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The BEST Dessert For ANY Occasion

Need a dessert for a potluck, birthday party, or to share with the kiddos? Look no further because here is the BEST dessert for ANY occasion.

So what is the perfect dessert for any occasion? Drum roll please….Scotch-a-roos!

What is a Scotch-a-roo?

Plate with 5 scotch-a-roo squares.

A scotch-a-roo is pure deliciousness. It’s made up of crispy rice cereal that is combined with a mixture of light corn syrup, sugar, and peanut butter.

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As if that doesn’t sound yummy enough on it’s own then you add a layer of melted chocolate and butterscotch chips and spread it all over the top.

Why are they the BEST for ANY occasion?

For starters scotch-a-roos are super yummy! They have an amazing texture with the crunchy from the crispy rice cereal to the smooth peanut butter mixture and silky chocolate/butterscotch on top.

You can toss a batch together in minutes. So they are great when you are running short on time. Which really does make them the BEST dessert for ANY occasion or time.

Scotch-a-roos are super versatile as they can be served at room temperature or you can store them in the refrigerator.

Scotch-a-roos are best for any occasion because they can be eaten in a variety of ways. Serve them cut into squares and on a plate with a fork.

No plate or fork? Grab a napkin to hold your scotch-a-roo in. No napkin, no problem. You can easily eat them like a cookie. Just grab and go.

Seeing as how they do contain peanut butter they are NOT the best if someone has an allergy to peanuts or any of the desserts other ingredients. Though you could try substituting the peanut butter for another nut butter if needed.

How do you make the BEST dessert?

First

To begin making the best dessert, scotch-a-roos, start with a large pot. Even though you are only adding 2 cups worth of ingredients in the beginning the bigger pot will come in super handy when it’s time to stir in the cereal.

In the pot you will combine 1 cup of light corn syrup with 1 cup of sugar. Give these two a stir until mixed together. Next, using medium heat bring these first 2 ingredients to a boil.

Pot with light corn syrup and sugar in it.

While those ingredients are beginning to boil pull out your jar of peanut butter and start measuring. You’ll need 1 cup of peanut butter. I have only used smooth peanut butter in this recipe but if you like chunky give it a whirl.

Boiling mixture.

Second

Next, after your corn syrup and sugar start to boil you can fold in the peanut butter.

When a recipe asks you to fold in an ingredient it simply means to gently add it in. Also, folding allows air to get into the mix making it more airy and light.

Mixture after just adding the peanut butter.
Mixture with peanut butter folded in.

Once you have combined the boiling corn syrup and sugar mixture and folded in the peanut butter you are finally ready to add the cereal.

Third

Start by taking the large pot off of the heat or just turning your heat off. Then add the crispy cereal as you gently stir. Stirring too vigorously can break down the cereal and leave you with more of a mushy mess than a delicious crispy treat.

Once all the cereal is incorporated it’s time to pour it into a pan. I usually use a 9×13 pan. Although, if you want thicker scotch-a-roos you can use a smaller pan like a 9×9. For thinner ones you can use a cookie sheet.

Pan of scotch-a-roos without the chocolate topping.

Next, pour the pot full of goodness into your 9×13 pan and spread it all out. Careful! It’ll still be piping hot.

Now you can set your BEST dessert for ANY occasion aside while the topping is made.

Fourth

To make the topping combine one bag (11 ounces) of milk chocolate chips with half a bag (5.5 ounces) of butterscotch chips.

This topping is very forgiving so if you don’t have the exact ounces of chips no worries. It will still turn out great! Which is another reason this dessert is the BEST.

Chocolate and butterscotch chips mixed in a bowl.

Combine your chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat them up for 30 seconds. Then give them a stir. They will probably still be hard so go ahead and pop them back in the microwave for another 30 seconds.

Keep stirring them until they are all melted together. Yum. Finally, pour the melted chips over your scotch-a-roos in the pan.

Melted chips in a glass bowl.

Take a spatula and spread all that chocolatey butterscotch love to every corner and nook of your dessert.

Last but not least you have the choice to eat your gooey delicious dessert now or, you can pop it into the fridge to help the chocolate/butterscotch harden up.

For ease of cutting this BEST dessert I prefer to chill it in the fridge until the topping sets. Then, pull it out and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften up the cereal layer.

If you are in a rush and need to take your dessert for ANY occasion right away, just skip the refrigerator and let everyone enjoy the warm deliciousness of the topping.

Pan of scotch-a-roos with their chocolatey layer.

Recipe

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

6 cups crispy rice cereal

1 bag of milk chocolate chips

1/2 bag butterscotch chips

On medium heat bring syrup and sugar to a boil. Fold in peanut butter. Then take off the heat and add rice cereal. Press into a 9×13 inch pan. Melt chips in a microwave safe bowl stirring every 30 second. Spread over the cereal mixture and let it cool.

Tips and Tricks

At times scotch-a-roos will get hard, especially if you are eating them on the second and third day. I have found an epic trick to keep your dessert soft and ooey and gooey.

When adding your rice cereal just add 1/2 cup to a full cup less then the recipe calls for. This allows for more of the peanut butter mixture to keep your dessert from hardening too much.

On the flip side, you could add the full amount of rice cereal and increase the peanut butter by a smidgen.

Another tip is with the chocolatey topping. If you are more of a semi sweet person than substitute those for the milk chocolate. Are you a hater of butterscotch? Then just do the chocolate chips and leave out the butterscotch.

This scotch-a-roo recipe really is the BEST dessert for ANY occasion because of how quick it is to make, how forgiving the recipe is, and how versatile it is to eat. The best part is that it is DELICIOUS!

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