Easy Homemade Chex Scotcheroos Recipe (No-Bake)

This homemade no bake chex scotcheroo is the no bake dessert you need. You’re going to fall in love with this chewy peanut butter treat from your childhood. But with a twist! Instead of crispy rice, you are going to use Chex cereal for a thick, sweet no bake bar that will have your family going crazy for it.

Perfect for school lunches, or bringing to a neighborhood potluck if you need something fast. This easy recipe doesn’t call for much more than some staple ingredients from your pantry. You only need a bowl to stir it all together and a pot on the stove or microwave. Best of all, you don’t even need to turn on your oven when the temperatures rise.

You’re going to keep coming back to this one over and over because you can make a delicious dessert in minutes that is better than anything from the bakery. Just melt, mix, and press, and you’ve got a tray full of deliciousness.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

The reason I always want to keep this recipe around is for the amazing texture contrast. The crunchy, filling cereal gives you a nice heartiness and crunch that is then balanced by the sticky, chewy peanut butter binding everything together. Then there is a smooth, sweet coating of melted chocolate and butterscotch on top, melting away at each bite. You think it will be so much harder to make than it actually is.

Cleanup is minimal, which is perfect for weekends when you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. It is also perfect for impromptu visitors when you don’t have time to plan anything fancy. Since there is no baking required, you only need one saucepan and one baking dish to put this all together. When you are done, there will be no piles of dirty dishes to clean up and no flour strewn across your countertops.

The Ingredients

To make this recipe, gather these simple ingredients:

Rice Chex Cereal

Rice chex gives you more of a crunch than regular crisped rice. The bigger cereal squares give you a nice coating of sweet peanut butter without getting soggy right away. You could easily swap out Rice Chex for Corn Chex. Corn Chex has a very similar texture to Rice Chex, but has a slightly more roasted corn flavor.

Creamy Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is the sticky part that helps hold all of the cereal together. You’ll want to use a standard peanut butter such as Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter will not work well in this recipe and could make your bars oily. Peanut allergies? Use sunflower seed butter! A creamy sunflower seed butter is a great 1:1 replacement if you have a peanut allergy.

Light Corn Syrup

The clear syrup is responsible for the chewy and pliable texture in this recipe without turning into a hard candy. When it’s combined with the sugar, it makes a soft sugar glaze that helps everything come together. If you really don’t want to use corn syrup, brown rice syrup or even honey can be used as a substitute, although honey will change the taste.

Butterscotch Chips

Butterscotch chips are a key ingredient that help give this dessert the classic butterscotch flavor. They’re also combined with the semi-sweet chocolate chips to make a gooey caramel-like topping that sets over the chewy cereal. If you can’t find butterscotch chips, try using caramel baking chips. They still pair nicely with the chocolate and taste delicious.

How to Make It

Now we’ll walk through how to make this easy, crunchy, and gooey dessert.

Prep Your Pan

First, spray a 9×13” baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or rub with some butter. Then, measure out the cereal in a large bowl and set it aside. You want to get moving as soon as the syrup is ready, so prep everything ahead of time.

Heat the Syrup

Next, add the corn syrup and sugar to a medium saucepan. Bring it to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Once the sugar is fully dissolved and it’s just starting to bubble around the edges, remove the pan from the heat.

Add the Peanut Butter

Finally, stir the peanut butter into the sugar mixture until it’s completely smooth. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the cereal in the bowl and mix it in with a large spoon until all the cereal is coated.

Press into the Dish

Transfer the cereal to the prepared baking dish. Press it down into an even layer with a spatula or your hands (sprayed with cooking spray or rubbed with butter). Press firmly so the bars will stick together, but be careful not to crush the cereal too much.

Melt the Topping

Combine the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 50% power in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval. Spread the melted chocolate and butterscotch topping over the cereal bars.

My Top Tips for Success

The most important tip is that you should never boil the sugar and syrup mixture! Instead, bring it just to a simmer, stirring often, until the sugar has dissolved and there are small bubbles forming on the edges of the pan. If you boil the sugar mixture, the finished bars will become rock-hard rather than chewy.

When melting the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together, patience is key so you don’t scorch or seize the chocolate. Only microwave at 50% power, stopping to stir thoroughly every 30 seconds. It’s actually the residual heat of the bowl that will melt the bars gently enough for you.

For nice clean cuts, let the bars cool fully to room temperature before slicing, instead of putting them in the fridge to set quicker. If you choose to refrigerate them anyway, let the pan sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before slicing so the chocolate top loses its chill and won’t crack when slicing.

Storage and Reheating

• Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. 
• For freezing, wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature before eating. 
• Since these are no-bake, there is no need to reheat. Best enjoyed chewy at room temp!

What to Serve it With

• A tall, ice cold glass of milk.
• On a holiday cookie tray with sugar cookies and fudge.
• In school lunch boxes for a very special lunch time treat.
• As an easy to serve summer barbecue dessert!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these gluten-free?

Yes! Rice Chex is naturally gluten free, but be sure to check your labels! Just be sure to also buy gluten free brands of chocolate and butterscotch chips.

Why did my scotcheroos turn out hard?

Because the corn syrup and sugar mixture was brought to a boil, rather than just heating until the sugar dissolved. Boiling the sugar causes it to reach a hard crack stage, which makes the bars very difficult to bite into.