These easy scotcharoos are no bake bars made with rice Krispies cereal, and peanut butter mixture, and topped with melted chocolate and butterscotch chips.
Over medium-low heat, cook the peanut butter, honey, granulated sugar, kosher salt, and vanilla extract, until the sugar is mostly dissolved, for about 3 minutes mixing constantly.
Don't get the mixture to a boil. This prevents the scotcharoos from turning hard.
Immediately remove from the heat and pour the mixture onto the rice cereal Krispie which is in a large mixing bowl. Use a spatula to mix well until the rice Krispies are completely coated in the peanut butter mixture.
Transfer the mixture to a parchment paper-lined 8 by 8 baking pan and gently press it down using your damp hands or a spoon.
Melt the butterscotch chips and milk chocolate and top the bars with the chocolate mixture. Smooth it out with a spatula.
Let the mixture chill in the fridge for at least one hour. This step helps it set and makes it easy to cut into bars.
Remove the treats from the pan and cut with a sharp knife for as many bars as you'd like! I like sprinkling them with flakey salt for extra contrast of flavor but it's optional!
Notes
Avoid packing the mixture into the pan too tightly. We like an airy and crispy texture instead of a dense texture.
To prevent the bars from being stiff, make sure that you don't get the peanut butter mixture to a boil. Mix it over low heat until most of the sugar melts.
To get the chocolate topping sleek and shiny, I like adding 1 teaspoon of coconut oil or your favorite oil to the melted chocolate mixture.
Be patient and let the treats rest in the fridge and set so they will be easy to cut. If you will try to slice them when they are warm, they will fall apart and leave you with a sticky mess.
Line your pan with parchment paper so it will be easier to release the bars from the pan! This step is crucial and will prevent a mess.
Dampen your fingers before you start to press the mixture into the pan. Also, make sure that you clean your hands thoroughly, to make this process smooth and easy!
Melt the mixture until it's just melted and immediately remove it from the heat. This will prevent your treats from getting hard.