Butterscotch Marshmallow Bars

Looking through one of my recipe books I came across the recipe for these.  They looked so good, even if my teeth hurt just looking at the picture, so I grabbed the ingredients I was missing when I was out at the grocery store.

Ingredients:

150g plain flour

40g icing sugar

120g unsalted butter (room temperature)

100g pink and white mini marshmallows

210g caster sugar

150g soft light brown sugar

190g golden syrup

70g unsalted butter

60ml double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

60g crunchy peanut butter

30g mixed chopped nuts

Preheat oven 170°C (325°F) Gas Mark 3

Line a 9 x 121/2 inch baking tray with greaseproof paper.  In a bowl, mix together the flour, icing sugar and butter until a dough forms.  Press the dough into your baking tray (make a lip around the sides to stop the topping from pouring over the sides later).  Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the middle is slightly more pale.  Set it aside to cool slightly.  Spread the marshmallows evenly over the base.  Put both types of sugar into a saucepan with the golden syrup and 240ml water and bring to the boil.  Let the mixture boil until it reaches the soft-ball* stage, then remove from the heat and add the butter, return to the heat and bring it to the boil again for around 3 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and add in the double cream, vanilla and peanut butter.  Stir continuously until the peanut butter has completely melted into the mixture then pour the liquid over the base, ensuring you coat all the marshmallows with the sauce.  Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the top and let it set at room temperature for at least a few hours (preferably overnight).

Once it has set completely cut it into bars (makes about 10-12) and enjoy.  They are so sweet!

*Soft-ball: To check if your syrup has reached the soft-ball stage get a spoon and drop a small amount of it into a small bowl or glass of very cold water.  If the syrup has reached the correct heat, it will form a soft ball in the water but when it is removed will not retain it's shape in your hand.