This recipe for Scotcheroo Rice Krispie Treats is a childhood favorite and is one of those treats that never lasts long. The combination of peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch makes this no-bake treat a real winner. I also love this recipe because it doesn’t use a lot of ingredients, and it’s easy to whip together in just a few minutes.
What Are Scotcheroos
Growing up my family called these Scotcheroo Rice Krispie treats “Super Chewies”. That’s the name on my mother’s recipe card and it’s how my family refers to them. The name is quite fitting since these bars have a soft and chewy texture. I can only imagine that decades ago someone bit into one of these peanut butter bars and said, “Wow, these are super chewy” and that’s how the name got started.
But for most people, these peanut butter Rice Krispie bars are known as Scotcheroos. The name Scotcheroos is something that I learned later in life as I heard other people talking about this same recipe. Of course, the name Scotcheroo also makes perfect sense because it’s the butterscotch flavor that makes these peanut butter scotcheroos special.
Scotcheroos
Equipment
- Measuring Cup
- 9×13 Baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Granulated sugar
- 1 Cup Light Corn syrup
- 1 Cup Creamy peanut butter
- 6 Cups Rice Krispies
- 1 Cup Semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 Cup Butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Spray a 9″x13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Heat granulated sugar and corn syrup in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring continually, until mixture comes to a boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter.
- Add Rice Krispies to a large bowl. Pour peanut butter mixture over the cereal and mix to combine.
- Spread the Rice Krispies mixture evenly in the prepared baking pan. Set aside.
- In the microwave, melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips in a large glass bowl. Heat for 1 minute and then stir. Then, heat in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the chips are completely melted.
- Pour chocolate-butterscotch mixture over the cereal mixture in the baking pan and spread out evenly. Set aside for 2 hours or until chocolate hardens.
- Slice into 18 sections before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
How to Make Rice Krispie Scotcheroos
Making this Scotcheroo recipe is an easy way to satisfy your peanut butter and chocolate craving. And I don’t know what it is, but somehow the idea of cookies made with cereal somehow makes them healthier to me. Yes, I know that they have sugar and light corn syrup in them, so they won’t win any awards for a healthy dessert. However, to me it’s easy to think of these as cereal bars to have morning, noon, or night.
As a no-bake dessert, these chewy treats are so quick and easy. They only take about 10-15 minutes to make, so they are great if you need a last-minute dessert. Here are some tips to make the perfect batch of Scotcheroos.
● Butter your dish, use a nonstick cooking spray OR you can line the baking pan with parchment paper to prevent the cookies from sticking.
● Start with fresh ingredients – stale cereal won’t give you the best results
● Don’t use a natural peanut butter that only contains nuts and oil. These can often have a grainy texture. My preference is Skippy’s All-Natural Creamy peanut butter.
● Use the back of a big spoon, or your hands when pressing the Rice Krispie mixture into the baking dish. I prefer my hands because I find it faster and easier.
● For soft and chewy Rice Krispie treats, gently press mixture into the pan. You don’t want to overwork the cereal mixture by packing it down too much.
Ingredients for Scotcheroo Recipe
This is an easy dessert with very few ingredients. In fact, there are only 6 simple ingredients in this recipe. All you need is granulated sugar, light corn syrup, peanut butter, Rice Krispies Cereal, semi-sweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.
Tips for Making Scotcheroo Rice Krispie Treats
This Scotcheroo recipe really is easy, but there are a couple of things that can go wrong. The biggest problem is usually with the corn syrup mixture. Here are my tips for making this recipe.
- Go low and slow when melting the sugar and corn syrup together. It’s better to use low heat to medium heat when melting the sugar. If you try to speed things up by using high heat, you’ll burn the sugar and make a mess.
- Don’t overcook the sugar mixture and make sure you keep stirring at all times. You want to mix the ingredients until the sugar dissolves. You’ll notice that the mixture is much looser and more liquid-y. You also won’t be able to see anymore grains in the sugar, and you’ll typically start to see tiny bubbles starting to form as the mixture begins to boil. At this point I set my timer for 1 minute and continue mixing until it goes off.
