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Scotcheroos are a delicious no-bake treat that’s perfect for parties and picnics. These Peanut Butter Crispy Bars with a chocolate and butterscotch topping require only six ingredients, and no baking!

scotcheroos with chocolate and butterscotch topping cut into squares

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Scotcheroos Recipe

What do you get when you mix peanut butter, Rice Krispies, and chocolate together? Well, you almost get these Peanut Butter Crispy Bars. There are a couple other ingredients that you need to make them sweet and a little bit gooey. There are only six ingredients total, and two of them are chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.

This is the perfect treat to make when you can’t run to the store because you already have everything in your cupboards and pantry! And if you don’t have butterscotch chips, that’s o.k. I won’t tell. Straight chocolate never got any complaints.

Because they are no-bake, Scotcheroos are the perfect snack year round because you don’t have to turn on hour oven. Kids can easily get in on the fun or even make them on their own. I love adding them to holiday cookie trays as a surprise treat.

What exactly is a Scotcheroo?

Scotcheroos are dessert bars with chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, and Rice Krispies cereal. The recipe was originally shared in the mid 1960s on the back of a Rice Krispies cereal box. The name refers to the delicious butterscotch chocolate topping.

an overhead shot of scotcheroo bars topped with chocolate and butterscotch.

How to Make Scotcheroos

PREP. This recipe moves fast so it’s important to have all of your ducks in a row before you get started. Grease a pan with cooking spray or line with foil or parchment paper. I prefer to use the foil or parchment because it provided handles for lifting the whole pan of Scotcheroos out at once for easy cutting. Measure Rice Krispies cereal into a large bowl and set it aside. Combine the chocolate and butterscotch chips in a microwavable bowl and set those aside as well. Measure corn syrup, sugar and peanut butter into a large pot.

COOK. The sweeteners need a little bit of cooking time on the stove. Just heat that saucepan with the creamy peanut butter, sugar, and corn syrup over medium heat and keep stirring until it’s hot and smooth.

ASSEMBLE THE BARS. Then you just take it off the heat, add all the Rice Krispies, and stir until they are all coated in the mixture. I definitely recommend using a silicone spatula for this and even spray it with a little nonstick cooking spray. Press the cereal mixture into the pan you prepared earlier.

MELT, POUR, SPREAD. Grab that bowl with the chocolate and butterscotch chips and melt them in the microwave. Use a dry spoon—any water at all will seize the chocolate, and there’s no coming back from that. Pour the chocolate butterscotch mixture over the Scotcheroo bars and gently spread it in an even layer. It will take at least an hour for the chocolate to set, but don’t try to speed that up in the fridge. Condensation will build and leave ugly white marks on top.

Recipe Tips

I find that the best way to press these into pans is lightly spray your hands with cooking spray so that the Scotcheroos won’t stick to them as you press them down. You could also get a square of plastic wrap, spray one side with cooking spray, place it spray-side down over the top of the whole thing, and press down until the top is even. Or, you could use a rubber spatula, also sprayed with cooking spray.
Wait until your bars are completely cooled and set before cutting with a very sharp knife.
This recipe can easily be doubled.
Make Scotcheroos ahead of time and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They are great for freezing, too! Cut into squares and place into a gallon freezer bag for up to 1 month.

a stck of three peanut butter krispie treats with chocolate on top

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Recipe

Peanut butter rice crispy treats with chocolate topping

Scotcheroos

4.92 from 12 votes

Kristin Maxwell

Scotcheroos are a delicious no-bake treat that's perfect for parties and picnics. These Peanut Butter Crispy Bars need only six ingredients, and no baking!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 1 20

Servings bars

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Ingredients

1 cup Light corn syrup
1 cup Creamy peanut butter
1 cup Granulatd sugar
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup Butterscotch chips
1 cup Chocolate chips

Instructions

Line a 13×9-inch pan with foil or parchment paper or spray the pan generously with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large pan over medium heat, combine corn syrup, peanut butter and sugar over medium heat. Stir constantly until melted and smooth.
Remove from the heat and add the Rice Krispies cereal. Mix until everything is well incorporated. PRO TIP – use a silicone spatula sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Spread cereal mixture into the prepared pan and spread with the spatula.
Place butterscotch chips and chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl and melt on high in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Pour over the bars and spread evenly.
Cool for at least one hour to set before cutting into squares.

Keyword scotcheroos

Nutrition

Calories: 228kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 120mgPotassium: 91mgFiber: 1gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 473IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.