Chocolate Scotcheroos

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

6 Comments

5 from 3 votes
16 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Chilling Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
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Classic Chocolate Scotcheroos are chewy, crunchy, no-bake bars topped with a chocolatey rich layer! They’re sweet, simple, and ALWAYS a hit!

When it comes to childhood favorites, it doesn’t get more classic than Rice Krispies Treats. Kids love them, adults love them, these no-bake Dessert Bars are a hit with everyone!

Sabrina’s Chocolate Scotcheroos Recipe

If you grew up in the Midwest or have been lucky to be friends with someone who did, you know and love these must-have party snacks. Scotcheroos are a classic no-bake dessert that no Midwestern potluck, backyard barbecue, or birthday would be complete without. These chocolatey butterscotch krispie treats are chewy, sweet, and so easy to make!

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Chocolate Scotcheroos Recipe

Classic Chocolate Scotcheroos are chewy, crunchy, no-bake bars topped with a chocolatey rich layer! They're sweet, simple, and ALWAYS a hit!
Yield 16 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
butterscotch squares bars in stack 4x3
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
  • 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 12 ounces butterscotch chips

Instructions

  • Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray or wipe with a bit of butter.
  • Add corn syrup and sugar to a large pot on medium heat stirring constantly until sugar dissolves and it just starts to bubble.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in the peanut butter until smooth.
  • Stir in the Rice Krispies cereal until well-coated, then press the mixture, gently, into your baking dish.
  • Add chocolate chips and butterscotch chips to a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each one, until smooth.
  • Spread chocolate mixture over the cereal treats.
  • Put in refrigerator for 30 minutes to harden before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories: 451kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 223mg | Potassium: 226mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 730IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 5mg

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Table of Contents

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About this Recipe

Chocolate Scotcheroos are peanut butter cereal bars with a thick layer of chocolate and butterscotch frosting. They are made in minutes with just a handful of pantry staples. If you have the ingredients to make regular cereal bars, plus some baking chips and peanut butter, then you have everything you need to make these bars. If you’ve made krispie treats, you can easily make these no-bake Chocolate Scotcheroos.

Chef’s Note

The big difference, besides the chocolate butterscotch frosting, between Rice Krispies and Scotcheroos is the corn syrup instead of butter and marshmallows. If you don’t normally like to use corn syrup for baking, these bars are worth the exception! The corn syrup and sugar are melted together to make these bars extra chewy and sweet. You can use marshmallows with our substitution in the variations.

Tips & Tricks

  • To make your bars easier to cut, soften at room temperature for a few minutes before slicing.
  • Be careful not to overcook or boil the sugar and syrup mixture, or your Scotcheroos will set hard instead of being chewy. You want to melt the sugar-corn syrup mixture until it starts to bubble, then remove it from the heat.
  • You will also get hard, solid Scotcheroo Bars if you push your Rice Krispies mixture into the pan too firmly. Gently pat down into the pan and even out.
  • When melting the chocolate and butterscotch chips, do it in bursts so they don’t burn or seize. To make it even smoother, add a tablespoon of coconut oil.

How to Store

  • Serve: Chocolate Scotcheroos are best served at room temperature so they stay soft and chewy. You can keep it at room temperature for up to 1 week in a plastic bag or other sealed container.
  • Store: Keep Chocolate Scotcheroos in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften again.
  • Freeze: Wrap individual Chocolate Scotcheroo Bars in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 6 months and thaw for a couple of hours to serve.

Variations

  • Cereal: Swap in other cereals for Rice Krispies, like Cocoa Pebbles, Chex, Crispix, Golden Grahams, Honey Nut Cheerios, or Corn Flakes. You could also do a mixture of cereals.
  • Chocolate Chips: Make these with dark chocolate chips or white chocolate chips instead of the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Instead of butterscotch chips, use caramel chips or cinnamon baking chips.
  • Mix-Ins: Stir in ½ cup mix-ins like coconut shreds, chopped nuts, mini chocolate chips, or mini marshmallows with the cereal mixture. To keep ingredients like chocolate chips or marshmallows from melting, wait 5 minutes after you stir in the hot syrup-sugar mixture before adding.
  • Marshmallows: Instead of corn syrup and sugar, melt 20 ounces of marshmallows with 6 tablespoons of butter, like you would with regular Rice Krispies Treats. Then top with the chocolate-butterscotch mixture.
  • Peanut Butter: Substitute other nut butters like cashew butter or almond butter, or try a non-nut butter spread like sunflower butter or chocolate hazelnut spread.

More Chocolate Desserts

Butterscotch squares collage

These photos were used in a previous version of this post

Butterscotch squares in baking dish, coated before cooling
Butterscotch squares in baking dish uncoated
Butterscotch squares cross-section in baking dish
Butterscotch squares bars in stack

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. This is one of our childhood favorites and I’m glad I found this recipe! My kids enjoyed it so much. I think this is going to be their new favorite too.

    Reply

  3. I love this recipe- chewy goodness and rice krispies are my favorite! I would give 6 stars if I could! Delicious – thanks!

    Reply