Our recipe for scotcheroos has been perfected by three generations to create perfectly chewy bars with the ideal ratio of peanut butter, chocolate, and butterscotch. Our detailed directions and expert tips will help you make the very best pan of bars to share with your family and friends!
This scotcheroos recipe has been in my hand-written recipe card binder for ages. One of my aunties recalled my grandma making this recipe on the farm while they were growing up, especially in the summertime because she didn’t have to turn on the oven.
This recipe has become one of my go-tos for bringing to work because the guys on my jobsite LOVE them. Like, love them so much they’ve sought me out to thank me for bringing them and shamelessly asking that I make them again. I’ve had several also tell me that this is the best scotcheroos recipe they’ve ever tried.
If you love no-bake desserts, this recipe is for you! It’s perfect for potlucks, summer parties, game nights, or bringing as a tasty surprise for family, friends, and co-workers to enjoy.
What Are Scotcheroos?
Scotcheroo bars are a classic, 2 layer, no-bake dessert with the base made of crispy rice cereal held together with a sweet mixture of peanut butter, sugar, and corn syrup, that gets topped with a chocolate and butterscotch layer (the name “scotcheroos” comes from the butterscotch chips used in the topping). These bars originated in the Midwest and became popular in the 1960s when the recipe appeared on the back of Rice Krispies cereal boxes. They’re known for being incredibly easy to make (no oven required!), perfectly chewy, and having that irresistible combination of chocolate, peanut butter, and butterscotch flavors.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Scotcheroos
Level of difficulty: Scotcheroo bars are one of the most easy desserts to make! You basically do 2 rounds of melting, a bit of stirring, and then spreading each layer into your pan.
Flavor: Chocolate, peanut butter, and butterscotch are the main flavors in this no bake dessert.
Texture: This scotcheroo recipe creates chewy scotcheroo bars that have an ever-so-slight crunch factor from the rice krispies.
Time: Including prep and cooling time, plan for about 40 minutes to make your scotcheroo bars. This assumes you’re cooling them in the fridge. If you’re cooling your bars on the counter, additional time will need to be added.
Best Scotcheroos Recipe Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar: You’ll need 1 cup of granulated sugar to make your scotcheroos.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: You’ll need 1 cup of your favorite creamy peanut butter for this no bake dessert recipe. Wondering if you should use regular to natural PB? See my notes below!
- Light Corn Syrup: You’ll need 1 cup of light corn syrup for your bars. I’ve always used Karo brand, which I like because it does not contain high-fructose corn syrup. The corn syrup helps to give these bars the perfect soft and chewy texture (if you’ve had a hard scotcheroo, you’ll know this is a good quality!). It also contributes to the bar’s sweet factor.
- Rice Krispies: You’ll need 5-6 cups of rice krispies cereal. This adds that little bit of crunch and texture that these bars are known for. I always start with 5 cups, and stir in additional cereal as needed if the base layer is too liquidy.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: You’ll need 1 cup of chocolate chips for the top layer
- Butterscotch Chips: You’ll need 1 cup of butterscotch chips for your top layer. Important, as this gives you the ‘scotch’ part of scotcheroos!
See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How To Make Scotcheroo Bars
Melt sugar, peanut butter, and corn syrup: in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring continuously.
Mix in the rice krispies: start by adding in 5 cups of rice krispies, and stir to coat. If there appears to be extra liquid add additional rice krispies in, ¼ cup at a time, until evenly coated and not runny.
Press into a greased 9×13 pan: gently press your bars into a greased 9×13 pan. Do your best to create an even layer with a flat(ish) top. Set aside.
Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt your chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together, stirring frequently.
Spread melted chocolate and butterscotch over bars: spread evenly over your bars
Cool until topping has hardened: I like to put my scotcheroo bars in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to expedite the process, but you can also cool your bars on the counter. In either case, cool until the chocolate has hardened.
Slice and enjoy!
Scotcheroos Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy. If you prefer a little extra crunch and texture, try swapping out the creamy peanut butter for crunchy. This adds peanut pieces throughout the base layer for additional nutty flavor and texture.
- Try different chocolate chips. While semi-sweet chocolate chips are the traditional choice, you can experiment with milk chocolate chips for a sweeter topping or dark chocolate chips for a more sophisticated, less sweet version.
- Skip the butterscotch and make them extra chocolatey. If you’re not a huge fan of butterscotch, you can replace the butterscotch chips with extra chocolate chips for the topping for bars that have a classic chocolate and peanut butter flavor combo.
- Use brown rice cereal. For a slightly nuttier flavor and a bit more fiber, replace the Rice Krispies with a puffed brown rice cereal (we usually find this in in our store’s organic section, and it’s what we use for our homemade chewy granola bars!).
