If there is a taste of my childhood family gatherings, it’s this. Weirdly, my family calls them K-bars still, and I’m 43 and there has never been a family gathering on my Mom’s side where these aren’t present. Apparently, there was some point in history they were made of Special K cereal, rather than rice krispies. Either way, this is a perfect combo of delicious.
Measure out the krispies first. Please note, the above is a double batch if you are looking at the measuring standards on the bowl.
Spray a 13”x9” inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over low to medium low heat, stir the karo syrup and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. You DO NOT want the mixture to come to a boil. (If by chance, the mixture begins to boil, immediately remove from heat and continue with the recipe).
Once the mixture is hot… almost boiling, but not actually boiling (you might see a few bubbles come up along the sides of the pan… as soon as this happens), remove it from heat and stir in the peanut butter.
Pour the hot mixture over the rice krispies. Mix until combined. If it appears like the mixture needs more rice krispies, add more, a little at a time. Tip: work quickly because the mixture will set fast.
Transfer the rice krispies to the baking dish and spread into an even layer. Tip: you can place a sheet of wax paper over the mixture and use your hands to get the mixture into a nice flat layer. Be careful as it will be hot.
In a medium double boiler bowl, add the butterscotch chips and chocolate chips. Heat in the microwave at half power in 20 second increments. Stir after each interval. Continue until fully melted.
Pour the melted chocolate + butterscotch mixture over the scotcharoos. Using an offset spatula or rubber spatula, spread the chocolate until it covers the entire surface of the scotcharoos.
Let set, and then cut into squares. Store in an airtight container for 5-7 days.