My mom is an excellent baker. With six kids to feed, it seemed she made bread and either cookies or squares just about every day. She once told me that squares represent the epitome of hospitality in the Maritimes. I fell in love with this recipe the first time she made it and it remains one of my holiday favourites. I don’t dare make these decadent treats the other eleven months of the year – they are definitely not low cal, but they sure are delicious. They freeze well, also.

These rich squares combine three of my favourite treats in one with a shortbread base, a caramel layer and chocolate chips on top.

Crust Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup pecan halves

Filling Ingredients

2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Special equipment: candy or instant read thermometer

Method

For Crust:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Combine flour, butter and brown sugar in large bowl.
• Mix with electric mixer at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until particles are fine (2-3 minutes).
• Press evenly into the bottom of a parchment-lined 9 x 13 pan.
• Sprinkle nuts over crust. Set aside.

For Filling:

• Combine sugar and butter in small saucepan.
• Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil (about 4 – 5 minutes).
• Boil, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reaches 242F (firm ball stage), about 1 minute.
• Pour sauce evenly over pecans and crust, to edges of pan if possible. Don’t worry if you miss a few little spots; it will spread out as it bakes.
• Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, until entire caramel layer is bubbling.
• Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate and butterscotch chips.
• Use a clean spatula to press chips down slightly into caramel layer. Let cool on a rack for a couple of hours till chocolate is starting to firm up.
• Lift the edges of the parchment to pull the entire block of squares out of the pan and place on a cutting board; cut into small squares.