This scotcheroos recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients and no corn syrup. They’re a delicious no-bake treat sure to become a family favorite.
Scotcheroos are such a nostalgic treat for me (just like these no-bake cookies). The combination of peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch is just completely irresistible!
However I never loved that they were made with corn syrup. So, I created this scotcheroos recipe without corn syrup and they're truly the best I've ever had!
Scotcheroos Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Crispy rice cereal. Special K is a good substitute.
- Creamy peanut butter. Cashew butter or sunflower seed butter are good substitutes if you're allergic to peanut butter.
- Granulated sugar. use organic cane sugar and coconut sugar, if desired.
- Honey. you can use light corn syrup in place of honey.
- Milk chocolate chips. for a darker topping use semisweet chocolate chips.
- Butterscotch chips. the essence of this recipe, I don't recommend omitting or substituting. It's nearly impossible to find them without food dyes or artificial flavors, but I did find these Lilly's Butterscotch Chips and really like them.
- Salted butter. unsalted butter or ghee are good substitutes.
How to make Scotcheroos
Let's walk through this scotcheroos recipe step-by-step, and don't forget to watch the video.
Make the bottom layer
Begin by greasing an 8x8" baking pan. Then, measure out 3 cups of crispy rice cereal and set it aside.
It's important to prepare these things in advance because this is a fast-paced recipe.
Then, melt the peanut butter sugar, honey and salt and heat over medium heat in a 4-5 quart saucepan until it just begins to boil (bubbles form near the sides of the pan) and the sugar is dissolved, whisking often.
Next, remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla extract. Then, add the rice crispy cereal and stir to combine.
Quickly spread the mixture into the prepared 8x8” pan in an evenly layer.
Make the topping
Melt the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and salted butter together until smooth. This can be done in a microwave safe-bowl or on the stovetop.
The mixture is very thick, just keep stirring until it's uniform.
Assemble the scotcheroos
Then, quickly spread the topping evenly over the rice crispy mixture in the baking pan.
Let the scotcheroos sit at room temperature until hardened, or chill in the refrigerator to speed up the process.
Serve
Cut the sctocheroos into bars and serve. I suggest cutting them into 16 pieces, as the bars are very rich and a little goes a long way!
Store/freeze
Store leftover sctocheroos in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. They're best when eaten at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Why are they called Scotcheroos?
Because of the butterscotch chips in the topping.
If you boil/cook the sugar mixture too long the bars will turn out dry. Follow the recipe instructions exactly to avoid this problem.
Yes, double the ingredients and assemble the scotcheroos in a 9x13" baking dish.
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Scotcheroos Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups crispy rice cereal or special K
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 2 TBS salted butter
Instructions
- Grease an 8x8” pan, set aside
- Measure out 3 cups of rice crispy cereal, set aside.
- In a 4-5 quart saucepan, melt the peanut butter sugar, honey and salt and heat over medium heat until it just begins to boil (bubbles form near the sides of the pan) and the sugar is dissolved, whisking often.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Add the rice crispy cereal and stir to combine.
- Evenly spread the mixture into the prepared 8x8” pan.
- Melt the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and salted butter together until smooth. This can be done in a microwave safe-bowl or on the stovetop. The mixture is very thick, just keep stirring.
- Spread it evenly over the rice crispy mixture in the baking pan.
- Let sit until hardened at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator to speed up the process.
- Cut into bars and serve.
Video
Notes
- Crispy rice cereal. Special K is a good substitute.
- Creamy peanut butter. Cashew butter or sunflower seed butter are good substitutes if you're allergic to peanut butter.
- Granulated sugar. use organic cane sugar and coconut sugar, if desired.
- Honey. you can use light corn syrup in place of honey.
- Milk chocolate chips. for a darker topping use semisweet chocolate chips.
- Butterscotch chips. the essence of this recipe, I don't recommend omitting or substituting. It's nearly impossible to find them without food dyes or artificial flavors, but I did find these Lilly's Butterscotch Chips and really like them.
- Salted butter. unsalted butter or ghee are good substitutes.
Nutrition
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Photos in this post were taken by Ashleigh Scott Creative.
Stephanie
I love this smaller recipe and the substitution ideas. One suggestion: cut the bars while they’re still a little warm!