a hologram of him. Being projected from the past into the future. If anyone could figure out how to traverse time like that. It would be Bill Nye. That man. Knows. Everything.) But not so ancient that he’s too old to be contacted by CNN to talk about the earthquake in Chile.

Which is where I saw him. On a television. At physical therapy. Being consulted by some nondescript news anchor about the current state of the world’s rotation. (All I have to say is. Better him than Dr. Oz.)


And that was where I learned factoid number two. (Ironic, don’t you think, that I’ve come all this way. Gone to MIT. Am surrounded by physicians and scientists all day. And I’m still learning from the same guy who taught me science when I was six? It seems to me I could have just sat home and watched his reruns. And saved my parents $160,000. Yup. Definitely ironic. And kind of depressing. Let’s move on.)

Where was I?

Oh right. Factoid number two.

Bill (notice the first name basis!) so kindly informed me that the earthquake in Chile, aside from the mass death and destruction, also caused a shift in the earth’s rotation. Such that each day has now been shortened. By a millionth of a second.

Hmm. You look unimpressed.

But think about it this way. Now I have even less time to cook all the things I want to cook. Do all the things I want to do. There just aren’t enough millionths of a second in the day. Literally.

Moral – life is short(er). Eat dessert first.
I was craving butterscotch. And then I remembered these butterscotch bars that I had bookmarked from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice. Reeni (lovely, lovely Reeni) calls them blondies. But they aren’t chewy enough to be blondies, in my opinion. The consistency is much more like that of a bar cookie. So that’s what I’m going with.

No matter what you call them, though. They were delicious. Reeni says they get even more delicious with time. I don’t really foresee them lasting long enough to find out.

Cinnamon Butterscotch Bars
Makes anywhere in the realm of 24-28, adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 package butterscotch chips

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
a dash of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper, or grease.

2. Beat the butter, sugars and cinnamon until fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

3. Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to the wet mixture 1/3 at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4. Stir in the butterscotch chips. Spread into the pan. Lick the bowl.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the center is set and the top is golden brown. Let cool on a rack.

6. For the cream cheese frosting, beat together the ingredients until smooth.

7. Frost bars and refrigerate an hour or two before slicing. Slice. Eat.

I am submitting these to this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, which is being hosted by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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82 Responses to Cinnamon Butterscotch Bars

  1. Luigi says:

    You and your Cinnamon Butterscotch Bars are just amazing! And im first to comment, what an honour!

  2. Nostalgia says:

    Lovely indeed. spice is nice! My husband and I were talking about the day getting shorter after the earthquake and you are so right. Where do I go for more time now? Nice post as always. I am going to check out more on Bill (I did notice the first name basis 🙂

  3. Tasha says:

    I have a very similar treat I make that also seems to have an identity issue- I’ve seen them called blondies, cookie bars, even brownies. Regardless of what they should be called, everyone loves them. I recieved a marriage proposal the last time I made them (never mind the fact I’m already married.)

    Mine don’t have the icing or cinnamon. Instead, they have the butterscotch melted in and include chocolate chips, but I think I might just have to try your way out. You know, for comparison test purposes.

  4. Kim says:

    Now I’ve learned something new too!

    The cinnamon butterscotch bars sound delicious and I like that the cream cheese frosting also has cinnamon in it. I wonder if this would be a good use for those cinnamon chips I bought at xmas? Hmmm….you’re making me think this morning!

  5. Debbi Smith says:

    Nice that you found Bill again. Bad that he gave you such catastrophic news. I guess it’s time to replan and restructure the whole day. Thank you for finding time in your dwindling day to make these wonderful looking bars. I love cinnamon. Yum!

  6. Shannon says:

    guess i learned something new today, too 🙂 these sound delicious, even though i’m a little too full from my big breakfast… oops!

  7. It’s been ages since I heard that name! These butterscotch bars sound amazing!

  8. looks superb….very yummy bars

  9. Love the narration and insightful info in this post. Certainly love the butterscotch bars. They look very wicked and tempting!

  10. Pam says:

    Girl…get your butt over here and clean this drool off my keyboard PRONTO….lol!!

    Looks great Joanne!

    xoxo

  11. Do you realise Joanne you just have created a historical Punch line…Life is short so eat dessert first. thats my mantra of life too. lovely lovely recipe. the bars look so crumbly am craving a piece right now.

