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Let’s start our day (and week) with some dessert! Scotcheroos are basically sugary-sweet Rice Krispies treats (sans marshmallows) that got hit with a jar of peanut butter and a layer of chocolate and butterscotch. Less ooey-gooey, more soft and chewy, these are addictive!
I can and will eat a huge piece of these, enough to make me feel sick, and still go back for more. Much like my approach to puppy chow. Most of the recipes I see for cereal bars never call for making enough of the filling (or glue? I don’t know which word describes it better) to make the bars soft enough for my taste. I hate biting into a bar like this and ending up with a big dry mouthful of cereal. I always increase the glue part, testing the recipes until I find just the right balance.
Remember a while back when I told you that Scotcheroos are one of my Achilles heel in the kitchen? Every time I tried to make them, the filling would set up into a caramel hard enough to pull a jaw muscle and crack your teeth. The key is to bring the mixture just to a boil to dissolve the sugar and immediately remove from the heat. Overcooking this will make you very, very sad. Mondays are hard enough already.
Scotcheroos
- Yield: about 10 to 12 bars 1x
Description
Sugary-sweet Rice Krispies treats (sans marshmallows) that got hit with a jar of peanut butter and a layer of chocolate and butterscotch. Less ooey-gooey, more soft and chewy, these are addictive!
Ingredients
- 1–1/2 cups light corn syrup
- 1–1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1–1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups (about 7 ounces) crispy rice cereal
- 8 ounces (about 1–1/3 cups) semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 8 ounces (about 1–1/3 cups) butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
- Combine the corn syrup and sugar in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, whisking to combine. As the mixture heats, you should see the sugar dissolve. Bring the mixture to a boil; as soon as you see the mixture boil, remove from the heat. Stir in the peanut butter, salt, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the cereal, folding to ensure the cereal is evenly coated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and pat into an even layer. Set aside.
- Place the chocolate and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds; remove and stir the mixture. Continue to microwave at 15-second intervals, stirring in between each, until the mixture is almost completely melted. Remove from the microwave and continue stirring until the mixture is completely smooth. Spread evenly over the bars. Let sit for an hour, or until firm. Cut into bars, however big your heart desires.
Notes
Be sure to watch your sugar-syrup mixture carefully; as soon as it comes to the boil, check that the sugar is dissolved and immediately remove from the heat.
- Category: Bars & Brownies