These decadent Scotcheroos are a delicious combination of creamy peanut butter, crispy rice cereal, chocolate, and butterscotch flavors. They are easy to make and are a great no-bake dessert for parties!
Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray, or line it fully with parchment paper.
Combine the corn syrup and sugar in a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved. Let the mixture come to a boil, then remove the saucepan from heat
Stir in peanut butter, mixing well until fully incorporated.
Stir in the rice cereal, carefully folding it in until thoroughly coated in the peanut butter mixture. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and use a spoon or spatula to spread out into an even layer.
Combine the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a large heatproof bowl. Melt the mixture either over a pot of simmering water, stirring frequently, or in 30-second increments in a microwave, stirring between each.
Spread the chocolate mixture over the cereal base and smooth out. Cool at room temperature and allow the topping to set before cutting, about 1 hour.
Notes
Carefully melt the sugars. You don’t want to overheat the sugar and corn syrup when mixing them on the stovetop, or the texture of the scotcheroo bars will be dry and rock-hard instead of gooey. Prevent this by removing the pot from the heat immediately after it comes to a boil.
Avoid burning the chocolate and butterscotch. The chocolate and butterscotch chips melt fast, so it’s important to keep a watchful eye on the mixture so it doesn’t scorch and ruin the taste. I recommend using a double boiler on the stove or heating it in short increments in the microwave so you can track the melting and stir frequently throughout the heating time – it’s done when it’s in liquid form.
Allow the ingredients to set completely. The cereal bars won’t hold their shape if you don’t wait for the ingredients to become a firmer texture before cutting into them. If you’re low on time, you can stick the pan of Rice Krispie scotcheroos in the refrigerator or freezer to speed up the setting process. Just be sure to bring the scotcheroos slab to room temperature before cutting and enjoying.
Use your favorite variety of chocolate in the topping. Use semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips if you prefer darker, richer chocolate. If you like sweeter chocolate, use milk chocolate or white chocolate chips.