- Take the pan off the heat and immediately mix in the peanut butter. You need to move quickly at this point. The residual heat from the pan and the mixture helps melt the peanut butter and it mixes into an ooey-gooey, yummy mixture.
- Rather than pour the peanut butter mixture over the Rice Krispies, I prefer to pour the cereal into the PB mixture. If you use a large saucepan (at least 3-qts), there’s plenty of room to add the cereal and mix it all together. But if you prefer, you can put the cereal in a large bowl and pour the peanut butter mixture over it. The one benefit of this method is that it prevents the mixture from continuing to cook.
- Use a microwave safe bowl to melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips. I start with 30 seconds to a minute, mix, and then do another 30 second interval. If it needs more, I use 10 second increments after that. Don’t overcook. When you stir the mixture it will smooth out and melt any pieces that remain.
- Let the Scotcheroo Rice Krispie treats set-up at room temperature. DO NOT refrigerate them.
FAQs For Scotcheroo Rice Krispie Treats
What size pan is best?
Answer: The nice thing about this Scotcheroo recipe is that it’s easy to adjust. I like to use a Pyrex 13-inch pan when I make these. Mine is glass and has a cover which is great for storing the cookies. No need to transfer to another container.
I like this size pan because it gives me a lot of servings per recipe. And, I like the thickness of the bars. To me it’s the perfect ratio of peanut butter Rice Krispies layer vs chocolate. But if you like a super thick treat, you can always use a smaller pan to get a thicker cookie.
Can I Make a Smaller Batch?
Answer: Yes! This recipe is so easy to either double, or to cut in half. I make a half batch all the time. Because the recipe calls for 1 cup for each of the ingredients, it’s easy to double that to 2 cups. Or, to reduce to 1/2 cup. When I make a smaller batch I use an 11″x7″ pan which makes a slightly thinner bar than the regular Rice Krispie treats recipe. But I don’t mind. You could always use an 8″x8″ for a thicker bar.
Can I Substitute Ingredients?
Answer: Absolutely. That’s another nice thing about these Scotcheroo Rice Krispie Treats. You can substitute ingredients for flavors that you prefer, or when you don’t have an ingredient on hand but you still want to make these treats. Here are a couple of ideas for substitutions:
- Use milk chocolate or dark chocolate rather than semisweet chocolate chips. Use any combination of melted chocolate that you like. And if you aren’t a fan of butterscotch chips, try it with just chocolate. Or, maybe use peanut butter chips instead of butterscotch chips. You can also play around with the amount of chocolate you use. I usually add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup more chocolate chips because I prefer a thicker chocolate layer. And, because I prefer a more prominent chocolate flavor instead of butterscotch.
- Use chunky peanut butter instead of creamy. This changes the texture so it’s not for everyone, but if you like a little extra crunch then by all means go ahead.
- Rice Krispie cereal has been hard to come by in recent years. So if you can’t find it at the grocery store, you can also try making Rice Krispies Scotcheroos using either a generic brand, or Special-K. Special-K has bigger pieces than Rice Krispies, so you can always crunch them up into smaller pieces before mixing with the peanut butter mixture.
How Should I Store Scotcheroos?
Answer: As I mentioned above, I like to store my Scotcheroo Rice Krispie Treats in the pan I make them in. These treats do tend to dry out after a few days, so be sure to wrap them up well. Store them in an airtight container, or use a quality plastic wrap to maintain their tastiness. You can use parchment paper, or wax paper, between layers if you need to stack them in the container.
Summary of Scotcheroos Recipe
I hope you enjoy making these Super Chewies as much as I do. Truth be told, this is one of those treats that I can’t resist. These chocolate peanut butter Rice Krispie treats are so yummy, it’s hard to eat just one. That’s why I usually make this chewy treat for family gatherings. That way my whole family gets to enjoy them, and I don’t have to worry about leftovers.
For me there’s also something nostalgic about these bars, so when I make them I’m transported to my childhood and happy memories. May these Scotcheroo Rice Krispie Treats bring the same joy to you, and your family.
Another recipe you may enjoye: Rice Krispie Treats for Easter
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