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Chocolate peanut butter Scotcheroos whip up in minutes for a quick and easy dessert. This chewy treat is a family favorite!
If you also love Scotcheroos, be sure to check out our famous Rice Krispie Treats, Cookie Bars, and Millionaire Bars.
An All-Time Favorite!
This is a treat that we have been making FOR YEARS!! In fact, I can’t remember when Scotcheroos weren’t a classic dessert staple in our home.
We are all obsessed with this classic scotcheroo recipe because:
- The flavor can’t be beat! We’ve always loved Rice Krispies, chocolate, peanut butter and butterscotch, so these are definitely a family favorite.
- Beyond simple. They’re so easy, my kids make them all the time!
- Quick Party treat. From start to finish, these are made in 20 minutes and because everyone loves them, they’re great for parties, get togethers and holidays.
Why are they called Scotcheroos?
These yummy bars got their name because of one of the key ingredients – butterscotch chips! The recipe was originally printed on boxed of Rice Krispies on the 1960s.
Ingredients
- Rice Krispies cereal
- sugar
- creamy peanut butter – We prefer creamy but crunch can be used to for a little more texture in your bars.
- light corn syrup
- chocolate chips – We like using milk chocolate chips but you can use dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- butterscotch chips
How to Make Scotcheroos
- PREP. Grease a 9×13 pan with cooking spray (or line it with parchment paper). Set aside. Pour the crispy rice cereal into a large bowl and set aside.
- BOIL. Bring peanut butter, sugar and corn syrup to a boil in a medium pot over medium heat. Be sure to stir constantly. Take it off the heat as soon as it starts to boil and sugar dissolves.
- MIX. Pour hot mixture over Rice Krispies in a large bowl & mix well. Pour the cereal mixture into greased 9×13 pan and gently press down with a spatula.
- TOPPING. Melt chocolate chips & butterscotch chips together in a small pot, stirring constantly on low heat. Pour over pressed Rice Krispies and let set before cutting and serving.
Just remember that you do need to leave time for them to set up in the end, but you can always speed that up by sticking them in the fridge or freezer for a bit. 😉
Variations
Butterscotch swirl. After melting the chocolate/butterscotch chips together, melt a separate bowl of butterscotch chips.
- Spread the chocolate mixture evenly over the treat.
- Then drizzle the plain butterscotch over the chocolate.
- Finally, use a toothpick to drag the butterscotch drizzle through the chocolate creating a pretty pattern.
Toppings. Add sea salt flakes, festive sprinkles, or crushed candies to the top of the chocolaty layer.
Gluten-free. This recipe can be made with gluten-free rice Krispies. Be sure to check the candy chip packages to ensure they do not have gluten.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overheat the sugar/corn syrup mixture. Remove the mixture just as it is beginning to boil otherwise overheating will end up creating a dry and rock-hard treat.
- To speed up the set time, stick the treat in the fridge. However, allow them to come back to room temperature before biting into them.
- Microwave. Instead of using a saucepan on the stove, microwave the butterscotch and milk chocolate chips. Heat them in 30-second intervals and stir in between each interval. Be very careful to not overheat.
Storing Info
STORE this Scotcheroos recipe in an airtight container for up to 3 – 4 days or a few extra days stored in the refrigerator.
TO FREEZE: Store the entire block or as individual treats. Wrap in plastic wrap then wrap again with foil or place in a Ziploc freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before eating.
For more treats:
Scotcheroos Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1½ cups chocolate chips
- 1½ cups butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Pour Rice Krispies into a large bowl and set aside.
- In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring sugar, peanut butter, and corn syrup to a boil, making sure to stir constantly.
- As soon as the mixture starts to boil, pour over the cereal and mix well. Pour into a greased 9-x-13-inch pan and gently press down with a spatula to spread evenly into the pan.
- In a small pot, melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour over pressed Rice Krispies and let set for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was great! The best one so far! Easy and very simple. Thank you so much.
These are so good!
I loved this recipe! Absolutely amazing with every bite.
Aw, I’m so glad to hear that!! Thanks for sharing!
Sorry I didn’t follow a different recipe for these. I now know better! Melt the sugar first. THEN add the pb. 🙁
It was hard to tell with everything in the pan when ‘boil’ occurred b/c I was stirring pretty constantly to keep the mix from scorching. Also (more a personal preference) SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE not milk chocolate for these. The sugar in the recipe can handle the darker chocolate for balance.
Mine aren’t ruined by any stretch and CERTAINLY still edible. Just way to sweet due to the milk chocolate (no balance; cancels the pb flavor out) and the texture isn’t quite as soft as I would like it to be. Very chewy. All easily fixed if there’s a next time for this recipe. We’ll see!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
Horrible directions- please specify that you boil the corn syrup and sugar BEFORE adding the peanut butter like all other recipes do there’s aren’t a mess.
Really bad flavor and texture. Had to spit it out. Butterscotch- not a fan
Butterscotch can be a love it or not flavor, for sure. You can always omit the butterscotch chips and just have the peanut butter Rice Krispies with plain chocolate on the top if you aren’t a huge fan of butterscotch. Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
I made these and they turned out very very dry. Next time I would only do 4 cupes of rice krispies. Maybe that is just me because I prefer a chewier bar.
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
Perfectly chewy! These are always a hit!
We made this for our first annual holiday baking day and they were AMAZING! Recipe was easy to follow and spot on. We will be making these again for Christmas and every year after!
My family loves these! It is nice when it is so hot to not have to heat up the house with the oven.