  12. ha ha….i always learn something when i pop by here…smiling and grinning thru all the delicious and i always love the name of that blog cinnamon and evrything nice…
    Have to hop by….
    Call em whatever ya wants ,,,,as long as u enjoy ’em alls fair in love …(dont we love our food?))) :-)))

  13. Nina says:

    The bars are amazing..I am so glad to find ur blog:).

  14. Liz says:

    First off, these look amazing! Thanks for sharing!

    Secondly, I clicked on your profile after you left a comment on my blog, and I just had to write you a note. I am a PhD cancer researcher and even interviewed at Sloan Kettering! Good luck with your research! 🙂

  15. SE says:

    yummy..these looks so tempting…butterscotch use to be my favourite flavor during school days !!!

  16. Debbie says:

    Those bars look delicious and I think they are calling my name!

  17. Bridgett says:

    Oh wow, I did not know Bill Nye was still around. Learn something new each day, huh? The cinnamon bars are wonderful and would be perfect with my tea this morning.

  18. Ce gâteau semble très goûteux et très bon.
    A bientôt.

  19. Danielle says:

    you crack me up (life is shor(er)LOL) I heard that too…kinda weird, isn’t it.
    Anywaaaaays….your cinnamon butterscotch bars look way too yummy for my own good!!!

  20. ARUNA says:

    I’m craving butterscotch too right now….its yummy!

  21. Bob says:

    Ok, I have nothing but love for Bill Nye (although I don’t think he’s a hologram, I think he’s a robot. Possibly a computer run clone) but I didn’t need to know that life is shorter. Now I need to go make cookies.

    Those bars look awesome, cinnamon and butterscotch sounds like a good time.

  22. Andreas says:

    I’m not unimpressed at all. 😉
    Neither by the shift of the earth’s rotation, nor by those yummy cookies.

  23. kickpleat says:

    I still have some butterscotch chips in my pantry. Must make because I’m sure the combo with the cinnamon is delish!

  24. Karen says:

    I used to love to watch Bill Nye the Science Guy! I loved Capt. Kangaroo & Mr. Green Jeans, too. I know… way before your time 😉 I love butterscotch!!

  25. Pam says:

    Seriously, nothing like the shifting of the earth to make dessert eating first a new requirement for me.

  26. ruchikacooks says:

    Hee hee hee..A good day after all 🙂

    Sometimes I just get the sugar rush I run to the kitchen to bake something, this I should try soon.

    Totally with you..Lick the bowl..Good things should not be wasted.

  27. i used to watch BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY ALL THE TIME WHEN I WAS YOUNG! i love his new show on discovery health. he has NOT AGED AT ALL!

  28. I was reading that too – life is indeed speeding up.
    I saw Bill Nye a little while ago on a show with Ed Begley Jr. (sp?) They have some green-eco-home competition going on.
    Yup, shorter… bring on the cream cheese frosting! 🙂

  29. Barbara says:

    I don’t want to know life is shorter. Isn’t it short enough? I think Bill Nye is sort of like Dick Clark. Never aging.
    So I’m going to make these “bars” REALLY FAST. And eat them REALLY FAST too!

  30. I can’t believe nobody said “Bill Nye the science guy – Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill!” I’ll be singing it all night now, LOL!

    Recipe looks scrumptious, still no sweets for me until after Lent, no alcohol either – what was I thinking when I made my new year resolutions?

  31. Being Canadian has it’s drawbacks apparently. I have no idea who Bill is. 🙁 These sound so divine. Now I’m absolutely craving butterscotch. I can’t remember the last time I even THOUGHT of butterscotch, let alone craved it. Thanks, luv! 🙂

  32. When I first saw the headlines about the days being shortened I was freaked out! I was thinking a half hour a day or something. I love these bars! I’ve never had a ‘real’ blondie that I can remember. So I had nothing to compare them to. Thanks for making them!

  33. We sometimes have have reverse dinner, dessert before having your dinner. A huge favorite of the girls 🙂 I also loved Bill Nye. He makes an appearance at Epcot Center at Disney still. It is too funny.

  34. Pam says:

    My son loves science, I wish Bill Nye was still on t.v. – my son would dig him.

    I would love to have one of these bars right now with a huge glass of ice cold milk….Mmmmm.

