Ginormous and Over the Top: Scotcharoos

I almost didn't try Sarah Kieffer's "Scotcharoo" recipe in 100 Cookies. I feel like I've been making more than my usual share of Rice Krispies-based treats lately -- including Shauna Sever's Next-Level Rice Crispy Treats, Shauna's Scotch-a-Roos, and Edd Kimber's Sweet and Salty Rice Crispy Treats. But there are times when I really appreciate a no-bake recipe, so I went ahead to give the recipe a try.

Unlike a traditional Rice Krispies treat, this recipe doesn't use any marshmallows. Instead, you bring corn syrup, brown sugar, and salt to a boil; remove the mixture from the heat and stir in creamy peanut butter, butterscotch chips (I used Callebaut Gold callets) and vanilla; and mix in Rice Krispies. The recipe is written to be made in an 8-inch square pan, but I doubled it and pressed the mixture into a parchment-lined 9-inch by 13-inch pan. After the mixture had set and cooled, I poured over a mixture of melted chocolate (I used Callebaut 2815 57.9% dark chocolate) and shortening.

I had what seemed like a ton of cereal mixture, so I ended up packing it in the pan fairly tightly (in contrast to what I've done with Shauna Sever's Scotcharoos, as Shauna specifically warns you not to compact the cereal too much to retain a chewy texture). I wasn't too worried about my compacted bars because the bars in the cookbook photo don't have any gaps in the cereal layer, and the recipe instructs you to press the cereal into the pan until the top is smooth. Still, my finished bars came up nearly to the top of my 2-inch tall pan. These treats were massive.

 

And despite their enormous size, I could eat of mountain of them. I thought that these were so freaking good. Even though I had packed in the cereal quite tightly, the bars were still chewy, and the mixture of the peanut butter and caramelized white chocolate holding everything together was so decadent and delicious. The bittersweet chocolate was a nice complement to the flavor of the base, and the fact that the cereal layer was pretty solid meant that the chocolate did not find its way into the interior of the bars (as was the case with my loosely packed Scotcharoos using Shauna Sever's recipe). 

Honestly, the only problem I had with these bars was that they were so tall that I practically had to unhinge my jaw to eat one. I ended up taking smaller bites from the side and bottom. I would have to do a side-by-side comparison of this recipe to Shauna Sever's to see which one I like better, but I thought that these were amazing. And if you want to serve some bars that are super easy to make but completely over the top, these fit the bill.

Recipe: "Scotcharoos" from 100 Cookies by Sarah Kieffer.