Triple Chocolate Scotcheroos

When I first saw these, I knew that I had to make them because they looked so fun.  Sometimes when I was younger, my mom would make my sister and me Rice Krispie Treats out of Cocoa Krispies instead, which was a welcome change for me since I am such a big chocolate fan.  I thought these looked like a great update on a classic childhood treat.

The combination of ingredients in these were incredible!  It’s hard to go wrong with Nutella, peanut butter, butterscotch chips, and chocolate chips in one dessert.  Lebovitz used a combination of regular Rice Krispies and Cocoa Krispies, and you could also use Cocoa Pebbles (I like those the best).  I realized as I was making these that I did not have enough light corn syrup, so I ended up using about half light and half dark and it worked out just fine.  These are almost like Rice Krispie treats, but instead of marshmallows, you take them off the ehat and add peanut butter and Nutella.  I had never melted butterscotch chips and chocolate chips together like this, but it tasted great, and was the perfect topping these.  These may look like a treat for kids, but they were equally enjoyed by people of all ages 🙂

Triple Chocolate Scotcheroos

1 cup (200g) sugar
1 cup (320g) rice syrup or light corn syrup
1/2 cup (130g) peanut butter*
1/2 cup (130g) Nutella, or a similar chocolate-hazelnut paste
6 cups (200g) crisp chocolate-flavored (or mixed with plain) rice cereal
6 ounces chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, or 1 cup (165g) chocolate chips
1 cup (165g) butterscotch-flavored chips

optional: fleur de sel or flaky sea salt
1. Butter or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
2. In a large saucepan (at least 6 qts) over medium heat, bring the sugar and rice or corn syrup to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and Nutella, then mix the rice cereal in until completely coated. Press the mixture into the greased pan, making sure the top is smooth.
3. Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips together in a clean, dry bowl set over a double boiler or microwave, stirring gently until smooth and well-blended. Spread over the rice cereal mixture, sprinkle lightly with salt (if using) and cool until set.
Serving: Once cool, cut into small bars with a sharp knife. These are pretty intense and certainly on the sweet side, so bite-sized portions are in order. Strong cups of espresso are nice to balance them out.

Source: David Lebovitz