Weekend Recipe: Chocolate Scotcheroos = The Best Rice Cereal Treats You've Ever Had

The weekend is finally here!  What a week!

Yesterday was a friend of Mr. Bear and mine's birthday.  We are celebrating by going to a baseball game tonight!

Although I won't be able to bring any treats into the stadium, I wanted to share a recipe I've made for our friend in the past.  He was recently diagnosed with celiac disease so I always try to make something gluten-free, but ever so delicious.  Dessert is usually the most difficult since SO many desserts have flour in them, but do I have a dessert for you!

I introduce you to the Chocolate Scotcheroo!

(Image courtesy of ricekrispies.com since I didn't get a chance to take picture of them the last time I made these delicious morsels)

The Chocolate Scotcheroo is like a Rice Krispie Treat taken to the next level.

When I was a kid, my mom ONLY made her rice cereal treats this way.  I was later disappointed to find out that not everyone makes such delicious rice cereal desserts.

The recipe contains corn syrup instead of marshmallows (which is good for gf followers since some marshmallow brands can be subject to gluten cross-contamination).  It also contains the 2 secret ingredients that make them ever so delicious, peanut butter and butterscotch.  Even if you don't like butterscotch, you will love these!  The peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch blend together so nicely into an ooey gooey goodness, you'll blink and they'll be gone.

Chocolate Scotcheroos

  Ingredients

Original recipe makes 24 bars

• 1 cup Light Corn Syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (can use crunchy, but I prefer creamy)

• 6 cups crispy rice cereal (If making gluten-free, be sure to get the gluten-free Rice Krispies.  Traditional Rice Krispies contain malt which has gluten)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions

1. Cook corn syrup and sugar together in a large pan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture just to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter; mix well. Add cereal; stir until evenly coated.
2. Pour into greased 13x9-inch pan and pat into place.
3. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread over cereal.
4. Cool at least 45 minutes, or until firm. Cut into bars.

• PREP 20 mins
• COOK 10 mins
• READY IN 1 hr 15 mins 

 

Tips:

• Make sure to just bring the sugar and corn syrup to a slight boil.  Do NOT boil for a long time.  If you boil for any length of time your bars will be very hard to eat once they cool. 
• In the summer it can get hot, and the chocolate can melt if left out.  You can put these in the fridge for a short period of time to re-harden the chocolate on top, however, be aware that the corn syrup hardens too, so make sure you let it warm up a bit after pulling out of the fridge so you will be able to chew. :) 
• Spray cooking spray into measuring cup for adding corn syrup, that way the corn syrup slides right out of the measuring cup

**Update**

• If making gluten free, make sure to use gf butterscotch chips.  Nestle's is NOT gf but Hershey's is.  I almost contaminated a whole batch because I bought Nestle's instead of Hershey's.  

-Danielle