  35. you always make me smile, don’t you love barbaras blog can’t wait to see your verrine!

    and give me a slice of this please!

  36. Kathleen says:

    These bars sound great. I love Reeni’s blog! Wow. Shorter days. Who knew? Well, obviously Bill did!!

  37. Mari says:

    HAHA “eat dessert first” that is a fabulous motto!

    Thos bars look so good! Can you make them for me!!!! puhlease

    We need to meet up! I miss you =)

  38. Sippity Sup says:

    Ahhh, this is not a judgment. But all I can say is “you are so young!” Of course the science guy is still alive and so am I! GREG PS My dad is a doctor….

  39. Sharon says:

    What a great post! Definitely, let’s all eat dessert first 🙂 These look amazing!

  40. sophia says:

    Bill lives in LA! You must come down here. My friend spotted him just a month ago! she said he looked crazy, though.

  41. I like Bill Nye and I like the moral of this story. A lot. And you!
    I nominated you for a little awardy, it’s on my blog.

  42. Swapna says:

    Nice post… thanks for visiting my blog Joanne, I hope you’ll stop by again …

  43. Debinhawaii says:

    I miss Bill Nye. 😉 The bars look delicious–a great combo of ingredients.

  44. Mary says:

    Bill Nye was a fixture in many homes. I saw him a while back on a show called Living with Ed. As to the shortening of the day. We’ll have to eat our cookies faster :-). Yours by the way look wonderful.

  45. Nicole, RD says:

    I knew the days seemed shorter as of late … 🙂

    MIT? You stud!!! That’s impressive, girl!

    Those butterscotch bars look fabulous! A huge thumbs up for anything involving cream cheese frosting! I fear making anything with cream cheese frosting, however. All sense of portion control goes right out the window!

  46. Dharm says:

    Those bars look amazing!! I remember watching Bill Nye on tele here in Malaysia too. And I too heard on the news about the days becoming shorter!!

  47. i have a bag of butterscotch bars in my pantry and I know my kids would love these. What am I waiting for?

  48. Azita says:

    those bars look so yummy! let’s eat dessert first!

  49. The cinnamon butterscotch bars sound amazing, I would definitely love one with my coffee right now!

  50. Rather than worry about earthquakes and the earth’s rotation since there’s nothing we can do about it anyway, I’d rather relax and have one of your brownies!

  51. Elra says:

    Such a gorgeous and delicious bar Joanne. It’s very tempting…
    Have a wonderful weekend,
    ~elra~

  52. Kristen says:

    I used to watch Bill Nye before I even had kids, he was simply that entertaining.

    After reading your recipe and drooling over the pictures, I need a big tall glass of milk. Those bars gave me a vicarious sugar buzz!

  53. Linda says:

    Looks great! …and I like that… “Eat Dessert” first… I think that’s a great idea!

  54. Cynthia says:

    OMG I used to love Bill Nye the science guy!! I can’t believe he’s still alive. Actually that reminds me of another show I used to love watching – “Where in the world is Carmen San Diego”. It’s funny the kind of things that get stuck inside our head. As for less time in a day, I totally agree with you! There’s so little time already, we can’t afford to lose anymore! I love butterscotch and I love cream cheese frosting so these bars must be heaven in a slice! If only you lived next door, then I could come over and grab a slice to start the weekend right 😉

  55. Muneeba says:

    Bill Nye will forever be frozen in my memory exactly the way he was! And thks for that little piece of trivia that I can store away and spout at a completely inappropriate moment 🙂
    And those butterscotch bars do sound rather crave-able 😮

  56. teresa says:

    lol! we actually just took our kids out for ice cream cones and then afterward wondered, maybe we should have some hotdogs too. dessert first is always better!

    these look wonderul, and now i am having a trip down memory lane with all my mornings with bill nye.

  57. Memória says:

    LOL!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA Too funny! I love how your two factoids led you to the realization that more desserts are necessary in our shortened lives. I will totally buy that. That means you CAN make and eat the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream haha. Now, what do I need to make next for dessert? I don’t have time to think about it!!

    These bars look and sound AMAZING!!! I love cinnamon, butterscotch, and the ease of making bars. Great combination!

