Scotcheroos Recipe (Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Bars) - Oh Sweet Basil (2024)

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4.04 from 25 votes

This scotcheroos peanut butter rice krispies treats recipe is seriously such an addicting treat and it only takes a couple of ingredients to make it!

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Scotcheroos Recipe (Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Bars) - Oh Sweet Basil (1)

Classic Scotcheroos Recipe

I don’t know what it is about these peanut butter rice krispies bars with butterscotch and chocolate melted on top (aka Scotcheroos), but I cannot stop eating them if there is a pan in our house. I don’t remember having them growing up, or who taught me to make them as an adult, but I do know that I can’t resist them no matter how old I get.

Are scotcheroos messy? Yes.

Does it matter? No.

And it shouldn’t, because sometimes a dessert is all about the whole experience — getting sticky, smearing chocolate across your upper lip, and licking your fingers clean. Kids are awesome at enjoying dessert. They can really get into it and enjoy every little bite, whereas we tend to be so clean and delicate that we are far to worried about avoiding the mess rather than enjoying the flavor.

It’s not just that though, adults want something they can pop in their mouth while finally enjoying a little quiet time without the kids!

Scotcheroos Ingredients

Just like regular rice krispies treats, this scotcheroos recipe uses minimal ingredients and requires no baking. To make these peanut butter rice krispies, you’ll need granulated sugar, light corn syrup, creamy peanut butter, Rice Krispies, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips.

Because Cade doesn’t love butterscotch I use milk chocolate chips or white and semi-sweet chocolate for the topping — and I like to really slather it on in case you couldn’t tell. You can play around with the chocolate topping, but definitely make the peanut butter rice krispies base as instructed in the recipe card because it’s just that good!

How to Make Scotcheroos

These homemade scotcheroos come together in under 10 minutes, and this recipe makes a big pan. Here’s how to make scotcheroos quickly:

  1. Heat the sugar and corn syrup on the stove until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Stir in the peanut butter and rice krispies.
  3. Press the mixture into a greased 9×13-inch pan.
  4. Melt the butterscotch and chocolate chips, then spread over the scotcheroos base.
  5. Let the bars cool completely before slicing and serving.

Can I Freeze Scotcheroos?

Yes, these peanut butter rice krispies bars actually freeze quite well! Place your scotcheroos in a single layer inside a resealable freezer bag if you need to keep them fresh for longer than two days. Once the treats are inside the bag, squeeze out all excess air and place in the freezer for up to six weeks.

Are Scotcheroos Gluten-Free?

I’m baffled that a cereal made from rice contains gluten, but it does. Yep, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies contain malt flavoring, which is derived from a barley grain. Barley is not gluten-free and therefore Kellogg’s Rice Krispies are not gluten-free.

Do I Have to Use Rice Krispies?

No, not if you don’t want to! I’ve also seen scotcheroos made with Chex, cornflakes, and Special K cereal before. Any crunchy, neutral tasting rice- or corn-based cereal should work in these bars.

Is There a Corn Syrup Substitute I Can Use?

I’ve only ever made this scotcheroos recipe as written, so I can’t say for sure if there’s a corn syrup substitute you can use. However, a few UK readers have reported success using golden syrup and glucose syrup in place of the corn syrup. Hope that helps!

Scotcheroos Recipe (Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Bars) - Oh Sweet Basil (2)

Tips for Making Scotcheroos

I prefer making scotcheroos with Jif peanut butter, but if you’d rather use an all-natural creamy peanut butter that should work too. Just make sure to give the natural peanut butter a really good stir before adding it to the rice krispies mixture, as natural peanut butters tend to separate more easily.

If you love sweet and salty treats, sprinkle some coarse sea salt over the melted chocolate layer before it hardens. The sweet peanut butter base combined with the rice chocolate butterscotch topping and the flaky sea salt is an unbeatable combo!

Lastly, you’ll need to work fairly quickly once you’ve stirred the rice krispies cereal into the peanut butter and corn syrup mixture. Scotcheroos set up pretty quickly, so you should have your baking dish and ingredients all prepped and ready to go before you begin making this recipe.

More Dessert Bars:

  • Snickers Caramel Brownies
  • Fruity Pebbles Rice Krispie Treats
  • Mom’s Famous Caramel Brownies
  • Lemon Raspberry Bars
  • Brookie Bars
  • Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars
  • Classic Lemon Bars
  • Ritz Reese’s S’more Bars
  • Peach Oatmeal Bars
  • Peanut Butter Cheesecake Oreo Brownies
  • Peanut Butter Caramel Brownies
  • Twix Caramelita
  • Raspberry Lemon Bars

Scotcheroos Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats

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4.04 from 25 votes

Servings: 12 servings

Prep Time: 2 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 7 minutes mins

Description

This scotcheroos peanut butter rice krispies treats recipe is seriously such an addicting treat and it only takes a couple of ingredients to make it!

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Cup Karo Syrup
  • 1 Cup Peanut Butter, creamy, and I prefer Jif
  • 1/4-1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
  • 5 1/2 Cups Rice Krispies
  • 1 3/4 Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1 3/4 Cup Butterscotch Chips

Instructions

  • Heat sugar and Karo syrup over medium heat until dissolved.

  • Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, vanilla and salt.

  • Add Rice Krispies and stir to combine.

  • Press into a 9x13-inch, greased pan.

  • Heat chocolate and butterscotch chips over med-low heat until melted and spread over rice Krispies.

  • Let cool and eat!

Notes

Store scotcheroos peanut butter rice krispies treats in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 442kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 6gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 182mgFiber: 2gSugar: 48g

Author: Sweet Basil

Course: 100 Best Brownies and Bars Recipes

Cuisine: American

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FAQs

Why are they called Scotcheroos? ›

Scotcheroos is a crispy dessert treat with origins in the United States of America. It consists of cereals based on rice or corn, peanut butter, and a decadent butterscotch-chocolate coating. Scotcheroos got their name after one of the key ingredients used in the preparation process – butterscotch.

How do you keep homemade Rice Krispie treats from getting hard? ›

Keep the heat low.

If you melt the marshmallows too fast, it might result in a Rice Kripsy treat that is harder and crunchy than chewy.

How do you get Rice Krispies to stick together? ›

But this is an easy fix - just add more Rice Krispies until you get a stiffer mixture that will stick together. I usually add about half a cup at a time until I like the texture and the mixture is firmer and sticking together.

What's the difference between Special K and Scotcheroos? ›

This is all up to you! To some, a Scotcharoo is made with Rice Krispie treats — to others, it's the exact same as the Special K Bar. There really is not much of a difference here!

Where do people eat Scotcheroos? ›

They are popular in the Midwestern United States, especially Minnesota, Iowa and North Dakota.

Why do my rice krispie bars get so hard? ›

High heat is the prime culprit for rock hard rice krispie treats. → Follow this tip: It will take a few more minutes of cook time, but melt the butter and marshmallows over low heat. You'll be rewarded with delicious, soft and chewy treats!

Why won't my rice crispy treats harden? ›

Let them cool to room temperature and try again. If they're still not setting, the mixture did not contain enough cereal. Rice Krispies are soft and gooey in the pan, but quickly set up the baking dish. Follow the recipe below using the exact proportions for perfect results every time!

Why are my rice crispy treats hard as a rock? ›

Why do my rice crispy treats get hard? The biggest reason people end up with hard Rice Krispie Treats is because they use high heat. Make sure that you melt both the butter and the marshmallows on medium heat. It may take just a little bit longer, but the soft and gooey treats you end up with are so worth it!

When making rice crispy treats do you put them in the fridge? ›

Your best bet is to avoid sticking them in the fridge or freezer. Rice crispy treats will actually taste best if they're stored at room temperature. or quicker, easier access, go for smaller squares that you can just grab and eat.

Should you refrigerate homemade rice crispy treats? ›

Do Rice Crispy Treats Need to be Refrigerated? No. I recommend keeping these Rice Crispy Treats in an airtight container at room temperature. Refrigerating will make the marshmallow in them super hard, so I advise to leave them at room temperature.

Do you bake or freeze Rice Krispie Treats? ›

If you want to store them for longer than two days, try freezing them. To Freeze: Allow these gooey Rice Krispie Treats to cool completely and cut them into squares. Freeze in an airtight container, or wrap each square in a piece of plastic wrap and place them in a gallon freezer bag. Freeze them for up to 3 months.

What happens if you put too much butter in Rice Krispie Treats? ›

What happens if you put too much butter in Rice Krispies Treats? If you put too much butter in rice krispies treats they will become oily, the cereal will soak up the butter and the treats will become soggy, rather than crispy.

Why won t my marshmallows melt for rice krispie treats? ›

Cook the marshmallows low and slow: Everyone has the tendency to speed through the melting process. But the mallows need some serious love, people. If you try and rush through this, they will get hard once they cool instead of keeping the chewy texture everyone loves. So to avoid this, turn that heat down to low.

Can you use parchment paper for rice krispies? ›

If you're into less mess, then line your baking pan with waxed paper or parchment paper. When the treats are cool, you can lift the ends of the liner out, place the entire bar on a cutting board, cut the treats, and discard the liner. You can wash the pan but the mess will be minimal.

What was Rice Krispie treats originally called? ›

Kellogg's decided to test-try what it initially called “marshmallow squares,” and put Day on a train for Kansas City. She took with her huge, specially made baking trays and a giant mixer. Day set up a temporary kitchen and and proceeded to make batch after batch of the treats, working long days.

Where are Scotcheroos from? ›

While Kellogg's is headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, the epicenter of scotcheroo mania today seems to be Iowa. From bake sales to summer potlucks to holiday parties, no celebration feels complete without the cereal treats, according to many residents of the Midwestern state.

Why are Rice Krispie squares called squares? ›

I reached out to Kellogg's to ask them what the f*** they're playing at, and they told me this in response: 'Historically it is believed Rice Krispie Squares were named after the traditional “square shape” of large US tray bakes.

Why are Rice Krispies called rice? ›

Rice Krispies are made of crisped rice.

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