Scotcheroos (Rice Krispies With Peanut Butter, Butterscotch & Chocolate) Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Serves a Crowd

by: Posie (Harwood) Brien

October19,2021

4

7 Ratings

  • Prep time 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Makes one 9- by 13-inch pan

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Author Notes

I already love breakfast cereal, and this recipe from the Rice Krispie box just increases my enthusiasm. Regular Rice Krispies treats are good, but add peanut butter, butterscotch chips, and a chocolate topping, and you'll have something even better.

The people who market breakfast cereal are smart people. They must have realized that confining your product to one meal a day wouldn't do the trick, so they got us hooked on Rice Krispie treats and Chex Mix. They are probably responsible, in some nefarious way, for cereal milk ice cream. Amanda Sims is even putting Rice Krispies on her chickpeas! I think there's a board room of people somewhere masterminding it all: the Ministry of Cereal.

Instead of fighting it, I'm just giving in. And with these rich and—dare I say—wanton, extravagant bars, surrender never tasted so good.

Scotcheroos are another invention of the Ministry of Cereal (or, in this case, just the Kellogg's recipe testers). The base is a pseudo-Rice Krispie treat. Instead of marshmallows, you heat corn syrup, sugar, and creamy peanut butter into a smooth sauce. Once the cereal is coated in this mixture, it gets topped with a melted mix of semisweet chocolate and butterscotch chips.

Sophisticated it is not, but this dessert is a serious crowdpleaser. It's just the thing to bring out at your Labor Day party. Put it on a plate next to the pool to feed a horde of hungry kids. Eat it with your fingers, a beer in the other hand, as you sit around a fire pit with your friends.

Note: The ingredient list is simple, but make sure to prep all the ingredients in advance because you have to move quickly so that you can mix it all together before anything cools. Word of advice: Use the generic ingredients. It will taste just as good as the fancy stuff. —Posie (Harwood) Brien

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

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Scotcheroos (Rice Krispies With Peanut Butter, Butterscotch &Chocolate)

Ingredients
  • Cooking spray or butter, for the pan
  • 1 cuplight corn syrup
  • 1 cupsugar
  • 1 cupcreamy peanut butter
  • 6 cupsRice Krispies cereal
  • 1 cupbutterscotch chips
  • 1 cupsemisweet chocolate chips
Directions
  1. Line a 13x9-inch pan with parchment and lightly grease the parchment.
  2. In a small saucepan, stir the corn syrup and sugar to form a grainy paste. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar dissolves and large bubbles form across the surface. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the peanut butter.
  3. Place the Rice Krispies in a large bowl and pour the peanut butter mixture over top. Stir to coat evenly. Pour the cereal mixture into the prepared pan.
  4. Wet your hands and press the cereal mixture evenly and firmly into the pan.
  5. In a medium heatproof bowl, microwave the butterscotch chips and chocolate chips in 30-second increments until melted and smooth. Stir between each 30-second increments (it usually takes a total of about 1½ minutes).
  6. Pour the chocolate mixture over the top of the cereal. Use a spatula to smooth the chocolate layer.
  7. Let the bars cool at room temperature or in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to firm up. Slice and eat!

Tags:

  • Cookie
  • American
  • Peanut Butter
  • Chocolate
  • Grains
  • Rice
  • Serves a Crowd
  • Memorial Day
  • Christmas
  • Fourth of July
  • Holiday
  • Vegetarian

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Amy Kaufman

  • Susie Fasig Smeal

  • Scott Basye

  • Angela

  • sexyLAMBCHOPx

Popular on Food52

16 Reviews

GALE S. August 2, 2021

A great, simple recipe that took me back to my youth. Yeah, they are sweet, but the salted natural peanut butter helps cut the sweetness. I appreciate that it doesn’t call for marshmallows so I can substitute Lyles Golden Syrup or honey.

sheilaryan January 12, 2018

Used natural, unsalted PB, added 1/4 tsp of sea salt, guittard butterscotch chips, which do not contain hydrogenated oils or anything untoward in terms of ingredients and doubled the chips. Incredible.

Amy K. April 22, 2017

Indeed on the sweeter side, but delicious. Simple and easy to make.

Carolyn V. August 13, 2016

I loved the idea of these but they were way too sweet for me (and all but the youngest in my family). If you like super sweet desserts go for it!

Susie F. January 17, 2016

Could you use Almond butter instead? My grandson does not like peanut butter.

Posie (. January 17, 2016

Absolutely!

Scott B. November 21, 2015

Man, I commented earlier - my Mom used to make these all the time when I was young so it really hit the nostalgia meter. But when I made them as an adult, I just couldn't get past the 'butterscotch' chips. It's all I smelled and it was too artificial tasting.

weyams September 22, 2015

I made these for our family last weekend. They are way too sweet and way too good and chewy! I used 1/2 honey and 1/2 corn syrup and they turned out great. Both invert sugars. May try all honey next time. They're gone!

Angela September 13, 2015

These turned out so hard I feared I would break my teeth.

AnnP October 19, 2015

Barely bring the sugar mix to a boil. If cooked too long, the result is hard as rock krisies

Freda M. October 22, 2017

This also happened to me while making regular Rice Krispie Treats. I later found out, after making another batch, that I had pressed too firmly on the Rice Krispies when I put them in the 13x9 dish. Oops!

donna September 13, 2015

I mold characters & other pieces out of RKT for wedding cakes & special occasions cakes that I do, I always use the marshmallow, would these firm as well due to the corn syrup?

