Scotcheroos are a classic midwestern sweet treat made with a base of chewy peanut butter Rice Krispy treats that are topped with a creamy chocolate and butterscotch spread. If you need a no-bake dessert that EVERYONE will absolutely love, this Scotcheroo recipe is it!
If the classic peanut butter and chocolate combo is your fave you will definitely also want to check out these peanut butter cups, chocolate star peanut butter cookies, and buckeye balls.
If butterscotch is your jam, you will also want to check out this Warm Homemade Butterscotch Pudding. YUM!
What Are Scotcheroos
Scotcheroos are a peanut butter Rice Krispy treat topped with a chocolate and butterscotch. It is a dessert or treat that you will commonly find in the Midwest.
The name Scotcheroo comes from one of the ingredients- butterscotch chips that are melted with chocolate chips and spread across the top. They were originally printed on the back of a box of Rice Krispies in the 1960’s.
They are made by mixing puffed rice cereal with a melted mixture of sugar, corn syrup, and peanut butter. It is then topped with a mix of melted chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. The bars are cut in squares and served as dessert.
Just 6 simple Ingredients
You only need 6 ingredients to make these bars; 4 for the actual bars and 2 for the topping.
If you have a well stocked baking cabinet and pantry you may have everything you need to make Scotcheroos!
- Puffed Rice Cereal (Rice Krispies)
- Sugar
- Corn Syrup
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Butterscotch Chips
Thicker or Thinner Bars
There are two options when making this recipe; having a lot of thinner bars using a 9×13 pan, or really thick and chewy bars using a 9×9 pan.
The Scotcheroos pictured in this post were made in a 9×13 pan.
RICH Dessert
These will be a SUPER sweet dessert, so you may want to cut them into much smaller squares than you would with traditional Rice Krispie Treats.
How To Make Scotcheroos
If you are not a master baker then this is a super easy dessert bar to make. They make a great dessert for pot lucks, holidays, or gift giving (everyone loves a Scotcheroo). It would also be a great dessert to take for a Meal Train.
To make Scotcheroos combine the light corn syrup and sugar together in a sauce pan over low- medium/low heat.
Pro Tip: DO NOT LET YOUR SUGAR MIXTURE BOIL OR YOUR BARS WILL BE HARD AS ROCKS!!
Let the sugar mixture warm on the stove top for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves. Off the heat stir in the peanut butter.
Slowly stir in the puffed rice cereal by stirring in a cup at a time.
Prepare a 9×13 pan by greasing with vegetable oil or non stick spray.
With clean hands press the rice puffed mixture evenly into the the prepared pan.
Pro Tip: wet your hands to press the mixture into the pan. By using wet hands the sticky cereal mixture will not stick to your hands.
While the cereal mixture cools, melt the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together in a sauce pan over medium low heat, stirring constantly.
Spread the chocolate mixture over the bars.
If you wait an hour or two the chocolate will firm up.
Note: these are pretty rich, so I recommend cutting them in smaller squares than shown here. Cutting them into 20 squares makes a good size.
Storing
Store your Scotcheroos at room temp, covered for up to a week. But they will not last that long, promise!
Freezing
You can freeze your Scotcheroos as a block or cut into squares. Wrap in plastic wrap and foil or place in a freezer safe container. Keep for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp before eating.
Recipe Tips To Remember
- Do not boil the sugar and corn syrup together or the Rice Krispy Bars will be tough as nails.
- For thicker bars make this dessert in a 9×9 pan.
- This is a rich dessert so cut it into smaller squares than you would with traditional Rice Krispy Treats.
More Dessert Bar Recipes
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Did you make this recipe?
I would love to hear your review, especially if you have tips and tricks to add! Pop down to the comment section and connect with me
Foolproof Chewy Scotcheroos Recipe
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish or can use an 8×8 or 9×9 for thicker bars
- non-stick spray or oil
Ingredients
- 1 cup light corn syrup - (Karo Syrup)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 6 cups puffed rice cereal - (Rice Krispies)
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Prepare a 9×13 pan by spraying it with non stick spray or rubbing it with oil.(or use an 8×8 or 9×9 pan for thicker bars)
- In a large sauce pot, over low to medium-low heat, warm the corn syrup and sugar together, about 3-4 minutes, until the sugar granules are mostly dissolved. DO NOT LET THE SUGAR MIXTURE SIMMER OR BOIL. THIS WILL MAKE YOUR DESSERT BARS HARD AS A ROCK!!!1 cup light corn syrup, 1 cup sugar
- Off the heat stir in the smooth peanut butter until it is completely incorporated.1 cup smooth peanut butter
- Stir in the rice cereal, one cup at a time.6 cups puffed rice cereal
- Pour the mixture into the prepared 9×13 pan. With clean hands press the cereal mixture evenly into the pan.Kitchen Tip: if you wet your hands the sticky cereal mixture will not stick to your hands.
- On the stove top in a small pot, over medium-low heat melt the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together, stirring constantly.1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 ½ cups butterscotch chips
- Spread the melted chocolate/butterscotch over the cereal bars.Let the topping set up at least an hour before cutting.
- Cut the bars into squares for serving. This is a very rich dessert bar so cut them into smaller squares, approx. 20 bars.
Judy says
I dislike corn syrup and so made these using honey instead. They came out very tasty. No issues with texture either.
Susie Weinrich says
That is great to know!!! Thank you for sharing.
Olena says
My kids saw your scotcheroo recipe and they begged me to make it and we did it last night as part of our yearly traditional Christmas baking. And the recipe was super easy to follow and tastes amazing!
Lauren says
Made these recently for our family Thanksgiving and everyone raved! They’re just like my grandma’s! Thank you!
Emily Bruno says
Why have I never made these?! Yum!! My kids would go crazy for them.
JOHN says
Winning a pan of these a week would be better than winning the lottery!!
Susie says
HAHAHAHA
Tawnie Kroll says
Cameron is allergic to nuts so I can’t wait to make this when he’s out of town hehehe YUM!
Susie says
Definitely