This easy Scotcheroos recipe will show you exactly how to make delicious, chewy, peanut butter Rice Krispie treats with butterscotch and chocolate frosting. You’ll be so glad you found this classic bar recipe!
What is a scotcheroo, you ask? Well, it’s just about the most delicious, sweet, and chewy peanut butter Rice Krispie treat, covered in a thick layer of melted chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.
Scotcheroo bars are decadent, buttery, nutty, and completely irresistible!
The chocolate topping on these dessert bars is not only made from chocolate chips but butterscotch chips too. The butterscotch and peanut butter in this recipe add a salty flavor that’s perfectly balanced with the sweetness from sugar and chocolate.
Make sure to check out my other scotcheroos recipe! It’s a bit different, as it makes bite-sized scotcheroo truffles instead of full-sized bars.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Only Six Ingredients: This is a simple recipe that uses easy-to-find ingredients. You might even already have them all at home, and if you don’t, I suggest you plan a shopping trip ASAP!
- A Classic Treat: This recipe is not a new one. Moms everywhere (and dads too!) have been making scotcheroos for as long as anyone can remember. You’ve had them at potlucks, holiday parties, packed in your lunchbox, and now you can make them at home for your family too.
- No Baking: There’s no need to turn on the oven to make scotcheroos! You will need to do some melting using the stove and the microwave, but that’s it!
Key Ingredients in Scotcheroos
There are just six simple ingredients in Scotcheroos:
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Rice Krispies: Crisped rice cereal is ok for breakfast, but really shines when you turn it into these tasty dessert bars!
- Peanut Butter: Regular creamy peanut butter adds richness and flavor to the cereal mixture. You can use all-natural peanut butter, just be sure to stir it well before adding it.
- Corn Syrup and Sugar: Together, these two ingredients make the glue that holds this whole recipe together. We’ll cook them on the stove, just until the sugar is dissolved.
- Chocolate Chips: Semisweet chocolate chips have the right amount of sweetness to play nicely with the butterscotch and peanut butter flavors in these treats.
- Butterscotch Chips: These things are the best! I love using butterscotch chips in recipes because they add so much rich flavor to cookies and desserts. Buy an extra bag and save it to make a batch of Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies later.
How To Make The Best Scotcheroos
- Make Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats: In a large saucepan, combine granulated sugar with corn syrup. Place it over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar is fully dissolved, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat, and stir in the peanut butter. Gently fold in the Rice Krispies cereal.
- Press Into the Pan: Transfer the Rice Krispies to a 9×13 pan that you’ve greased with cooking spray. Press it down with your hands into an even layer. Set aside while you make the topping.
- Melt Chips for the Topping: Combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a medium heat-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat the process, microwaving at 30-second intervals until all the chips have melted. Pour the melted chocolate over the Rice Krispies and spread the topping evenly with a spatula.
- Set: Put the Scotcheroos in the fridge and leave them there for at least 30 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened. Cut into squares and serve!
Scotcheroos Tips and Tricks
- Avoid overcooking the sugar. If you cook it too long, you will end up making something with a texture closer to hard candy! Keep a close eye on the pan, and remove it from the heat as soon as all of the sugar crystals have dissolved.
- Try them with other cereal. Rice Chex or Crispix can be used in place of the crisped rice cereal if you prefer. Cornflakes work too!
- Don’t have butterscotch chips? That’s ok! Use all chocolate chips, or a combination of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to make the topping.
- Substitute almond butter or another nut butter for the peanut butter if you’d like to.
How to Store Scotcheroos
Keep these in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to 4 days. Any longer than that and they start to dry out.
You can also store them in the refrigerator, but they are difficult to eat when they’re cold, so bring the Scotcheroo bars to room temperature before serving.
More Delicious Bar Recipes to Try
- S’Mores Cookie Bars
- Butterscotch Blondies
- Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats
- Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars
FAQs
The cooked sugar and corn syrup do the same thing for scotcheroos that melted marshmallows do for regular Rice Krispies treats – it sticks everything together. You can substitute 1 10-ounce bag of miniature marshmallows for the sugar and corn syrup in this recipe if you’d like.
If you overcook the sugar and corn syrup mixture, the cereal mixture will harden too much. Be sure to only cook until the sugar has dissolved, and definitely do not let the mixture boil.
You can! Wrap them individually with plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn, then put them in an airtight container or freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to two months.
You might never to back to making regular Rice Krispie Treats! This easy Scotcheroos recipe takes that classic treat to a whole new level, and I know that everyone is going to love it.
Scotcheroos
Equipment
- large saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Prepare a 9×13-inch pan by spraying it with cooking spray.
- In a large saucepan, combine granulated sugar with corn syrup. Place it over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar is fully dissolved, stirring continuously.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in peanut butter. Gently fold in the Rice Krispies cereal. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and gently press it down with your hands into an even layer. Set aside.
- Combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a medium heat-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat the process, microwaving at 30-second increments until all the chips have melted.
- Pour the chocolate butterscotch mixture over the Rice Krispies mixture, and spread it evenly with a spatula.
- Place the pan of scotcheroos in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened. Cut into squares to serve.
Notes
- Avoid overcooking the sugar. If you cook it too long, you will end up making something with a texture closer to hard candy! Keep a close eye on the pan, and remove it from the heat as soon as all of the sugar crystals have dissolved.
- Try them with other cereal. Rice Chex or Crispix can be used in place of the crisped rice cereal if you prefer. Cornflakes work too!
- Don’t have butterscotch chips? That’s ok! Use all chocolate chips, or a combination of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to make the topping.
- Substitute almond butter or another nut butter for the peanut butter if you’d like to.
- To Store: Keep these in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can store them at room temperature or in the fridge, just be sure to bring them to room temperature before serving.
- To Freeze: Wrap individually with plastic wrap, then store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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