Recipe of the Week – Scotch-a-roos!
Scotch-a-roos are an under-apprecited and relatively unknown treat. I was lucky enough to grow up with Kimberly Kosorok in my life. She single-handedly cemented my obession with scotch-a-roos AND Pride and Prejudice. The most basic description I can give is they are like rice crispy treats on crack. Peanut butter, rice crispies, chocolate, and butterscotch. Amazing.
SCOTCH-A-ROOS by Kimberly Kosorok
1 C sugar
1 C corn syrup
1 C peanut butter
Bring to a boil taking, care not to scorch. Remove from heat and add:
6 Cups Rice Krispies
Spread into a buttered 9×13, jelly roll, or cookie sheet.
Melt on stovetop:
2 C chocolate chips (I bag)
2 C butterscotch chips (1bag)
Pour over top of Rice Crispy mixture, spread evenly. And cut into squares when cool.
I realize that there is very little instructions that go along with this recipe. So let me break it down for you with a little picture montage.
I have used a whisk to do this, I have used a cast iron dutch oven, but my favorite way to do this first step is in my Pioneer Woman Non-Stick pan with a spatula aka a scraper. You do want to baby this a bit. It will burn quickly if not stirred regularly. And as for the boiling part, as soon as I see bubbles of any kind I give it like 30 seconds to a minute more of pretty steady stirring and then remove it from the heat. The mixture is pretty thick so if you wait until you see tradition boiling, you will burn it.
The original recipe calls for more rice crispies. I like my treats to be a bit more chewy so I only add six cups of rice crispies. Because you are using a non-stick pan and there is so much peanut butter, you really don’t have a sticking to the pan issue. Just make sure you scrape along the bottom so you can get in mixure evenly distributed and coat all the cereal.
Instead of butter I like to use Coconut Oil spray. It gives a nice flavor and makes me feel healthier. When you are putting the mixture on the tray don’t push it too flat. It’s okay to have holes! I like to use the same pan to melt the chocolate and butterscotch. I don’t even clean it out! Because it’s already hot, your chips will melt fast so keep an eye on them and stir them almost continuously.
I like to keep some of my edges bare when I’m spreading the chocolate on the top, but that is completely personal preference. And it is totally okay if you can see the cereal mixture through the chocolate in some places. Trust me. It all works out. Let it still for several hours. You want the chocolate to completely set before you cut into them. I mean don’t get me wrong, we totally cut into them and eat them while the chocolate is still melted. But if you are cutting them into squares to take somewhere, make sure they are completely set. Oh and just a little tip, if you live in the country like we do, put foil a little tented over them so you don’t have any flies drowning in your chocolate. It’s gross. Not that I would know…