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

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

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!