Healthier Scotcharoos (Without Corn Syrup) [No Bake]

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If you’re from the Midwest I am sure the title of this post got you super excited!

And if you’re not from the Midwest, then you might be wondering what the heck are scotcharoos?!?!

Let me introduce you to a true Midwest treat! Trust me, once you take a bite, you will be hooked.

What are scotcharoos?

Scotcharoos are essentially a peanut butter rice crispy treat that’s topped with a melted layer of chocolate and butterscotch chips.

The result is a delicious crunchy, chewy, treat with a smooth chocolate topping that has a touch of butterscotch sweetness.

Trust me, they’re kind of addicting.

Where does the name “scotcharoos” come from?

While I am not exactly sure who invented the fun name, scotcharoos, it’s pretty obvious that the name comes from the star ingredient that helps to make this dessert so special, butterscotch chips.

Growing up in Wisconsin I was very familiar with scotcharoos. They were at many summer cookouts, birthday parties, picnics, school events – you name it, scotcharoos were often present.

As a kid I always enjoyed the chance to get my hands on the overly sugared treat. As I grew older I found scotcharoos, like so many childhood treats I once liked, to be cloyingly sweet. I would have one bar out of pure excitement for a nostalgic moment…..and then I was done with them for like a year.

Now that I live in Iowa scotcharoos are an even bigger deal. They are always available to buy at any grocery store that has a bakery. Scotcharoos are a very prideful dessert here in Iowa.

When I set out to create my less sweet, somewhat healthier version of scotcharoos, I knew that I must stay true to the basics of what makes a scotcharoo a scotcharoo: 1) a peanut butter rice crispy bottom. 2) chocolate and butterscotch mixed together for the top layer.

Yes, of course you can use all chocolate, or use a different nut butter, but scotcharoo purists will insist that it truly can’t be called a scotcharoo.

Ingredients for my healthier scotcharoos

all natural peanut butter – no added oils or sugars needed. Only ingredients should be peanuts, and maybe salt.
honey – this sweetens up the rice crispy portion, without over doing it.
kosher salt – to help balance out that sweetness.
coconut oil – to help hold the rice crispy layer together.
pure vanilla extract – adds a layer of delicious flavor
crispy rice cereal – for that crunchy texture we all know and love.
dark chocolate chips – for the top layer. I like using at least 50% cocoa for my chocolate to help balance out the super sweet butterscotch chips.
butterscotch chips – for that one-of-a-kind taste and sweetness.
optional, flakey finishing sea salt – for the top. I like adding this as another way to balance out all the sweetness.

That’s it. Easy. Simple.

And it uses pantry ingredients you can keep on hand for whenever you unexpectedly need to whip up a dessert to bring to a party.

That’s the Midwestern way.

How to make scotcharoos without corn syrup

The original scotcharoos recipe uses a combo of corn syrup and granulated sugar for the rice crispy layer. This works well because it helps to hold things together, while creating a nice chewy layer.

But, it’s also what makes the dessert so sickly sweet. It’s what makes your fillings hurt. So, I set out to find a way to omit the corn syrup all together. Which, is not the easiest task, it does it’s job well.

After testing recipes several times with combos of coconut sugar and maple syrup (all too crumbly, or too dry), I settled on sweetening the rice crispy layer with honey. That’s it, Pure, simple, delicious, natural honey.

And, I used a little coconut oil to help bind the rice crispy layer, once chilled.

Trust me, you won’t miss that corn syrup one single bit. Paul said these were the best scotcharoos he’s ever had because they had all the classic flavors without the crazy amount of sweetness.

Why are these scotcharoos healthier?

For one, they don’t contain nearly as much sugar as the tritonal recipe does. Plus, they are naturally sweetened with honey, which is a healthier sugar to consume (aside from the sugar that’s in the top layer).

Another reason is the topping also contains less sugar, since we are using a less sweet chocolate chip then traditionally used.

You could also use brown crispy rice cereal, which may add a little more fiber. However, I have had a hard time finding brown rice crispy cereal at my local store so I just use the regular kind.

Bottom line: these scotcharoos are still a relatively high calorie, high sugar, dessert that is meant to be enjoyed in moderation. Still, if you’re looking to omit the corn syrup and have less sugar in a classic dessert, this recipe is for you.

Are scotcharoos gluten free?

They easily can be.

A lot of rice crispy cereal contains malt, which is not gluten free. To ensure that these bars are gluten free simply purchase a brand that states it’s gluten free and doesn’t contain any malt.

Reasons why you will love these scotcharoos. They’re:

delicious – even if you’re not from the Midwest. You will love these!
only require 8 to 9 pantry ingredients – keep them on hand so you can whip these up any time you want.
no bake – perfect for hot summer days.
easy to make
no corn syrup – sweetened with honey instead.
Perfect for bringing to parties
fall-in-love-addictingly good.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. There’s nothing quite like a good scotcharoo.

If you’ve never had one before I highly recommend that you make them IMMEDIATLY!!!

