Total Time: 30 minutes
Published: December 29, 2021
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As fun to say as they are to eat – these yummy Scotcheroos are packed with peanut butter, marshmallows, chocolate, and butterscotch, an easy crispy cereal treat that you won’t be able to get enough of!
For more delicious, and easy-to-make desserts, try my Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles, and these Sugar Cookie Bars.
Okay so we all know the deliciousness that is Rice Krispy treats. But did you know that it’s really easy to customize the original dessert to basically dozens of variations like these Scotcheroos? Think of the way you usually make these bars only add peanut butter and vanilla to the marshmallow mixture, then melt chocolate and butterscotch on top. The chocolate and butterscotch harden as the bars cool. Cut them up and devour! So good!
Here’s How You Make It
All you need is 30 minutes to one of the best crispy bars you’ve ever had!
- First, line a 9×13 inch pan with foil or parchment paper and then preheat the oven to 350.
- Next, get out a large pot and melt the butter in it over medium heat.
- Take 2 cups of marshmallows out of the bag and set those aside. Then, add the rest to the butter and stir them into the butter.
- Add the peanut butter to the melted butter and marshmallows and give it all a good stir until the marshmallows are melted and the peanut butter is distributed evenly throughout.
- Add the vanilla and salt, stir, then add the reserved 2 cups of marshmallows for about 1 minute. They don’t have to be completely melted.
- Add the crispy rice cereal and stir again till incorporated.
- Pour this mixture into the prepared pan and press it down lightly to make as even a layer as you can.
- Now, sprinkle the milk chocolate and butterscotch chips all over the top of the treats and transfer the pan to the preheated oven for just 5-10 minutes, or until all the chocolate and butterscotch chips are semi-melted.
- Pull the pan out and use a spoon or a spatula to spread the melted chocolate and butterscotch chips into an even layer. Allow them to cool completely and then cut them into bars and serve or store.
Why This Recipe Works
So easy– In less than 30 minutes this treat can be yours! That’s right, it’s as simple as melting ingredients in a pot, stirring, spreading in a pan, and melting chocolate and butterscotch on top. The longest part of this dessert will be the waiting to eat them!
Simple ingredients– Everything you need for these Scotcheroos you can buy pre-made at the grocery. No need for anything fancy here! Just melt, dump, spread, melt, and spread! Easy!
That flavor combo– The peanut butter, chocolate, and butterscotch all together is a match made in dessert heaven!
A new twist on an old favorite – Everyone loves Rice Krispy treats, why not wow them with this different version of the same old, same old?
Ideas for Customizing this Recipe
The best part about this Scotcheroos recipe is that you can have so much fun customizing it!
- For a little more texture, after spreading the melted chocolate and butterscotch chips, let it cool just a bit, then sprinkle on more chips (either or both) and lightly press in to set but not melt.
- Add a little sparkle by adding sprinkles to the top of the melted chocolate. I like to use chocolate sprinkles, but you can use any kind you want.
- On that note, you could really press any kind of chocolate/peanut butter (or other) candy on top of the melted chocolate and butterscotch. Wait for the melted mixture to cool a bit, then press in Reece’s Pieces, mini–Reese’s Cups, broken up bits of Heath Bar, M&Ms, or mini–Hershey’s Kisses.
- Instead of peanut butter, try almond butter or another nut butter you love.
- Need to make these Scotcheroos nut-free? Substitute sun butter or another non-peanut, allergy-safe spread (or skip it all together)!
- Use a cookie cutter to cut out fun shapes from the pan instead of cutting them into bars.
Expert Tips
- Having trouble spreading the treats into the pan? Try this trick: Spritz a rubber spatula with nonstick spray before using to spread/press gooey cereal mixture into the pan. Or spray your fingers and push down and spread around.
- To speed up the process of cooling the bars, I usually put my pan into the fridge for 10 minutes or so.
- You can freeze these bars in an airtight container or a Ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
- To keep your Scotcheroos from getting soggy, be sure not to stir the cereal, marshmallows, and peanut butter too much. You want to pull them off the heat once the marshmallows are melted. If you stir them too much, the cereal will start to break down.
More Dessert Recipes
Did you make these chewy peanut butter and chocolate cereal bars? YAY! Please rate the recipe below!
Scotcheroos
As fun to say as they are to eat – these yummy Scotcheroos are packed with peanut butter, marshmallows, chocolate, and butterscotch, an easy crispy cereal treat that you won’t be able to get enough of!
Servings: 16 servings
Instructions
Line a 9×13 inch pan with foil or parchment and preheat oven to 350 while you move on to next step.
In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter.
Reserve 2 cups of marshmallows and set aside. Stir remaining marshmallows into the pot.
Add peanut butter and stir until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is smooth.
Stir in vanilla and salt, then stir in reserved marshmallows for 1 minute until semi-melted. Stir in cereal.
Spread into prepared pan, pressing down slightly (not too much) to create an even layer in the pan. (see tip)
Sprinkle milk chocolate and butterscotch chips all over the top and transfer to preheated oven for 5-10 minutes until chocolate/butterscotch chips are semi-melted.
Use a spoon or spatula to spread chocolate/butterscotch into an even layer. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars and serving or storing in airtight container.
Notes
Cooling the bars: to speed up the process of cooling, I usually put my pan into the fridge for 10 minutes or so.
Nutrition
Calories: 307 kcal, Carbohydrates: 50 g, Protein: 5 g, Fat: 11 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 4 mg, Sodium: 238 mg, Potassium: 127 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 32 g, Vitamin A: 718 IU, Vitamin C: 7 mg, Calcium: 15 mg, Iron: 4 mg
