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If you live in the Midwest, chances are you’ve had a “scotcheroo” a time or two….and if you haven’t, ohhhhh let me tell you – you’re in for a real treat with this easy dessert!! Rich chocolate and butterscotch covers the creamy, crispy, peanut-buttery base layer in this no bake dessert! These are truly the best ever scotcheroos!!
Scotcheroos are the Cadillac of Rice Krispie bars. I used to love Rice Krispie treats (still do), but I’d say I make scotcheroos 10x more often. Have you ever brought something to a potluck thinking “this is gonna be a hit!” and been completely wrong? Or put lots of time and effort into a cake or pie and brought it to an event just to have one or two pieces taken?
You will never, EVER have that issue with scotcheroos…….they are a potluck staple here in Iowa and are loved by all ages. (They’re also a quick, easy, and no bake treat!)
However, I’ll admit there are okay scotcheroos and then there are flippin’ awesome scotcheroos. And I’ve made both….I’ve tinkered around with the recipe a bit and had a couple flops and some great successes. However, I never kept track of what I was changing. I’d just make a change and hope for the best. I decided the best way to figure this out for once and for all was to do a little experiment…ehh large experiment! 😊
Recipe Myths
MYTH #1: Following the original recipe (boiling the corn syrup/sugar) will result in a hard scotcheroos
MYTH #2: Using name brand peanut butter will improve the taste and texture of the scotcheroo
MYTH #3: Adding butter to the sugar and corn syrup mixture will improve taste and texture of the scotcheroo
The Experiment
After a little searching, I found a few different variables in Scotcheroo recipes floating around the internet. I had a “control,” which is the recipe that both Karo syrup and Rice Krispies has on their websites. Then the variations were all in the base layer – I tested cooking methods, peanut butter brands, and amounts of corn syrup and peanut butter.
One afternoon I mixed up each of the seven variations. I used a scale to weigh ingredients to make sure they were as precise as possible. I then cut each test batch into small squares and brought them into work for coworkers to blind taste.
CONTROL RECIPE: (Scroll to the bottom for my FAVORITE recipe!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 6 cup crispy rice cereal
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
Directions
Grease a 9 x 13” pan with cooking spray and set aside. Over medium heat, cook the corn syrup and sugar in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and remove from the heat. Stir in the peanut butter. Add the cereal and stir until combined. Pour the cereal mixture into prepared pan and press into place. Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips; stir; spread over base layer. Cool and cut into bars.
Experiment Variations
EXPERIMENT VARIATIONS
A – Control recipe, no boil
B – Control recipe, boil
C – Control recipe + ½ c extra corn syrup
D – Control recipe, but with Skippy peanut butter instead of cheap brand
E – Control recipe + ½ c extra peanut butter
F – Control recipe + ¼ c butter in sugar/corn syrup mixture
G – Control recipe + 1/3 c extra peanut butter + 1/3 c extra corn syrup
NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, I did not bring the sugar/corn syrup mixture to a boil (as I had tested and noticed a negative affect when boiled) an used the That’s Smart brand of peanut butter
| Change | Results | |
| A | Control recipe, no boil | These were good; had decent texture but were slightly firm |
| B | Control recipe, boil | Although the recipe says to bring the sugar/corn syrup mixture to a boil, this was by far the worst of all the experiments. The base layer was simply too hard and crunchy |
| C | Control recipe + ½ c extra corn syrup | These were the second favorite of the bunch. The texture was chewy and soft, but was lacking a little bit of peanut butter flavor |
| D | Control recipe, used Skippy brand peanut butter | Using Skippy peanut butter (rather than the That’s Smart brand) changed the flavor (not bad, just different) and made them slightly more crumbly |
| E | Control recipe + ½ c extra peanut butter | Slightly less dense, and a bit less “gooey” than a couple other top favorites |
| F | Control recipe + ¼ c butter in sugar/syrup mixture | Different flavor; nobody really enjoyed this one |
| G | Control recipe + 1/3 c extra peanut butter + 1/3 c extra corn syrup | This was by far the favorite! It was soft, chewy, and had excellent peanut butter flavor. YUM! |
VIDEO: How to Make the Best Ever Scotcheroos
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they are best served at room temperature. Cover the pan with a lid or plastic wrap until ready to enjoy.
Yes, these cereal bars can be frozen in a freezer bag or in an airtight container. If you can’t fit them in a single layer, be sure to place a piece of parchment paper between layers so they don’t stick together.
Yes! Many people call these Special K Bars because they grew up using Special K cereal instead of Rice Krispies. I like them either way!
