satisfactory will have to do

During my attendance at Mott Road Elementary, the grading system was reevaluated and instead of receiving A's and B's, we were given O's (outstanding), S's (satisfactory) and U's (UNsatisfactory).  Ick.  An "O+" just makes me think of blood typing, not a stellar report card.  I also feel that there is a huge leap from being an outstanding student to being a satisfactory one.  The word satisfactory is just plain lame.  Who says that?  It's like trying to let someone down gently, but everyone involved knows that you may as well rip off that band-aid instead of gradually pulling out each hair with it.  I always felt a huge letdown when an S crept its way onto my report card (usually in the "behavior" section, my mouth is just too big to be kept closed), the word left me feeling as blah and vague as its definition. Yet, here I am about to share what I feel is a "satisfactory" recipe.

It is rare to find a food that you love and not be able to hunt down a recipe on the 'nets.  There is a certain treat that has me poring over the shreds of its existence, a few photos and ingredient list, while trying to figure out how to replicate it.  These butterscotch bars by Whimsy and Spice have me on the hunt.  I am happy with my trial outcome but I want to work on it more to achieve what I feel it can truly be.  I could patronize their shop and order some (which I believe I will have to do to truly understand the bars' consistency and ingredient meshing) but I just love experimenting and feeling that accomplishment when you know you have your "a-ha!" moment.   Hopefully these will reappear in the future and earn the "outstanding" mark they deserve.

Butterscotch Chocolate Layer Bars

Yield: 32 bars

INGREDIENTS
graham cracker layer
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1/4 C butter, melted

brownie layer (adapted from Southern Living® Incredible Cookies' Brownie Cookies)
1/4 C unsalted butter, melted
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
4 1/2 oz bitter sweet or semisweet chocolate
3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs (or 1/2 C liquid egg sub)
3/4 C granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

butterscotch layer
14oz can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free, doesn't seem to have an affect one way or the other)
2 T unsalted butter
3/4 C butterscotch morsels

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 8"x8" or 9"x9" pan with foil.
1. Mix graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 C melted butter together.  Press into bottom of pan.  Bake for 12- 15 min.
2. While graham layer is baking, melt the other 1/4 C of butter, unsweetened chocolate and 4 1/2 oz. bitter sweet chocolate in the microwave (stirring every 30 seconds) or over the stove until contents are completely mixed.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla at medium speed while gradually adding dry ingredients to mixture until fully combined.
5. Add in chocolate mixture and beat well.  Press brownie mixture over graham layer.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
7. While brownie layer is baking, pour the condensed milk into a saucepan on medium heat.  Add butter and stir continuously until thickened and turning amber in color, about 10 minutes.
8. Stir in butterscotch morsels until melted.  Spread the butterscotch mixture over the base and let cool before cutting. 

Nutrition: 162 cal, 8g fat, 64mg sod, 22g carb, 16g sugar, 1g fiber, 2g protein