Tips For Making the Best Scotcheroos Recipe
There are a few methods to melt chocolate. Melting chocolate can be frustrating if your chocolate seizes up (and it happens to the best of us).
I have the most consistent success using a double boiler over medium heat on the stove (you can also create a DIY double boiler using a small saucepan plus a glass or metal bowl).
Alternatively, melting chocolate in the microwave is another option but you need to make sure to keep an eye on it and stir it frequently. If melting in the microwave, I recommend heating in 20-second increments, stirring in between (you’ll check the melt-status of your chocolate as you stir). Once you see almost all of the chocolate ‘lumps’ are gone, continue to stir to encourage it to melt without additional heat. Your chocolate is ready once it is totally smooth.
How to Store Rice Krispie Scotcheroos
Store your Scotcheroo Bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days (they will taste best days 1-3, then they start to harden up).
How to Freeze Scotcheroo Bars
Yes! Scotcheroos freeze and thaw well if you’d like to save them for a later date. Stored the bars in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. If stacking them in layers, place parchment or wax paper in between the bars to avoid sticking.
To thaw, simply allow the bars to sit at room temperature until they are softened.
Best Scotcheroos Recipe FAQs
You can use either! While I love toeat natural peanut butter, I’ve found that it can be challenging to bake with. I tend to default to JIF when baking because it has a more consistent, even distribution of the oils which I’ve had better success with.
– TIP: If you are using a natural peanut butter, make sure it has been stirred properly to distribute the oil that likes to separate out. I’ve been most successful with natural peanut if I’ve stirred it, refrigerated it to harden, and then stirred it again before using it.
It’s true, classic scotcheroos are a very sweet treat. If you would like to reduce the sweetness in your batch, I would recommend reducing the amount of granulated sugar in the bars to ½ or ¾ cup as a starting point (*please note: I have not done this myself and cannot say how this may affect the texture).
Scotcheroos and the Midwest go hand-in-hand. The first Scotcheroo recipe was printed on the back of the Rice Krispies box in the 1960s, and these no bake dessert bars continue to be a crowd pleaser today, especially in the Midwest.
Scotcheroos can become hard and crunchy for two reasons:
1 – Your sugar, corn syrup, and peanut butter mixture was heated too much or too quickly, resulting in lots of bubbles, boiling on the stovetop. For best results, heat your sugar, corn syrup, and peanut butter mixture over medium-low heat and remove from the stovetop immediately when you see bubbles begin to form around the edges of the mixture.
2 – You pressed your rice krispie mixture into your pan with too much force. Gently pressing the rice krispie mixture into an even layer will result in softer, chewier bars.
Rice Krispies cereal contains malt flavoring which is derived from barley, so bars made with name-brand Rice Krispies are not gluten free. However, you can easily make gluten free scotcheroos by using a certified gluten free crispy rice cereal instead. Just be sure to also check that your chocolate chips and butterscotch chips are certified gluten free if you’re serving these to someone with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance.
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How to Make Scotcheroos
Ingredients
- 1 C granulated sugar
- 1 C creamy peanut butter
- 1 C light corn syrup
- 5-6 C rice krispies
- 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 C butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Melt sugar, peanut butter, and corn syrup in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring continuously.
- Mix in the rice krispies. Start by adding in 5 cups and stir to coat. If there appears to be extra liquid add additional rice krispies in, ¼ cup at a time until evenly coated and not runny.
- Press into a greased 9×13 pan.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt your chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together, stirring frequently.*
- Spread melted chocolate and butterscotch over bars.
- Cool until topping has hardened.*
- Slice and enjoy!
Alex says
Okay well these were just about the most delicious things EVER. I recently tried scotcheroos for the first time and thought they were delightful. I decided to try making them using this recipe and they were absolute DYNAMITE. Even better then the original ones I tried! If you are wanting a foolproof fantastic scotcheroo recipe, look no further than this one!
Meredith says
you’re making me blush Alex 🥰 I’m so, so happy you loved these!
Meredith says
these are so good!!!
Brad R says
Even better than the scotcheroos from Kwik Trip! And if you’re from Wisconsin, you know that’s saying SOMETHING.
Meredith says
Oh Brad, that IS saying something!! So happy to hear you enjoyed these!!
Cindy says
My mother always made rice krispy squares this way. I have such special memories of these and your slices are perfect!
ourlovelanguageisfood says
Aw, I love hearing this Cindy!! So glad this is a nostalgic treat for you too.
Terry says
These are the best scotcheroos I have ever eaten and supper easy to make!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
ourlovelanguageisfood says
YAY! So glad you enjoyed them so much!!