These soft scotcheroos are chewy peanut butter rice krispie treats that are topped with chocolate and butterscotch. This sweet no-bake dessert is always the life of the party!
Okay, let’s get one thing out of the way: Scotcheroos have nothing to do with kangaroos.
Yes, I actually heard someone ask that question once. Their hypothesis was that scotcheroos were a type of food fed to kangaroos. I mean… there are worst guesses, I suppose!
What are Scotcheroos?
Think of Scotcheroos as a different flavor of Rice Krispie Treats, but without the marshmallows. Sort of like chocolate peanut butter rice krispies treats.
Scotcheroos are sweet bars with a layer of peanut butter mixed with Rice Krispies cereal, and topped with a layer of chocolate and butterscotch.
If you attend a party in the Midwest United States, it’s basically a given that someone is going to bring a pan (or three) of scotcheroos.
Who invented Scotcheroos?
To be totally honest, I think the simple answer is Kellogg’s! They printed the recipe on their boxes of Rice Krispies back in the 1960s, and it’s been a hit ever since.
Ingredients for scotcheroos
- Rice Krispies cereal – doesn’t have to be the name brand, it can be any crispy rice cereal.
- Creamy peanut butter – I’ve tried using natural peanut butter (the kind you have to stir to mix in the oil), and it’s pretty hit or miss. I’m a big fan of Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter Spread, but Skippy Natural is a good less expensive option.
- Light brown sugar – I personally prefer the flavor of light brown sugar as it complements the butterscotch flavor better than white sugar, but you can substitute granulated sugar if you need/want to.
- Light corn syrup – If you don’t have light corn syrup, you can substitute honey if you need to. Just note that you might end up with a slightly different flavor depending on the strength of the flavor of the honey you choose.
- Vanilla extract – This is optional, but encouraged. I think it just gives the finished product a more well-rounded flavor.
- Dark chocolate chips – I prefer using a dark chocolate for mine to help balance out the sweetness from everything else, but if you really want to you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead. I don’t recommend using milk chocolate as the result will be far too sweet.
- Butterscotch chips – The star of the show! Nestle Toll House Butterscotch Morsels seem to be the most accessible option, but I’ve seen Guittard Butterscotch Baking Chips sometimes as well.
- Flaky sea salt – Totally optional garnish for the top, but I like including it to balance out the sweetness. I love me some sweet and salty treats!
How to make scotcheroos
- Spray an 8″x8″ baking dish with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Pour Rice Krispies into a large bowl and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine peanut butter, light brown sugar and corn syrup, stirring constantly, until it starts to bubble and come to a boil.
- Immediately remove from heat, stir in vanilla if including it, and pour over rice krispies and use a spatula to coat and combine.
- Turn the mixture out into the prepared baking dish and use your spatula to gently press the mixture evenly into the pan. You want to put firm pressure to ensure the bars won’t be crumbly, but not so firm that they’ll turn out tough.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, combine dark chocolate and butterscotch chips and stir constantly until melted and combined.
- Pour chocolate mixture over the top of the rice krispies to evenly coat the top, add flaky sea salt if desired, then place in the fridge to set completely.
- Lift bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board and slice into 16 squares. Serve and enjoy!
Are caramel and butterscotch the same thing?
Nope! The main difference between caramel and butterscotch is that caramel is made with granulated sugar, while butterscotch is made with brown sugar.
That’s actually why I prefer using brown sugar in my scotcheroo bars – I feel it complements the flavor base of butterscotch better than granulated sugar.
How many calories are in a Scotcheroo bar?
With this recipe and the assumption that you’re cutting the pan into 16 individual bars, each bar is around 201 calories.
Helpful tips
- Spray, line, spray again. To be 100% sure they won’t stick to the baking dish, spray it with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray it again.
- Remove the mixture from heat as soon as it starts to bubble. The usual culprit for hard scotcheroos is that the sure mixture came to a boil – so to avoid that, as soon as it comes to a simmer, you want to remove it from the heat and combine it with the rice krispies.
- Don’t pack the mixture too tightly in the pan. You want to put firm pressure to ensure the bars won’t be crumbly, but not too firm because then they’ll come out tough.
FAQs
The usual culprit for hard scotcheroos is that the sure mixture came to a boil. You want to avoid that, so as soon as the mixture is combined and comes to a simmer, you want to remove it from the heat and combine it with the rice krispies.
You can, but the result might be ever so slightly different in texture and flavor. Swap the corn syrup for some honey, 1:1!
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, scotcheroos should stay fresh for up to 3 days.
However, if you store them in an airtight container in the fridge, they can last up to 1 week. Just make sure you let them set out at room temperature for 15-30 minutes to make them softer and easier to eat.
You sure can! Keep scotcheroos in a freezer-safe airtight container (stacked in single layers separated by parchment paper, or – even better – individually wrapped) in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
After you’ve made this recipe, please consider coming back to share your experience with others by leaving a comment below with a star rating!
Easy Scotcheroos Recipe
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar, can substitute granulated sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup or honey
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional, but encouraged
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
- ¾ cup butterscotch chips
- Flaky sea salt, optional garnish
Instructions
- Spray an 8″x8″ baking dish with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Pour Rice Krispies into a large bowl and set aside.3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine peanut butter, light brown sugar and corn syrup, stirring constantly, until it starts to bubble and come to a boil.½ cup creamy peanut butter | ½ cup light brown sugar | ½ cup light corn syrup or honey
- Immediately remove from heat, stir in vanilla if including it, and pour over rice krispies and use a spatula to coat and combine.½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Turn the mixture out into the prepared baking dish and use your spatula to gently press the mixture evenly into the pan. You want to put firm pressure to ensure the bars won't be crumbly, but not so firm that they'll turn out tough.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, combine dark chocolate and butterscotch chips and stir constantly until melted and combined.¾ cup dark chocolate chips | ¾ cup butterscotch chips
- Pour chocolate mixture over the top of the rice krispies to evenly coat the top, add flaky sea salt if desired, then place in the fridge to set completely.Flaky sea salt
- Lift bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board and slice into 16 squares. Serve and enjoy!
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