Soft & Chewy Scotcheroos – A Delicious Midwestern Dessert

If you are looking for a soft yet chewy, amazingly rich, and decadent dessert that is easy to make, then this Scotcheroos recipe is for you! Move over traditional rice krispie treats, because this flavor-packed version will soon be your go-to dessert!

Just picture a thick layer of creamy milk chocolate mixed with butterscotch chips all topping peanut butter flavored rice krispie treats. It’s a combination of rich flavors that makes these delicious dessert bars such a popular treat in the Midwest!

They are the perfect dessert to take along to cookouts, work potlucks, birthday parties, or anytime there is a small gathering of people. Often, they are the first item gone from the dessert line. There’s definitely no worrying about bringing home leftovers if you take scotcheroos with!

One of the best parts about scotcheroos is that they come together quickly. And while some scotcheroo bars end up tough and hard to eat, I’ll give you four tips on making sure your bars turn out soft and chewy every time!

We like to top our scotcheroos off with a fun topping like crushed Cookie M&Ms, but the possibilities are almost endless! Once you give this recipe a try, I’m sure it will become one you reach for again and again!

How To Make The Best Soft & Chewy Scotcheroos

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

Ingredients

• Granulated Sugar
• Creamy Peanut Butter – You can use any type of peanut butter for this, including homemade. Just make sure to choose a creamy variety. You don’t want to end up with peanut chunks in your scotcheroos!
• Light Corn Syrup – Yes, there is definitely some controversy around corn syrup, but this ingredient is really a must-have in this recipe. The corn syrup adds the texture and sweetness that make scotcheroos into the dessert they are.
• Vanilla – Avoid using imitation if at all possible. The flavor of pure vanilla just can’t be matched by imitation.
• Rice Cereal – One box should be enough to make a pan of scotcheroos.
• Butterscotch Chips
• Milk Chocolate Chips – You can try using semi sweet or dark chocolate chips instead. However, I find that the flavor of the milk chocolate chips is better in this recipe. Go sweet or go home!
• Optional Toppings – This is something you can skip if you want, but we like to add a bit of a crutch factor to the top of the bars once the chocolate has been poured. Our favorite used to be Crispy M&Ms, but since those got discontinued, we grab the Cookie M&Ms instead. They give the bars a nice crunch texture to the top. You can also try other kinds of crushed goodies or even sea salt to play around with the flavors and textures a bit.

Instructions For Soft & Chewy Scotcheroos

The first step in making scotcheroos is to prepare your baking pan. Since scotcheroos are made from very sticky ingredients, we like to line a 9×13 glass baking dish with aluminum foil. (This is the pan I use all the time – Product Link: Pyrex Basics 3QT Glass Baking Dish With Plastic Lid)

In addition, we give the foil a light spray with non-stick cooking spray or use butter to coat the edges and bottom. The foil is optional but it will help you easily pop the bars out of the pan without having to dig or scrape. Once the pan is ready, set it aside.

In a very large, heat-resistant bowl, measure out your Rice Krispies cereal. Set the bowl aside for the time being. If you have a large saucepan or stockpot that can hold at least 6 cups of cereal plus allow you to easily stir, you can skip the separate bowl and add the cereal directly into the melted peanut butter mixture instead (see below).

Make The Peanut Butter Mixture

Next, combine your granulated sugar, peanut butter, and light corn syrup in a large saucepan. Use a whisk to thoroughly combine the ingredients.

Heat the pan over medium heat, making sure to stir constantly. Scrape the sides and bottom often. Allowing the mixture to sit too long without stirring might end up with burnt pieces. That’s not really a good flavor profile to add to this recipe!

The peanut butter ingredients should get a lot easier to stir and start to look nice and smooth after a few minutes. As soon as you start to see bubbles around the edge of your pan, remove it from the heat. Do not let it come to a complete boil or this will make your scotcheroos tougher and harder to chew once cooled.

Combining The Coating And Cereal – Soft & Chewy Scotcheroos

Once the mixture is off the heat, add your vanilla and stir until combined. Carefully, pour the peanut butter mixture over your rice cereal. (Or add your cereal to the large stockpot if you have one big enough.)

Using a spoon or spatula, gently fold the cereal and melted ingredients together until the Rice Krispies are well coated. You have to work carefully not to crush the cereal. At the same time, you need to work quickly since the peanut butter mixture will start to harden as it cools.

Once the cereal is coated, lightly press it into the prepared pan. If you use your hands, butter them slightly and be careful because the coated cereal is hot. You don’t want to press too hard or this is another time where you can end up with tough, hard-to-chew bars.

Smooth out the top as best as you can to make an even surface. Allow the cereal to cool for about 10 minutes.

Melt The Chips

Meanwhile, it’s time to melt the butterscotch and milk chocolate chips. I like to use a simple double broiler method but you can also do this in your microwave. The key is to make sure that no moisture gets into the chips while you are melting them, otherwise everything will start to seize up.

Slowly melt the two chips together, stirring often until it is smooth and creamy. Once fully combined and melted, pour the mixture over the cereal. Use a spatula to smooth out the top and evenly distribute the chocolate mixture. If you are struggling to get the topping super smooth, try adding 1 teaspoon of coconut oil.

Additional Toppings & Setting – Soft & Chewy Scotcheroos

If you want to add any additional toppings, do so now while the chocolate is still soft. Gently press any toppings into the chocolate to help it stick.

Allow the scotcheroo bars to set before serving. If needed, you can place the scotcheroos in the fridge for about 30 minutes to speed up the process. However, allow them to come to room temperature before serving. Otherwise, you might end up breaking a tooth!

To make cutting the bars easier, wipe or wash the knife blade off in between each cut. The buildup of ingredients can cause the knife to stick and the bars to not cut as smoothly.

Tips To Keep Your Scotcheroo Bars Soft & Chewy

• Don’t overmeasure the rice cereal. This can throw off the ratio of the peanut butter mixture and end up with denser bars.
• Don’t allow the peanut butter mixture to boil. Doing so can cause it to get closer to the soft or even hard ball stage, making it tougher once it cools. You only need to cook it until the granulated sugar melts completely and you see small bubbles around the edge of the saucepan.
• Don’t press the coated cereal into the pan too hard. Gently press it down. A few lumps and bumps are totally fine and will be hidden by the melted chocolate topping.
• Don’t put your scotcheroo bars into the refrigerator for too long. This can cause the cereal part to harden and become almost impossible to eat.

I really hope you give this popular Midwest dessert a try!

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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