More easy no bake desserts!

peanut butter and chocolate puffed rice treats – another rice crispies treat!
no bake brownies with chocolate frosting – for when you want brownies, but don’t want to bake!
crunchy no bake chocolate cookies – Similar to a rice crispie treat, only in chocolate cookie form!
Mexican chocolate cake balls – These cake balls. SO. Good!

P.S. I will be takin the next 3 weeks off of posting recipes for some fun, sun-filled family vacations this summer. I already have some great recipes waiting and ready to go for when I return. Hope you are having a great summer as well.

Side note: I may, or may not, share some scenes of our family vacations on my Instagram stories. If you’re curious, follow me there. 😉

Healthier Scotcharoos (Without Corn Syrup)

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Author: Emily
Prep Time: 10
Freeze Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 16 bars 1x
Category: dessert, no bake, chocolate, easy
Method: mix, freeze
Cuisine: gluten free, vegetarian, dairy free, egg free
Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Scotcharoos are a Midwest classic. A peanut butter rice crispy treat topped with a mixture of chocolate and scotcharoos. This healthier recipe uses honey instead of corn syrup as the sweetener. So GOOD!

Ingredients

UnitsScale

Peanut butter rice crisipies

3/4 cup all natural peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
pinch kosher salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal (see notes)

Topping

1 cup dark chocolate chips (see notes)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons butterscotch chips (see notes)
optional: flaky sea salt, for finishing

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Prepare: Line a 9×9 square baking pan with parchment paper on the bottom, allowing some parchment paper to overhang on 2 sides, creating “handles”. Lightly grease the entire pan, and the parchment paper. Set aside.
Make the peanut butter rice crispies: Have everything measured out an ready to go, this part of the recipe goes really fast, so being prepared is helpful. Add the peanut butter, honey, salt, and coconut oil to a medium sized sauce pot. Turn the heat on medium low. Stirring constantly, allow the coconut oil to melt – once everything is well combined and liquidly, remove the pan from the heat. Do not allow the mixture to simmer. Stir in the vanilla. Then slowly stir in the rice cereal, just until the cereal is completely coated in the peanut butter mixture.
Press into the pan: Transfer the peanut butter and cereal mixture to the prepared baking pan. Press into the pan using a spatula. You want to mixture to be even, and flat, and tightly pressed in there so that everything sticks together, but don’t press so hard that you break the cereal.
Freeze: Freeze the peanut butter and cereal mixture for 15 minutes.
Melt the chocolate and butterscotch: Meanwhile add the chocolate and butterscotch chips to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on in increments of 30 seconds, stirring between each heating session. Once the chocolate chips are ALMOST melted, stop heating them, and stir to melt the remaining chips from the residual heat. You want the mixture to be pourable, but not super runny either. Allow it to cool a little longer if it’s super hot and runny.
Add the topping: Once the peanut butter/cereal layer has been chilled, and the chocolate/butterscotch layer has cooled a little, but is still runny – pour the melted chocolate over top of the rice kipsies and use an offset spatula, or the back of a spoon, to spread the chocolate out to the edges of the pan.
Freeze: Freeze again for 5 minutes, sprinkle the chocolate with flaky finishing sea salt (if using) and freeze another 10 minutes (15 minutes total), or until the chocolate is set.
Cut: Allow the bars to come up to room temp for 15 to 20 minutes so the chocolate is easier to cut through. Use the parchment paper “handles” to lift the bars out of the pan. Place them on a cutting board and use a large chef’s knife to cut them into squares. Serve immediately.
Store/enjoy: Store the scotcharoos in an air tight container in the fridge. To serve, allow them to sit at room temp for 10 to 15 minutes so the chocolate softens a little. Generally you want to keep them refrigerated, otherwise the bottom layer falls apart easier.

Notes

rice cereal:You can also use brown rice cereal.

gluten free: to make gluten free scotcharoos make sure that you use gluten free cereal. Some of the cereal brands has malt in the ingredients, malt isn’t gluten free. But, there are gluten free rice cereal brands out there.

Chocolate chips: I like to use chocolate chips that at least have 53% cocoa powder in them to help balance out the over-sweetness of the butterscotch chips.

Butterscotch chips: butterscotch chips are what scotcharoos are named after. Purists here in the Midwest will firmly stand by that scotcharoos aren’t scotcharoos unless they contain butterscotch chips lol. However, if you’re not a fan, or you simply want to omit the butterscotch chips, simply replace them with more chocolate chips, it will still be really good. Also, I couldn’t find a butterscotch chip brand that isn’t artificially flavored, since this is an occasional, nostalgic treat for me, I am fine with this. At least we are still reducing the sugar content by a lot in the bottom layer of the bars.

Honey: I don’t recommend swapping the honey with maple syrup. I tested the recipe using maple syrup several times and it didn’t hold together nearly as well as the honey did. You could maybe try using agave nectar, but I bet the honey will hold the shape the best.

Peanut butter: You could technically swap the peanut butter with any other kind of nut butter, or seed butter you like , if needed. But, the peanut butter is also very classic to this dessert, and so good, so I highly recommend the peanut butter (unless you’re allergic).

Keywords: desert, chocolate, rice krispies, gluten free, no bake dessert, no bake, butterscotch, scotcharoos, peanut butter, summer dessert

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