I tested this once (awhile back) and had good luck using almond butter in the peanut butter mixture (which is great for people with peanut allergies!).
I don’t recommend it because natural peanut butter would give a different texture that might not hold the krispy treats together well.
Sure. I love the butterscotch flavor (for me, it’s part of classic scotcheroos) but you could use additional chocolate chips or replace it with peanut butter chips.
Yes. I don’t think there would be any problem with that – it’ll change the flavor a bit, but not necessarily in a bad way!
I’ve never tried it, but I think it’ll work okay. I’d advise against “extra crunchy” peanut butter as it won’t have as much moisture.
Other No Bake Treats
- Loaded Scotcheroos – Take the scotcheroos to the next level with some fun add-ins!
- No Bake Cookie Bars
- Scotcheroo Bites – Very similar, but in cute little bite-sized morsels!
- No Bake Peanut Butter Treats
- No Bake Scores Bars
So, what’s the Best Ever recipe?!! I took the learnings from my experiment and added a little vanilla to boost the flavor. Once I tried it, I knew this was THE ONE. The BEST scotcheroo recipe in all the land!
Best Ever Scotcheroos
Equipment
- 1 9×13" pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/3 cups light corn syrup
- 1 1/3 cups peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups Rice Krispies
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Coat a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large saucepan, add the sugar and corn syrup and combine.1 cup sugar, 1 1/3 cups light corn syrup
- Turn the stovetop on low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. DO NOT let the mixture boil. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat. (If you see any bubbles begin to form, remove it immediately from the stovetop)
- Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla.1 1/3 cups peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Stir in the Rice Krispies, being careful not to crush them, but making sure they're well-combined.6 cups Rice Krispies
- Pour into the prepared pan and pat into place.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate and butterscotch chips.1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 1 cup butterscotch chips
- Cook on high in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Spread over the Rice Krispie mixture and let cool before cutting into bars…..if you can wait! 🙂
Video
Notes
- Do NOT boil the sugar/corn syrup mixture.
- Don’t skimp on the corn syrup or the peanut butter. That’s part of what makes this recipe SO good!
- Melt the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips at low heat to prevent them from seizing up (aka burning the chocolate). Melting low and slow will ensure shiny chocolate (vs dull-looking, grainy chocolate).
Nutrition
Love your food science approach to recipe manipulation.
Sent from my iPad
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Thanks Sarah! It’s been a blast!!
Certainly made more than my share of Scotcheroos but never tested half of this, great job!
Thanks Nancy!! I think my obsession with scotcheroos began while working with you in the test kitchen when we were trying them with almond butter 🙂
Now you have me curious. How did they turn out with Almond Butter? And I have Justin’s Brand peanut butter, do you think that it would work in these? It’s less sweet than the likes of Skippy and Jiff. I can’t remember, but I think that I have to stir in the peanut oil in the Justin’s. I think that I can turn it upside down though to avoid the additional oil.
Try turning the jar of peanut butter upside down so that the oil rises to bottom of the jar. I don’t think that it will work out too well if you stir the oil into it. You should be able to use the peanut butter after the oil separates from it though. It’ll just be a little thicker than Jiff or Skippy.
Love this!! I’ve always felt mine were too hard of texture.. thanks for testing this out; I look forward to trying your new recipe!
I feel like my scotcheroos always varied….sometimes they are good and sometimes they were just meh. So, I’m glad I did this little experiment so I will never ever have “meh” scotcheroos again! 🙂
Hi Kelsey, I wanted to stop by and thank you for sharing your Scotcheroos recipe with all of us at Weekend Potluck! Thanks for testing and perfecting! We hope to see you again this Friday, sharing more of your awesome creations in the kitchen. Have a great week!
Hi Mary! I’ll be back, for sure. It’s so fun seeing all of the posts on Weekend Potluck, so thank YOU for organizing it! 🙂
I love the testing and methodology that you’ve used here. I’ve eaten a few scotcheroos, but I’ve never tried so many variations. Can’t wait to try your recipe!
First of all this is amazing! I really need to do a little experimenting too with something sweet and delicious. Will definitely be making “G” in the future!
I had so much fun with this post. Brought me back to my Sensory Scientist days working with several variations of a product….gotta love science! 🙂 Thanks so much for following along, Karly!
