I never had scotcheroos as a kid, can you believe it? In fact, I hadn’t even heard of them until my mid 30s!
Classic Scotcheroos are made with puffed rice cereal (Rice Krispies), peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch chips. The ultimate no-bake bar dessert!
One day I sent hubby to the store to buy Rice Krispie cereal for my Chocolate Rice Krispie Bowl with Whipped Peanut Butter Dip. He came back with the generic store “puffed rice cereal”.
On the side of this box was the recipe below. Since I had leftover cereal and similar ingredients from my intended recipe, I made a batch.
The recipe had no name, so judging by the amazing flavor profile, I decided to call them Million Dollar Bars.
Why? Because they were delicious and worth a million dollars.
It was only then that I saw something similar pop up in my Pinterest feed because you know, the internet stalks you. And much to my surprise, these bars DO have a name and apparently I am the only poor soul that never had them growing up.
What's In This Article
What are Scotcheroos?
Did you have Scotcheroos as a kid? If you aren’t familiar (and clearly I am not judging because I never had them) they are essentially a Rice Krispie treat, sans the marshmallows, held together with peanut butter and corn syrup. They are sticky and sweet.
But it doesn’t end there. No way, Jose. Now you top them with a nice frosting of semi-sweet chocolate.
Butterscotch Flavor
So the recipe I originally used had just chocolate, but then I kept seeing the addition of butterscotch chips. Which honestly made sense, the “scotch” part of the name hails from “butterscotch.”
Some melted chocolate and butterscotch together and others made a pretty swirl. Either way, it is all headed to the same place.
But why “eroo”? I never found out. So if you know, please tell me! I do know the recipe as originally seen on a Rice Krispie box in the 1960s… but that is about it.
Chocolate and peanut butter, it’s the dream bar! Kinda like a Rice Krispie Treat, but also a little candy like.
Ingredients
- Light corn syrup – While your other favorite no bake dessert (rice krispie treats) uses marshmallows to hold it all together, this easy recipe uses corn syrup.
- Sugar – Corn syrup in and of itself is already sweet, but we do need to add some sugar as well.
- Peanut butter – I definitely recommend using creamy peanut butter for these delicious scotcheroos. Crunchy peanut butter makes this no bake bar, well, crunchy.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla helps to balance out all the flavors. You can make your own or use some from the store.
- Rice Krispie cereal – You can use brand name or off brand, it doesn’t really matter as long as it is puffed rice.
- Butterscotch chips – These chips are where these classic treats get their iconic name.
- Milk chocolate chips – I like the sweetness that milk chocolate brings to this scotcheroo recipe, but you could use semi-sweet chocolate chips if you prefer.
- Butter – Butter helps the chips to melt into a smooth, pourable mixture.
How to Make Scotcheroos
- Prepare pan. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
- Make corn syrup mixture. In a medium saucepan, stir together light corn syrup and sugar, cooking over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils.
- Add peanut butter and vanilla. Remove sugar mixture from heat, stirring in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold in cereal. Fold in Rice Krispie cereal until entirely coated. Press into prepared pan.
- Melt chips. Melt chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and butter in a double boiler until shiny and just melted. See notes for the best ways to melt chocolate above.
- Add to cereal. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal mixture, spreading evenly, and place into the refrigerator to let the chocolate set.
- Cut and serve. Remove after chocolate topping has hardened. Cut into squares. Serve and store this classic scotcheroo recipe at room temperature.
Variations
- Change up the cereal – You can use another cereal like Cheerios. And they happen to be quite tasty. You can even use Chex cereal.
- Nut butter – Unfortunately, there really isn’t a good substitute for peanut butter except for another nut butter.
- Don’t like butterscotch? Just double the amount of regular chocolate chips or use another flavor of chip. Peanut butter or white chocolate work well, but you can also use the candy flavored kind. Or… I’m getting crazy here… sprinkle chopped candy over the top of chocolate while it is still tacky.