  58. Memória says:

    Here’s the video of Bill Nye talking about the earthquake if anyone is interested! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twwNom49aOk&feature=youtube_gdata

  59. Faith says:

    First of all, I had no idea Bill Nye was still alive either! (Very exciting stuff!) And second, wow, even though a millionth of a second doesn’t seem like much, I knew time was moving faster, lol! (It seems like there’s just not enough time in the day!) I would definitely take the time to make these bars though — they look incredible!

  60. Jen says:

    you so rock…miss your blog 🙁 so tired. these bars look so good! are you excited about making tiramisu? I am scared! have a great weekend 🙂

  61. Velva says:

    Bill Nye the Science Guy…That really brings back memories. He must be ancient because like you, I thought he was old then too.

    I have taken the call to heed the warning that the earthquake has lessen the earth’s time by a millionith of a second…I am going fire up the stove, shake me cocktail and kick-back and relax.

    Great post Joanne.

  62. ture that. no such thing as TOO MUCH PB. WHAT WAS I THINKING!

    dude, i had pineapple chobani today. it is. delicious. I LICKED TEH CONTAINER!

    i got plain and vanilla. because vanilla goes well with cinnamon cereals!

  63. Jennifer says:

    Cinnamon, butterscotch and cream cheese…. perfect! yum!

  64. wow, what a mix of such delicious and scrumptious ingredients, cinnamon, butter scotch chips (something new to me) , cream cheese.. all totally delectable..

    http://www.foodlyrics.com

  65. vickys says:

    I am soooo craving these now. Apparently it’s almost impossible to buy butterscotch chips here. Maybe I could chop up some Daim candy. We don’t have heath bars either. OOOH candy AND cake, heaven! 🙂

    And I realized that lamb were young sheep just recently. My colleague was kind enough to reassure me that other people probably didn’t knoiw it too. haha!

  66. Ha ha ha. I just met ‘Bill Nye’ a year ago, through my 5 year old daughter who watched all his clips on youtube!!!!!!!! Loke butterscoth thingies…too….

  67. Michelle says:

    Bill Nye…I think I used to watch him on Saturday morning right after Soupy Sales. LOL! Wish Soupy was still on!

  68. Katy ~ says:

    A millionth of a second. I knew I was losing sleep!

    Those bars would certainly perk me up though. They look deee-lish! With a nice glass of milk, time is only perception.

  69. gaga says:

    Yummy! I love butterscotch. I’m sure I would love this.

  70. dessert girl says:

    Woah, cinnamon and butterscotch in one bar? Sign me up!

  71. Hannah says:

    Wow, with a combo of butterscotch and spice, those sound dangerously delicious!

  72. Peabody says:

    These are so going to get me into trouble. Yum!

  73. Amy says:

    Gee, Joanne. Only 73 comments? Slow day for you. LOL. Oh, I missed you while I was gone, but I swore I would only read you when I returned, when I wasn’t rushed, and I could enjoy each word.

    As you know, my parents live near San Fran, and the projection was the tsunami which hit Chile was heading toward Hawaii and then onto CA. They live on some major fault lines, so they were freaked out for a day or two. I suspect these Butterscotch Bars would have made them feel better – certainly would have made ME happy.

    p.s. Dr. Oz is SO lame. Which is, of course, why he now has his own show. Gack.

  74. Shirley says:

    I notice all your reflections end up with food dont they? You are one thinking,cooking gal! This one looks tempting.

  75. cinnamon and butterscotch…you’re killing me!!

  76. Susan says:

    Your kitchen must have smelled amazing when these were baking in the oven. Yummy!

    Thanks for your WHB recipe, Joanne!

  77. Whatever you wanna call them, these look delish to me! Bill’s my man, even when he carries such a depressing message. I’ve long since accepted that I won’t get to all the recipes I’d like to try, so I’ll just have to pick the most promising ones :).

  78. Simona says:

    A really good day, indeed. And I like the philosophical take on what you learned then.

  79. msmeanie says:

    OMG! I can’t believe I missed this recipe of yours. It looks fantastic…cinnamon and butterscotch, two of my favorite flavors! And holy moly! Bill Nye is still alive?? I used to LOVE that guy. Wow, haven’t thought about him for a while…Thanks for the reminder!

  80. Tia says:

    wow those look really good! i just found your blog and i’m so envious of you – young, starting a phd program, living in NY, successful @ losing wt… you’ve got it all girl!!!

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