I’ll try your recipe, but I always use butter and BROWN sugar
The best way to make them BY FAR is by using Rice Chex instead of rice krispies
I’ve never heard of using brown sugar instead of white….will have to give that a try sometime!! You’ll have to let me know what you think of this recipe! 🙂
Have you ever tried them with Special K cereal? I’ve never made them myself but that’s how my mom always made them (I’m guessing the recipe is similar). Either way you can’t go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter.
My mother-in-law makes something very similar with Special K! SO delicious…..I’ll have to try it with this recipe sometime. And I agree – you just can’t go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter!!! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I love peanut butter and especially chocolate! I eat rice krispies and have never tried it with the peanut butter and chocolate. Thanks also for showing all the different ways they can be made and issues that happen! It’s a great help for cooks to see the good, bad and or ugly problems that can happen with recipes! Thanks again and God bless!
Hi Donna!! Scotcheroos are definitely a classic Midwest/Iowa dessert – one that I just can’t say no to! 🙂 This was a fun post to put together and I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it. When you get a chance to make the recipe, you’ll have to let me know what you think!! -Kelsey
Thank you for taking the time to note all the variations to find the perfect Scotcheroos. The boiling method would bring the sweetener to a candy state. No bueno like you said! Running to the store for Rice Krispies to make these for my son. Those little hands are precious!
Well, it was certainly a fun experiment to do! 🙂 I hope you and your son will love these as much as we do!!
Embarrassed to say I’ve never had a Scotcheroo! Obviously that needs to change STAT. I look forward to trying this recipe!
This is some serious dedication to the Scotcharoo! Being from Nebraska, I have had good ones and mediocre ones in my day. I had to put your recipe to the test – and it passed with flying colors!! #FamilyApproved Thanks!
This recipe is amazing. I take it to work and everyone thinks I’m a genius. Thank you so much for making me look good and for a delicious recipe that we all love!
Boy did you do some experimenting! And no I have the perfect recipe to follow! My hubby and son love all things peanut butter and these were a big hit! Thank for an amazing recipe!
I would like to send this in the mail. How long do these stay fresh?
Hi Rose! I think if you packaged them really well (in a tightly sealed Ziploc bag), they’d be good for 5-7 days!
I just tried the original recipe for the first time and thought they came out too hard and chewy, so I did some Googling to see if anyone had tested any variations to improve the texture. Found your post and BINGO, questions answered! Just wondering if you’ve ever tried using dark corn syrup instead of light? Or instead of increasing the corn syrup, adding a tablespoon or two of water might might also soften the texture in a similar way?
I’m so glad you landed on my page to check out the variations I’ve tried! The biggest factor in my experiment was definitely the boiling of the sugar/syrup mixture. I’ve never tried using dark corn syrup, however I’d guess it would be the same in texture and would give a robust, molasses-y flavor. I consider light and dark corn syrup pretty interchangeable, if you’re okay with a molasses flavor. Water is worth a try, but my concern would be making the cereal a bit soggy. If you end up trying either of these ideas, I’d love to hear how they go!!
I have made these and I want to thank you for your thorough investigation of these Scotcheroos! I was curious about the boiling of the sugar/corn syrup. I need to make these gluten free, and I also cannot eat chocolate! If I don’t have gluten-free Rice Krispies, I have found that plain Cheerios work very well. I also just use the butterscotch chips, melt them, and drizzle over the bars. Yummy!
That’s a great idea to use the Cheerios if you don’t have GF Rice Krispies on hand!! Glad you enjoyed reading through this! 🙂
-Kelsey
Do you think these be okay to freeze?
Yes!!! I love having a stash of these in the freezer to thaw out when I’m craving something sweet! 🙂
Love your scientific breakdown and the pictures! Fantastic. Never heard of this treat while living in Boston but sure love rice crispy treats. Thank you for sharing! Now I’ll have to see what ingredients/brands I can find in Germany and compare the outcomes with your pics 🙂
Hi Stefanie!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. You’ll have to let me know if you’re able to find the ingredients to make these in Germany – I hope you love them!! 🙂
You picture vanilla being added and state when to add it in the recipe, maybe I’m blind, but I don’t see how much vanilla to add.
Hi Mori – Hmmm I’m not sure why you’re not seeing it in the recipe! I can see it on my end. Either way, it’s 1 tsp 🙂
I have been making these for years and ALWAYS bring my corn syrup and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat once the sugar is dissolved. I use the 1 cup, 1 cup and 1 cup recipe with less rice Krispies so they’re ooey gooey! I also use milk chocolate chips and Nestle butterscotch chips. I have soooo many compliments on these and am asked to have them to every event! My absolute favorite dessert!!