Classic Scotcheroos
Chewy peanut butter crispy rice bars topped with a glossy layer of chocolate and butterscotch. They're sweet, salty and nostalgic, and they come together with one saucepan and no oven.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 7 min
- Wait
- 55 min
- Total
- 1 hr 22 min
- Makes
- 24 bars (one 9×13-inch pan)
Steps
Before you start
- Measure all the ingredients before you turn on the heat. The syrup step moves fast, and the bars are easiest to press into the pan while the mixture is warm.
- Use regular creamy peanut butter, such as Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter separates and makes greasy, crumbly bars.
- Clear space in the fridge for a 9×13-inch pan.
- Total time is about 82 minutes, and most of it is hands-off cooling and setting.
Prepare the pan
- Line a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) pan with parchment, leaving 2 inches (5 cm) hanging over the two long sides to use as handles.
- Rub a little of the butter over the parchment and the pan sides.
- Keep the rest of the butter nearby for your spatula.
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Ready when: Parchment is smooth and lightly buttered.
Tip: A few dabs of butter under the parchment corners help it stay put.
Measure the cereal
- Pour the crispy rice cereal into a large mixing bowl of at least 4 quarts (4 L).
- The bowl needs to be big enough to fold everything together without crushing the cereal.
Heat sugar and syrup
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup.
- Set it over medium heat and stir constantly with a heatproof spatula.
- After about 4 minutes the sugar will dissolve and small bubbles will appear around the edge.
- Take the pan off the heat right away.
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Ready when: The mixture looks clear and smooth, with no sugar grains when you scrape the pan bottom, and tiny bubbles ring the edge.
Tip: Don't let it come to a hard, rolling boil. Overcooked syrup makes hard, tooth-sticking bars.
Stir in peanut butter
- Off the heat, add the peanut butter, vanilla and salt.
- Stir for about 1 minute until the mixture is completely smooth and glossy, with no streaks of peanut butter.
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Ready when: Uniform, glossy, pourable peanut butter syrup.
Fold into cereal
- Immediately scrape the warm peanut butter mixture over the cereal.
- Fold gently with a greased spatula, turning the bowl as you go, for about 1 minute.
- Stop when every piece of cereal is coated and no dry cereal remains at the bottom.
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Ready when: No dry cereal is visible and the mass holds together.
Tip: Fold, don't stir hard. Crushed cereal makes dense bars.
Press into pan
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.
- Butter your fingers or a piece of parchment, then press the mixture into an even, firm layer that reaches all four corners.
- Press firmly, but don't pack it so hard that it compresses.
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Ready when: The surface is flat and level, about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick.
Tip: Work while the mixture is warm. It gets stiff and hard to spread as it cools.
Cool the base
- Let the pressed base sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- This keeps the chips from melting into the base and turning the topping greasy.
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Ready when: The base feels just barely warm, not hot, to the touch.
Melt the chips
- Put the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave at 50% power in 30-second bursts, stirring well after each one.
- It takes about 2 minutes total.
- Stop when only a few small lumps remain and stir until they melt from the residual heat.
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Ready when: The topping is completely smooth, glossy and pourable, with no lumps.
Tip: Butterscotch chips scorch easily. Keep the power at 50% and stir often.
Spread the topping
- Pour the melted topping over the base.
- Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread it to the edges in an even layer.
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Ready when: The base is fully covered with a smooth layer, about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick.
Chill until set
- Refrigerate the pan, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Alternatively, leave it at room temperature for about 1 hour.
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Ready when: The topping is matte and firm, and a fingertip doesn't leave a mark.
Tip: Don't chill much longer than 45 minutes. A cold topping can crack when cut.
Cut into bars
- Lift the slab out using the parchment handles and set it on a cutting board.
- Run a sharp chef's knife under hot water and wipe it dry.
- Cut the slab into 4 rows by 6 rows to make 24 bars.
- Rewarm and wipe the knife as needed.
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Ready when: Bars have clean edges with no cracked topping.
Tip: If the topping cracks, let the slab sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before cutting.
Good to know
Tips
- Pull the syrup off the heat as soon as it bubbles at the edges. Boiling it longer makes the bars hard.
- Greased hands or a buttered piece of parchment keep the sticky base from clinging while you press it.
- For neat squares, wipe the knife clean and dry between cuts.
- A pinch of flaky salt on the wet topping makes the sweetness taste more balanced.
Make ahead
"Make the bars up to 2 days ahead and store them uncut or cut in an airtight container. For the cleanest slices, cut them the day you serve them."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: airtight container, up to 4 days, layered between parchment. Fridge: up to 1 week. Let the bars sit out for 10 minutes before serving so they soften. Freezer: wrap tightly and freeze up to 2 months, then thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes. No reheating is needed."
Substitutions
- light corn syrup → golden syrup or brown rice syrup. Use the same amount. The flavor is slightly deeper and the bars may be a bit softer.
- crispy rice cereal → puffed rice cereal or cocoa-flavored crispy rice cereal. Use the same volume. Cocoa cereal gives a chocolatey base.
- butterscotch chips → extra semisweet chocolate chips or peanut butter chips. Use 1 cup (170 g). Chocolate-only topping is a little less sweet.
- creamy peanut butter → creamy sunflower seed butter. Use the same amount for a peanut-free version. Check that the chips are peanut-free too.
