The Best Scotcheroos

Scotcheroos are such a classic no-bake treat. A buttery, chewy rice krispie mixture is topped with a glorious melted chocolate and butterscotch layer.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I never write comments but literally these are the best things I’ve ever made. We made scotcheroos from another recipe a week ago, and they were so hard and tough. We decided we’d give it another shot this weekend. Omg are we happy we did. Whole batch is almost gone after 48 hours! Simply the best recipe ever, do not search any further this is it!! -Talia

What are Scotcheroos?

Scotcheroos are no-bake dessert bars made by adding rice krispies to an easy, homemade peanut butter caramel. The mixture is pressed into a pan and topped with a rich melted mix of chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.

The classic scotcheroo recipe uses corn syrup, granulated sugar, and peanut butter. My version is equally easy, but changes a few elements and ingredients for better flavor and texture:

• adds a bit of butter and vanilla extract
• increases both the corn syrup and peanut butter for creamier, chewier texture
• instead of all granulated sugar, I use half brown sugar and half granulated sugar
• increases rice krispies just a bit for the perfect ratio of crispy-to-chewy

Once the rice krispies are added, everything gets a gentle mix (no aggressive crushing of the cereal here, ok?) until the rice krispies are evenly coated with the magical chewy peanut butter mixture.

Press all this goodness lightly into a 9X13-inch pan. Compressing it too much will make the bars hard instead of soft and chewy. So again, go easy here.

Scotcheroo Topping

The topping for scotcheroos couldn’t be easier. It’s two simple ingredients:

• chocolate chips
• butterscotch chips

You can use milk chocolate chips or semisweet chocolate chips. I’m going to really try to resist telling you which variety I think you should use, cough, semisweetforlife, cough.

That butterscotch flavor peeking through the chocolate just screams scotcheroo!

Scotcheroos for Life

While scotcheroos won’t win any fancy pants gourmet dessert awards, they still remain one of my favorite treats of all time.

They are simple. Quick. Crazy delicious. And my family is always ecstatic when I make them (particularly Brian, they are probably one of his favorite treats of all time).

If you have a favorite scotcheroo recipe (I’m guessing it might be the classic standby recipe floating around on all the blogs that have ever lived on the internet!), I’d say stick with it.

But if you’re looking for a new and improved scotcheroo recipe, this is the one!

How to Make Scotcheroo Pinwheels

For a fun variation, ditch the pan, and make scotcheroo pinwheels instead. Here’s how to make them:

1. Lightly grease a large piece of parchment paper with cooking spray.
2. Make the rice krispie mixture per the recipe.
3. Immediately scrape the mixture onto the parchment paper. Let cool for a couple of minutes.
4. Press into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.
5. Melt the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips per the recipe and spread evenly across the top of the rectangle.
6. IMPORTANT: Let the scotcheroos sit until the chocolate is set. It should still be soft, but will be matte on top instead of melty and glossy.
7. Start rolling up the scotcheroos from one long edge into a roll. Pinch and press the rice krispie mixture as you go if it gaps or separates.
8. Slice the roll into 1/2-inch thick pieces. (If the roll seems too soft, let it rest or chill in the fridge, and try slicing again.)
9. The scotcheroo pinwheels can be chilled for up to a week or frozen for several months.
10. A single batch of the recipe below will make about 1 1/2 to 2 dozen pinwheels.

Scotcheroos {New and Improved}

Yield: 24 bars

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

5 stars (44 ratings)

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Ingredients

• ¼ cup (57 g) salted butter
• 1 ¼ cups (425 g) light corn syrup
• ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (106 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups (320 g) peanut butter (see note)
• 8 cups (227 g) crisp rice cereal (like rice krispies)
• 1 cup (170 g) chocolate chips (milk or semisweet)
• 1 cup (170 g) butterscotch chips

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Instructions 

• Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with butter or cooking spray or line with foil/parchment and grease the foil/parchment. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan or pot, add the butter, corn syrup, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Cook on low heat until the butter is melted. Bring to a simmer and immediately remove from the heat.
• Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until well-combined.
• Add the cereal and stir gently (so the cereal doesn't get crushed) until evenly coated with the peanut butter mixture.
• Press the mixture lightly into the prepared pan. Don't compress too much or the scotcheroos will be too firm.
• Add the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips to a microwave-safe bowl and cook for 1-minute increments at 50% power until melted. Stir until well-combined.
• Spread the melted chocolate mixture evenly across the bars. Let the chocolate cool and set before cutting into bars and serving.

Notes

Peanut Butter: I always make these with creamy peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy). Feel free to experiment with chunky peanut butter or with a natural-type peanut butter or nut butter alternative.

Pan Size: if you want the scotcheroo rice krispie base a bit thinner, you can use a larger pan. You can also play around with the rice krispie amount – adding more or less – for a gooier/less gooey version, depending on how you like them. 

Author: Mel Gunnell

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Method: Stovetop

Serving: 1 bar, Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 186mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 33g

Recommended Products

9X13-inch Metal Baking Pan

Silicone Spatula

Bench Knife/Scraper

Small Offset Spatula

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