Posie (. September 13, 2015

Yes just as well!

jcfm83 September 13, 2015

I have chunky peanut butter. Any reason that wouldn't work?

Posie (. September 13, 2015

Sure try it! It might not bind quite as well but I think it'll still be delicious.

sexyLAMBCHOPx September 5, 2015

Yum!

Scotcheroos (Rice Krispies With Peanut Butter, Butterscotch & Chocolate) Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Why are they called Scotcheroos? ›

Scotcheroos is a crispy dessert treat with origins in the United States of America. It consists of cereals based on rice or corn, peanut butter, and a decadent butterscotch-chocolate coating. Scotcheroos got their name after one of the key ingredients used in the preparation process – butterscotch.

What happens if you put too much butter in Rice Krispie Treats? ›

What happens if you put too much butter in Rice Krispies Treats? If you put too much butter in rice krispies treats they will become oily, the cereal will soak up the butter and the treats will become soggy, rather than crispy.

Why did they stop making Rice Krispies? ›

That's largely due to the supply chain crisis affecting the food industry as a whole, Market Realist shares. But the way it's affecting Rice Krispies specifically has to do with the supply of barley malt extract, one of the main ingredients in the cereal.

Why did rice Crispy Treats get hard? ›

If you melt the marshmallows too fast, it might result in a Rice Kripsy treat that is harder and crunchy than chewy. Take your time and let the butter and marshmallows melt slowly. Use an 8×8 or slightly smaller pan. Use a small and deep pan if you want thick and chewy rice Krispy treats.

Where do people eat scotcheroos? ›

They are popular in the Midwestern United States, especially Minnesota, Iowa and North Dakota.

Why can't Muslims eat Rice Krispie Treats? ›

What about Rice Crispy Treats that have marshmallows in them, are they Haram too? Yes, they also use gelatin from pork. All pig products like pork are Haram (forbidden) for Muslims to eat.

Can you use hard marshmallows for rice crispy treats? ›

Recipe Notes

* Make sure your marshmallows are fresh. Stale, hard marshmallows won't result in nice, chewy bars. ** Any brand is fine, but be sure the cereal you use is fresh. Stale cereal will make for stale-tasting Rice Crispy Treats.

What are Rice Krispie Treats called in Australia? ›

Rice Krispies (known as Rice Bubbles in Australia and New Zealand) is a breakfast cereal produced by WK Kellogg Co for the United States, Canadian, and Caribbean markets and by Kellanova for the rest of the world.

Why is Rice Krispies banned in some countries? ›

Japan's ban on Rice Krispies is part of a larger initiative to reduce the presence of legal food additives which are linked to health risks. One such additive, Trisodium Phosphate (TSP), is used in small quantities in some food products, including Rice Krispies, as an emulsifier or nutritional supplement.

What happened to the purple box of Rice Krispies? ›

Yes! Rice Krispies Treats Cereal has been discontinued. Yes it's sad. Yes it's unfair and YES YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Are Rice Krispies good for constipation? ›

It can cause bloating; if someone is constipated, it can make that worse; and if they're loose it will make them looser,' says Professor Whorwell. 'So try eating refined cereals – Rice Krispies, white bread, white pasta, cream crackers – and avoid things like brown bread, Weetabix, Ryvita and digestive biscuits. '

Why are my homemade rice krispie treats falling apart? ›

An important factor in a rice krispie treat recipe is the ratio of marshmallow to cereal. Too much cereal and the squares will taste dry, crunchy, and bland. Too much marshmallow and the squares will be too sticky and fall apart.

Why are my homemade rice krispie treats soggy? ›

Too much marshmallow and butter can make a super sticky, wet or soggy slice, while too little makes a hard, dry or crumbly one. I recommend using a baking scale for my recipe to get the ratio JUST right, creating the perfect chewy but crispy Rice Krispie Squares. Melted marshmallow = sticky mess.

Can I freeze rice krispie treats? ›

If you want to store them for longer than two days, try freezing them. To Freeze: Allow these gooey Rice Krispie Treats to cool completely and cut them into squares. Freeze in an airtight container, or wrap each square in a piece of plastic wrap and place them in a gallon freezer bag. Freeze them for up to 3 months.

What was Rice Krispie treats originally called? ›

Kellogg's decided to test what it initially called “marshmallow squares” developed by Mildred and Malitta. Day took a train to Kansas City where she set up a temporary kitchen. For two weeks, working daily from 6:30 AM to 10 PM, she made batch after batch of the treats.

Why are Rice Krispie squares called squares? ›

Kellogg's do have an explanation – even if it's not a great one. A spokesperson said: “Historically it is believed Rice Krispies Squares were named after the traditional 'square shape' of large US tray bakes.

Why are they called special K bars? ›

Maybe you know these tasty bars as Scotcheroos? In my family we call them “Special K Bars” (because we make them with Special K cereal), but whatever you call them, you are bound to love them.

What's the difference between Rice Krispies and Special K? ›

The major distinguishing feature between the two is the shape: Rice Krispies looks like puffy rice; Special K is puffy flakes.

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