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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
I was thinking of putting a layer of marshmallow fluff on the rice krispie layer and then topping with the chocolate layer for some marshmallow goo in the centre. What do u think about that idea? Do u think it would work?
Hi Jody! I’ve never tried that….I think it would be super gooey (and probably difficult to spread the chocolate on top of)..but flavor-wise I think it would work!
My parents fell in love with these when I made them the first time and request them regularly now! Delicious!
So happy to hear, Brenda!! It’s one of our favorites, too! 🙂 ~Kelsey
I love Scotcheroos!
I’ve been making it with the extra crunchy Skippy peanut butter for years. Absolutely my favorite.
These made me cry. Scotcheroos were my mother in laws specialty and one of her love languages was making treats. She made them for holidays and special occasions. We lost her in April last year, and when we did her memorial in May I wanted to make them for everyone but couldn’t find her recipe. I found this one and it looked promising. The day of the memorial came and my brother in law asked me for the recipe thinking it was hers as he didn’t have it either and they tasted just like hers. Tears were in our eyes as we discussed it- it felt like she had made them for us. Thank you so much for this recipe! I can now keep the tradition going of Nana Deb’s Scotcheroos!
Oh Rachael….first off, I’m so sorry about the loss of your mother-in-law. Second, thank you for taking the time to share about her and how these scotcheroos were a bright spot during a very difficult time. Your family is and will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. ~Kelsey
What can you sub for corn syrup? It’s sooo awful for you
The only thing I’ve tried to replace the corn syrup is honey. It certainly adds a distinct flavor, but keeps the texture the same (or very similar)!
Don’t do the “favorite” recipe unless you like disgustingly sweet things. I would cut the sugar but keep the added peanut butter (I researched afterwards and most other recipes call for at least a cup and a half). I don’t know what I was thinking, as I poured the cup of sugar into the 1 1/3 cups corn syrup I was like “this seems insane”. It was; threw out the entire pan.
I hadn’t had scotcheroos since childhood but recently had an amazingly light/fluffy/peanut buttery “gourmet” one and wanted to make a batch. I wonder if there’s a way to do it without corn syrup.
My light corn syrup (Karo) already has vanilla extract in it. Says “with real vanilla” on the bottle and then vanilla extract is listed in the ingredients. Do I still add the 1 tsp of vanilla listed in the recipe? Did it already account for it being included in the corn syrup? Thank you.
That’s totally up to you. It would be just fine either way! 🙂
These were good, but they are VERY sweet. They were still a hit for most, but I found them almost sickly sweet. I think next time I would skip the butterscotch on top and maybe just use semisweet chocolate perhaps with peanut butter mixed in.
This is husband’s favorite treat, but he’d never let me get away with only one cup each chocolate chips and butterscotch chips! I use the whole bag of each!
You wrote that when you were testing all the variations, you weighed the ingredients. Do you have the best recipe with the ingredients weighed (in grams, preferably)? I try to use ingredient weights when baking because I get more consistent results. Thanks for your efforts at developing the gold medal recipe!
Hi Alex – I don’t typically weigh ingredients as many consumers don’t have a kitchen scale. ~Kelsey
My family and I LOVE these! We could eat them every day! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m planning to make this to surprise my wife, but I am concerned about it being too sweet. Any suggestion on how to make it less sweet or maybe even add some salt? My wife is the baker in the family and she always complained that store bought cookies could use a pinch of salt. Her”perfect” cookies are trader Joe’s sea salt cookies
Hi Eric – that’s so sweet of you! You could totally add a pinch of salt…don’t overdo it though as peanut butter has quite a bit of salt added already. Maybe a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top of the chocolate?! Hope she loves them! ~Kelsey
These bars have the perfect amount of gooey peanut butter and creamy topping. We loved them.
I had a recipe for Scotcharoos that used butterscotch pudding everyone loved it but I can’t find do you have one
Hi Sandy – I’ve never heard of that!
Can you substitute almond butter for peanut butter?
Hi Lucy – I have tested this with almond butter and it worked great! ~Kelsey
Soooooo Yummmmmmy !!! 😋 And just a quick tip..I spray non-stick cooking spray on my fingers to press down on the rice krispie mixture. It makes it easier to spread the mixture to the edges of the pan. 😁
That’s a great tip! SO happy you enjoyed these, Wendy! Thanks for the review – it means a lot! ~Kelsey
I’ve never made an amazing scotcharoo until I found this recipe.
The extra peanut butter and corn syrup is a game changer!!!
Can these be frozen?
Yes! I freeze these often! 🙂
I used 1 1/4 cup each of p. buttter and corn syrup & 8c. of corn flakes coarsely crushed. The are awesome!!
I used 1 1/4 cup each of p. buttter and corn syrup & 8c. of corn flakes coarsely crushed. The are awesome!!