Thick and Chewy Scotcheroos

Thick and chewy Scotcheroos are the classic crisp rice treat everyone knows and loves but made with peanut butter instead of marshmallows and a layer of chocolate and butterscotch on top. So basically better in every way…

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Anyone know why these are called Scotcheroos? Seems like a Midwestern church lady cookbook thing to me (and being a lover of Midwestern church lady cookbooks, I have read (and own) my fair share. I mean, I assume the “scotch” part comes from butterscotch because we use butterscotch chips in the topping but the rest of it…?

Looks like according to Wikipedia the recipe was originally printed on the Rice Krispie box back in the 60’s. Still not clear on the name thing though….

Doesn’t matter. These babies are DELICIOUS. I mean, of course. They have peanut butter and chocolate with butterscotch and chewiness from the crisp rice cereal. What could be better?

What I really like about these, though, is that they only take about 20 minutes from start to finish. So they’re perfect if you’re in a hurry or you want to add an extra kind of cookie to a cookie plate but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen (looking at you sugar cookies).

Ingredients and Substitutions for Scotcheroos:

• Granulated Sugar-for sweetness.
• Corn Syrup-the corn syrup is what makes the Scotcheroos chewy. If you hate the idea of corn syrup, substitute the same amount of honey instead.
• Peanut Butter-we use peanut butter both in the bars and in the chocolate topping. The fat in the peanut butter keeps the chocolate/butterscotch topping from being too hard. If you don’t want to use peanut butter IN THE TOPPING you can use butter or coconut oil. Still use peanut butter for the bars though.
• Crisp Rice Cereal-you can use brown rice cereal for a (slightly?) healthier version. Although there is still a boatload of sugar in here so…?
• Butterscotch Chips-no substitute here. It’s in the name.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips and Milk Chocolate Chips-you can use just one or the other if you’d like, but I kind of like the combination.
• Sea Salt-optional but recommended. The hint of salt contrasts nicely with all of the sugar. Maldon is my personal favorite for this situation. Seems silly to spend that much money on salt but a box will last you forever.

How to make thick and chewy Scotcheroos:

For the bars

• In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat stir together granulated sugar and corn syrup. Allow the sugar to melt and come to a slight boil-just the edges of the mixture should be boiling. If you boil too long, the bars will become hard. All we are looking to do is to melt the sugar.
• Remove from heat. While mixture is still warm, stir in the peanut butter until smooth.
• Stir in crisp rice cereal until combined. Press into well greased 9×9 pan. This is how we make them thick-use a smaller pan.

For the chocolatey topping

• In a medium sized saucepan over low heat mix together butterscotch chips, both kinds of chocolate chips, and creamy peanut butter until melted. Stir constantly. Alternatively, you can pour the chips and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 30 second intervals stirring in between until chocolate is melted.
• Spread chocolate mixture on top of bars. Top with some flaky sea salt. (Trust me on this-the sweet/salty combination is the right answer). Allow to cool and enjoy!

How do you keep Scotcheroos from getting hard?

Don’t boil the corn syup/sugar mixture too long. You want just a simmer around the edges. Basically we just want to be sure the sugar is all the way melted so it’s nice and smooth, with no grit!

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Happy Baking!

Happy Baking!

Sources:

Wikipedia

Sally’s Baking Addiction

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