Let’s start the day (and week) with a sweet treat. Scotcheroos are chewy cereal bars made from crispy rice cereal coated in a glossy peanut butter-corn syrup mixture, then topped with a layer of semisweet chocolate and butterscotch. Less gooey than marshmallow-based rice treats but still soft and addictive, these bars are ideal when you want something sweet and satisfying.
I can easily eat a huge piece of these — sometimes more than I should — and still want another. Many cereal-bar recipes skimp on the binding mixture, leaving the bars dry and crumbly. I prefer a softer, chewier texture, so I increase the syrup-peanut butter ratio until the bars hold together without being hard or brittle.
Years ago, I learned the hard way that overcooking the sugar-syrup will turn the filling into a hard caramel. The trick is to heat the corn syrup and sugar only until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture briefly reaches a boil, then remove it from the heat before stirring in the peanut butter. Overcooking will produce a tacky, rock-hard result — not what you want when you’re craving an easy treat.
Scotcheroos
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- Author: Amanda
- Yield: about 10 to 12 bars
Description
Sugary-sweet crispy rice cereal bars coated in a peanut butter and corn syrup mixture, finished with chocolate and butterscotch. They’re soft, chewy, and dangerously easy to eat.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1–1/2 cups light corn syrup
- 1–1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1–1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups (about 7 ounces) crispy rice cereal
- 8 ounces (about 1–1/3 cups) semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 8 ounces (about 1–1/3 cups) butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the light corn syrup and granulated sugar, whisking as it warms. Once the sugar has dissolved and the mixture comes to a brief boil, remove the pan from the heat immediately. Stir in the peanut butter, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the crispy rice cereal, making sure it’s evenly coated. Press the mixture into the prepared pan in an even layer and set aside.
- Place the semisweet chocolate and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and continue melting at 15-second intervals, stirring between each, until nearly melted. Remove and stir until fully smooth. Spread the melted topping evenly over the cereal layer. Let the bars sit at room temperature for about an hour or until the topping is set. Cut into bars and serve.
Notes
Watch the syrup closely: remove it from the heat as soon as it boils and the sugar has dissolved. Overcooking will produce a hard, brittle filling.
- Category: Bars & Brownies