Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

2 cups (no need to sift) all-purpose flour

1 cup cold salted butter (2 sticks, ½ pound)

½ cup brown sugar (pack it down when you measure it)

2 sticks salted butter (1 cup, 8 ounces, ½ pound)

1 cup brown sugar (pack it down when you measure it)

cup butterscotch ice cream topping (I used Smuckers)

1 cup butterscotch chips (12-ounce package—I used Nestle)

1 cup semi-sweet OR milk chocolate chips (I used Nestle)

½ cup finely chopped salted nuts (OPTIONAL—I used pecans, but any type of nut will do.)

Line a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with heavy duty foil. Start with a big piece of foil so that you will have enough to go up the sides and leave little “ears” of foil sticking out. That way, when your bar cookies are cool, you can simply pull the foil up and lift them out of the pan.

Spray the foil with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. (You want to be able to peel it off later, after the bar cookies cool.)

Put 1 cup of flour in the food processor.

Cut 1 stick of cold salted butter into 8 pieces and arrange it over the flour in the food processor.

Sprinkle the second cup of all-purpose flour over the chunks of butter in the food processor.

Cut the second stick of cold salted butter into 8 pieces and arrange it over the flour in the food processor.

Sprinkle the ½ cup of brown sugar over the chunks of butter.

Process with the steel blade in an on and off motion until the resulting mixture looks like coarse cornmeal.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and press it down with your impeccably clean palms or with the back of a metal spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Then remove from the oven and set the cake pan on a wire rack to cool, but DON’T SHUT OFF THE OVEN!

Spray the inside of a -cup measuring cup with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. (This will make for quick and easy removal when you pour in the butterscotch ice cream topping.)

Pour or spoon the butterscotch ice cream topping into the measuring cup and have it ready at the side of the stovetop.

Combine the butter with the brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat on the stovetop, stirring constantly. (A full boil will have breaking bubbles all over the surface of the pan.) Boil it for exactly five (5) minutes, stirring it constantly. If it sputters too much, you can reduce the heat. If it starts to lose the boil, you can increase the heat. Just don’t stop stirring.

When the time is up, pull the saucepan off the heat and onto a cold burner. Add the butterscotch sauce quickly and stir it in quickly.

Pour this mixture over the baked crust as evenly as you can.

Hannah’s Note: When I do this, I pour about 4 lines of hot brickle that run the length of the pan and then turn the pan to pour about 4 lines of hot brickle that run the width of the pan. If your lines of brickle don’t completely cover the crust, spread them out a bit with a heat-resistant rubber spatula. Work quickly before they harden too much. Don’t worry if there are some gaps. They will spread out a little when you bake them in the oven.

Slide the pan into the oven and bake the bar cookies at 350 degrees F. for another 10 (ten) minutes.

While the pan of butterscotch brickle is baking, put the butterscotch chips and the chocolate chips in a bowl. Mix them together with your impeccably clean fingers.

When the time is up, remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the butterscotch and chocolate chip mixture over the top. Give the chips a minute or two to melt and then spread them out as evenly as you can with a heat-resistant rubber spatula, a wooden paddle, or a frosting knife.

If you decided to use chopped nuts, sprinkle them on now while the chips are still soft.

Slip the pan into the refrigerator and chill it thoroughly.

When the pan has chilled, peel the foil from the cookies and break them into random-sized pieces.

Yield: A whole cake pan full of yummy treats that are a cross between a cookie and a candy.

Michelle says that when I make these, it always reminds her of Christmas.