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A crunchy and chewy peanut butter rice krispie treat topped with a mixture of chocolate and butterscotch, this recipe for scotcheroos has been perfected in my family over generations!
The best Scotcheroos Recipe
If you’ve been to a family potluck or just through a soda shop drive thru, you’ve likely seen a scotcheroo. This classic recipe puts a spin on the popular plain rice krispie treat by adding peanut butter to the mix and topping it with a combination of chocolate and butterscotch (which is *chef’s kiss.* But beyond being super yummy, here’s why I LOVE Scotcheroos and think you will too:
- They’re GREAT for a crowd! You can make this recipe strechhhh. If unexpected guests show up or you need a recipe for a party, you can cut these squares a little smaller and easily feed them. It’s also super easy to double, meaning you can have a huge batch with essentially zero extra work.
- Scotcheroos use basic ingredients & are super quick! This means that you can likely make them at a moment’s notice because it’s easy to keep everything on hand. Plus, within just a few minutes the pan is ready to chill and set up – a win-win.
- You can freeze any leftovers. Which in my world, means I can bake once and eat twice (or 24 times, depending on if I tell my family there are scotcheroos in the freezer or keep it as my dirty little secret to snack on whenever I want).
Scotcheroos Recipe ingredients
- Sugar
- Corn Syrup – Sometimes this is known as Karo Syrup, but it’s the exact same. Make sure to use the light version, not the dark.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – Classically this recipe uses creamy peanut butter but you could definitely use chunky to give it a little extra crunch if you’d like!
- Vanilla Extract
- Rice Krispies – You can use name or store brand of the crisp rice cereal, I have made Scotcheroos with both and either work!
- Milk Chocolate Chips – Feel free to use semisweet or dark chocolate instead, according to your preference.
- Butterscotch Chips: This is where the ‘scotch’ in Scotcheroo comes from.
How to Make Scotcheroos
- Measure your rice krispie cereal into a bowl. Set aside.
- In a pot, bring the sugar and corn syrup barely to a boil.
- As soon as the mixture starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat immediately.
- Once you’ve removed the pot from the stove, add in the peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until it is completely combined.
- Pour your melted mixture over your pre-measured Rice Krispies and quickly stir to coat.
- Press the cereal into a greased 9×13 pan.
- Allow the cereal mixture to begin setting up and pour the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl.
- Place the bowl in the microwave and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until chocolate is smooth and melted.
- Pour melted chocolate onto the cereal bars and spread to cover.
- Allow the chocolate to set up. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Tips for the best Scotcheroos
- Be sure you don’t overboil your sugar mixture. If you cook the mixture for too long, it will make your bars hard and chewy.
- Lightly wet your hands before pressing the sticky cereal mixture into the greased pan. This will keep the mixture from sticking to your fingers.
Scotcheroo storage
Store your Scotcheroos in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 week! But warning, they will get harder as the days go by.
Can you freeze Scotcheroos?
Yes, they can be frozen! Cut into serving sized pieces before freezing so they’re easy to grab when you’re ready.
Recipe for Scotcheroos FAQs
While we may not know who originally came up with the idea for these scotcheroos, we do know that they’ve been around for a few decades. The original recipe for these dessert bars was printed on the Rice Krispies box in the mid 1960’s which is why your grandma probably made them for you as a kid, too. 😉
The ‘scotch’ in scotcheroos comes from the melted butterscotch in the mixture!
The only difference between Scotcheroos and Special K bars are the type of cereal they use. Scotcheroos use Rice Krispies and Special K bars use Special K.
Other No-Bake Recipes to LOVE
Recipe for Scotcheroos
Ingredients
- 1 cup (230g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (327ml) corn syrup
- 1 cup (246g) peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 6 cups (162g) rice krispie cereal
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) milk chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) butterscotch chips
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, melt together the sugar and corn syrup until it just begins to boil.
- Once it starts boiling, remove from heat.
- Add in the peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until combined.
- Pour over Rice Krispies and stir to coat evenly.
- Press into a greased 9×13 pan.
- Melt the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until completely smooth.
- Pour and spread over the Rice Krispies. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
My favorite treat as a kiddo. First time making them as an adult and they didn’t disappoint, so perfect!
I made these for the first time this weekend and they were a hit! The recipe was easy to follow and everything came together very quickly. I used chunky PB because that’s all I had and you couldn’t even tell. Can’t wait to make them again!
This was a treat i had from years ago , that i had lost . My family love them !
A long-time favorite of mine! I’m fond of cutting a chilled piece and microwaving it for 5-10 seconds—I swear they taste fresh!
These always disappear in our house. I don’t like to use corn syrup, so I use honey instead and they always turn out amazing.
I make these but I omit the corn syrup, and I melt the bag of butterscotch chips with the marshmallows and butter then add the cereal then a thin layer of peanut butter on top of the rice Krispies and top with a bag of melted chocolate chips.
These are so good. They were soft and chewy…not dry and crumbly like others I have made. I will not be making any other in the future. This is the only scotcheroo recipe for me. Perfection. I followed the recipe exactly as written.