Sunday Scotcharoos

I had intended to restock my baking supplies this weekend so I'd be prepared for any cravings that hit during the week. But after an hour of walking around Target, I left with one bag of chocolate chips, an abundance of Easter candy, and Cosmo.

So, on Sunday I had to work with the remnants of the cupboard, the ingredients that always get looked over.

Butterscotch chips. Peanut butter. Honey. Cereal. What?

I'm not just picking these ingredients out. We have a shelf full of eight different cereals, three jars of peanut butter, and at least three jars of honey, thanks O'Connells.

These were the perfect ingredients for...

wait for it...

Scotcharoos! Who doesn't love scotcharoos? I mean, really. Take your basic rice krispie treat and add ten times of awesomeness to it, and you've got the best dessert at the lunch table. Not to mention, I'm checking one of the 480 pins off the list.
My first introduction to these heavenly bars was at a club volleyball tournament in my early high school days. My coach made them for us, and my life of sweets was changed forever. Much of the reason I loved volleyball so much through high school and college has to go back to that moment when I first bit into a scotcharoo.

As in awe as I am of these treats, I have never made them myself. It's the stove work that scares me away every time. After last week's brownie experience, my stove confidence was up and ready to tackle the scotcharoo.

Then I let the sugar and honey overflow and burnt Mom's new glass-top stove, again.

But, she forgot about it after a couple of scotcharoos.

By the way, I used Special K cereal for these. No, not to make "healthy" Scotcharoos. There is no such thing. My old roommate, Ashley, used to make these for us and she swore by using Special K instead of Rice Krispie's, and for good reason.  The Special K flakes are bigger and crunchier than Rice Krispie's cereal and more flavorful. There's a small hint of cinnamon in there, too, for a scotcharoo curve ball.

You can use whichever cereal you prefer on these. Experiment! There's got to be a lot of interesting combinations for this recipe.

The love, of course, is in the melted chocolate and butterscotch across the top.

 

 

Peanut Butterscotch Chocolaty Crispy Bars

(they're effing Scotcharoos!)

 

Makes 30-36 bars

 

Ingredients:

6 c. puffed rice cereal

1 c. honey

1 c. sugar

1 c. peanut butter

12 oz. chocolate chips

12 oz. butterscotch chips

 

Directions:

Combine cereal and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl (don't mix yet). Set aside. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

 

Combine the sugar and honey in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally just until boiling. Immediately remove from the heat and pour the hot mixture over the peanut butter and cereal. Mix well with a spoon or spatula until the peanut butter is completely melted and all ingredients are evenly combined.

 

Press the mixture in an even layer in the baking pan. Combine the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a heatproof bowl set over a bowl of simmering water (or heat it up in the microwave like normal people do). Heat, stirring occasionally until completely melted through. Pour over the cereal layer and smooth with a spatula. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until the top layer is set before slicing into bars, or eating the pan whole.

 

Enjoy!

 

recipe from Annie's Eats