Scotcheroo

Our first night in Iowa was spent at a Harvest Host, Plum Creek Winery where we met a fabulous family. They invited us to their Saturday night bonfire and it was here we discovered a tasty treat called the Scotcheroo. Our host family was surprised we had never heard of this treat and they gladly shared their last two pieces with us. Iowans are some of the nicest people we have come across on our travels.

The next day we made our way to Eldridge to meet up with our Iowa friends and during our first campfire happy hour, we asked, “Have you heard of a Scotcheroo?” Of course, it’s an Iowa thing! In fact, my friend’s sister is very well known for her scotcheroos and she is expected to bring them to every family function.

The scotcheroo is a treat found at every holiday gathering, potlucks, birthdays, graduations and so on. In short, you probably don’t have to travel too far to find a house with scotcheroos inside.

A scotcheroo is like a Rice Krispie treat on steroids and I needed to find out how to make these things! They are SUPER easy to make! They require little effort and little time. My kind of treat. Once you try them, you will want to keep them in your rotation as well.

The key to a soft and chewy scotcheroo is to not overcook the syrup and sugar.

Ingredients

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 5-5 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions

• Measure out 5 cups of Rice Krispies and place them in a large bowl. Set aside. 
• Spray a 13”x9” inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan over low to medium low heat, stir the karo syrup and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. DO NOT allow the mixture to come to a boil. Once you notice the first boiling bubbles along the sides of the pan, remove from heat.
• Quickly add the peanut butter to the sugar mixture and stir to combine. 
• Pour the hot mixture over the rice krispies. Mix until combined. If it appears like the mixture needs more rice krispies, add more, a little at a time. Tip: work quickly because the mixture will set fast. 
• Transfer the rice krispies to the baking dish and spread into an even layer. I like to take a measuring cup and use it to press the mixture down, evenly, into the pan.

Topping

• In a medium bowl add the butterscotch chips and chocolate chips. Carefully place the bowl over a pan of hot water (making a double boiler) and stir until the chips are melted and smooth.
• Pour the melted chocolate and butterscotch mixture over the scotcharoos. Spread the chocolate until it covers the entire surface of the scotcharoos. 
• Let set, and then cut into squares. Store in an airtight container for 5-7 days. (If they last that long!)