Make Ahead & Storage
They are perfect for camping, hikes and potluck parties since they don’t need to be refrigerated and are easily carried wrapped in aluminum foil or an airtight container.
Scotcheroos can be made a day or two ahead of time with no fears of getting stale or gross.
And lastly, these bars are NO BAKE! You heard me right… they require zero baking. A little stove work, but no baking and very little clean up.
However, I don’t recommend freezing them. They just get super hard and dry.
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Scotcheroos
- Don’t make them over high heat, corn syrup and sugar burn and they burn fast.
- Make sure the sugar has fully dissolved or you’ll have grainy bars.
- Use a heavy bottom saucepan. This helps evenly distribute the heat.
- Stir frequently to prevent scalding and burning.
- Line your pan with parchment paper so you can easily pull out the bars.
- Allow bars to cool completely before cutting.
- Run knife under hot water for a clean cut. Wipe after each cut.
- For storage, separate layers with parchment or wax paper to prevent sticking.
Tips for Melting Chocolate
The art of melting chocolate. It should be easy, right? Melt the chocolate and ta-da! If only…
Melting chocolate, like many other things in the kitchen, is chemistry and science. You need the optimal temperature to make sure your chocolate melts to a silky smooth consistency. So here are a few tips for melting chocolate for the best scotcheroos:
- Skip the microwave and use a double boiler. The microwave heats too fast and too hot.
- If you do need to use the microwave, use it at 50% power or defrost mode and go slow, 15 second intervals.
- Don’t fully boil the water in your double boiler. Get it hot enough to melt the chocolate, but not to a rolling boil.
- Put the top pot on with chocolate after the water has come to temperature.
- Stir constantly while melting. It should only take a minute or so.
- Use immediately and while shiny.
- If chocolate gets too hot, it gets clumpy and matte.
- You can try to revive it by adding 2 teaspoons of vegetable shortening, but sometimes you are better off just starting over.
More Dessert Ideas
- Caramel M&M Cookie Bars
- Cranberry Corn Flake Bars
- Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie Bars
- Grasshopper Bars
Scotcheroos
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 1/2 cups Rice Krispie cereal
- 6 ounces butterscotch chips
- 12 ounces milk chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, stir together light corn syrup and sugar, cooking until sugar dissolves and starts to boil.
- Remove from heat, stirring in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold in Rice Krispie cereal until entirely coated. Press into prepared pan.
- Melt chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and butter in a double boiler until shiny and just melted. See notes for the best ways to melt chocolate above.
- Pour over Rice Krispie mixture, spreading evenly, and place into the refrigerator to set.
- Remove after chocolate topping has hardened. Cut into squares. Serve and store at room temperature.
So happy I found this recipe. We moved and I lost the recipe and couldn’t remember the ingredients in it. I use to make them all the time but I made up a name for them cause I thought I invented them. Found the basic recipe off the rice crispy box but I added the butterscotch, chocolate chips and peanut butter and thought it was amazing! But when I read your post I realized this bar has been around a long time under the name Scotcheroos. They are amazing thank you for posting this recipe. It’s my family‘s favorite. But I think I’ll stick with the name that I gave it since that’s what we know as for about 40 years now.
So glad we could help you out!
I have never made these but there is a super easy recipe that you might be interested in. My Nana made them and it was always a favorite for everyone! 1 bag butterscotch melted, stir in 1 cup peanut butter then fold in 6 cups rice crispys. Pour into a buttered dish and press them down (if not they are to crumbly) you can put them in the fridge to cool and firm up.
That sounds fabulous, Dottie! Thank you for sharing and we will surely try them 🙂
These are a family favorite! I grew up with them and have never made rice krispues with marshmallows. This is the only way. We also only use the microwave don’t bother with the stove.
I love that short cut! Honestly, we are in the middle of a kitchen remodel and the stove is on backorder so I haven’t had a stove since march. It is amazing what you can make in the microwave!
Love how easy these yummy chocolate & peanut butter bars are!
These are amazing! We’ll be making them over and over again!