Butterscotch Roll

Did she really make candy?

I don't remember Grandma ever making candy, except for possibly the See's Fudge that I tested around this time last year. And yet, there were three candy recipes still untested in her box. Maybe it was a crazy idea, but I decided to turn Black Friday into Candy Testing Day, and make them all in one day. Fortunately, I'd tested enough of Grandma's recipes to know that things were never as simple as they seemed on the card.  So, I left myself plenty of time (I thought) and decided to test one recipe at once. 

I started with Butterscotch Roll because it had the fewest ingredients.

The process seemed mostly a melt-it-and-put-it-together one, so maybe that meant it would be easy. 

Boy, was I ever wrong. But I get ahead of myself. 

How to Make Butterscotch Roll

I ran into trouble right away. Grandma's recipe called for two 6-ounce packages of butterscotch chips. I don't know if anyone still makes 6-ounce packages, but none of the stores near me stocked them. I opted for the standard 11-ounce package, which was slightly less than what the recipe called for. To make it easy on myself, and others, I decided to use just one package and not try to reach 12 ounces by opening another one. That also meant decreasing the amount of sweetened condensed milk by a bit to make up for that lost ounce. I put those things together in a glass bowl, and, since the recipe didn't specify how to "cook together", I stuck it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, stirring every thirty seconds or so.   

I tried to "beat" it, but mostly just vigorous stirring was what happened. It came out kind of  fudgy, like this.  

Because Grandma's recipe talked about shaping the mixture into rolls, plural, I divided the mixture in half, plopped each portion onto some waxed paper, and used my little spatula to coax it into a roll-like shape. I then picked up the waxed paper and tried to jiggle into more of a round log. 

I carefully placed that log into the fridge while I worked on the other one. 

Both logs in the fridge, I called my helpline, a friend who makes candy every year. I described what I was doing and she thought it would be a good idea to put the butterscotch logs in the freezer for a while, so the warm caramel wouldn't turn them to mush. I followed her advice, put the logs in the freezer, then set to work on the rest. I toasted the nuts. 

I then added the caramel bits (much easier than unwrapping 28 caramel pieces) to a saucepan along with the milk and set the heat to medium-low. It took some stirring, but the caramel came together and melted into a smooth, spreadable liquid. 

I chopped the nuts, then formed a sort of assembly line: caramel, cooling rack with the butterscotch roll on top, and the nuts. I then phoned another friend, my daughter, to take pictures of what I assumed was about to be a messy process.  

Working quickly, I spread the warm caramel over the cold butterscotch log. 

I then used some waxed paper to help me turn it, so I could do the other side. 

The waxed paper came in handy again as I moved it from the rack to the nuts, which I had spread out to be about the length of the roll. I then scraped the roll off the waxed paper, into the nuts, then rolled the log and pressed on the nuts until it was covered. 

I repeated the process with the other log, but I did have to warm up the caramel in between to make is spreadable again. The logs looked good when I was done. I have to admit, though, the process was a little stressful for a first timer.  

I wrapped them in waxed paper and foil and placed them in the freezer to firm up. When I was ready to cut and deliver the candy to neighbors, I removed the log and sliced it. And, of course, I had to take a taste. 

The Verdict on Butterscotch Roll

This is definitely a butterscotch chip lover's candy. The butterscotch fudge in the middle is the dominant flavor, with the caramel and nuts adding their own particular zing. It was good, but like all candy, not something you could eat ten slices of. It's rich and sweet, and is the perfect holiday treat. Why? Because it looks special, and it clearly took time and effort to make. Friends who receive a slice of your Butterscotch Roll will definitely know you care.