Rice Krispie Treats are one of my favorites. Not only are they easy to make, but I love their versatility and chewy texture. They remind me of lakeside days from my childhood because my mom always made a batch to tote along to the cabin for the weekend. Surely you have treats that take you back to younger days and make you feel a bit nostalgic? I used to make rice krispie treats kind of like these Mock Scotcheroos that had peanut butter mixed in with the melted marshmallows and were covered in chocolate that were pretty good. Until one day, I accidentally discovered the notion of these bars at a potluck dinner. I tasted one and told my friend how fabulous I thought they were. She told me the secret was that they weren’t actually made with Rice Krispies cereal, or marshmallows for that matter, they were made with Special K cereal and called Frosted Chews. You may not believe it, but I hadn’t even ever tried Special K cereal before. These bars were soooo yummy, I loved their soft chewy texture. I printed the recipe and started playing with it, because I can’t ever seem to leave recipes alone, until I had it just right. I adapted the recipe to make the bars a little thicker (my recipe uses the entire box, so there isn’t any left hanging out to get stale in my pantry), I like krispie treats on the thick side and I have added more chocolate topping. You can’t ever have to much chocolate, right?
- 1 12 oz box Special K cereal (about 12 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups light Karo Syrup
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
- 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips*
- 1 cup butterscotch chips*
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Grease or spray a 9x13-inch pan. Combine Karo Syrup and sugar in a large kettle and cook over medium heat stirring frequently until the mixture bubbles. Remove from heat, add peanut butter and stir until smooth. Add cereal to kettle and stir gently until mixed well. Spread into prepared pan and use the back of a spoon or a spatula press mixture into the pan until it is spread evenly. Set aside.
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Combine chips in a saucepan and cook over medium low heat stirring very frequently to prevent scorching. When chips are melted and smooth spread the mixture over the top of the bars and let set. Pop them in the fridge it you want to speed things up a bit. Cut into bars and enjoy.
*On the chips - you can use 1 (12 oz) bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 (11 oz) bag of butterscotch chips if you prefer. This method requires no measuring and doesn't leave any left over chips to deal with. You might not like having bags of opened chips hanging out in your pantry, but I must say, I never mind a stray bag hanging out so that I can sneak a few from time to time. I find the butterscotch chips too sweet and like to cut them down by substituting semi-sweet chocolate chips for half of the butterscotch. In a pinch I have used straight chocolate too. It just depends on your preferences and what you have on hand
Adapted from Kellogs Frosted Chews
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Tiff Hill says
May 19, 2014 at 8:04 amThey look DELISH! Thanks for the recipe. They look pretty easy to make. Have a great day!
Jasey says
May 20, 2014 at 1:45 pmTiff, they are, they are delish! I promise! You have a great day too!
Clancy Cash Harrison MS, RD, LDN says
May 19, 2014 at 8:25 amThese look amazing! I cannot wait to try them with my children.
Jasey says
May 20, 2014 at 1:45 pmClancy, I cannot wait to hear how much you all love them!
Alexandra McAllister says
May 19, 2014 at 8:41 amWOW! These look easy enough that even I could make! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I think I’d use dark chocolate since I love it so much! 🙂
Jasey says
May 20, 2014 at 1:44 pmI am sure that you could make them! And dark chocolate, perfect!
Heather says
May 19, 2014 at 11:08 amThese look great. I love how easy they are to make
Jasey says
May 20, 2014 at 1:44 pmHeather, they are so easy and yet so tasty! My favorite kind of recipe!
Karen @ From the Garden Table says
May 19, 2014 at 2:41 pmI actually really like Special K AND rice krispie treats so this is kind of a no-brainer for me, I know I will love them! Thanks for sharing!
Jasey says
May 20, 2014 at 1:43 pmKaren, enjoy! Let me know what you think!
Nicole at Nicole's Lifestyle Lounge says
May 19, 2014 at 4:52 pmThis looks fairly easy to make, not to mention delicious! Th baby girl seems to have a sweet tooth like her Momma, so maybe she’ll like.
Jasey says
May 20, 2014 at 1:43 pmNicole, super easy! my kids love them, I bet yours will too!
Denise says
May 19, 2014 at 5:41 pmCereal and peanut butter, an awesome combination! I’m definitely trying this one, and its a good way to use the rest of the little amounts left in the end of the boxes. Thanks again! 🙂
Jasey says
May 20, 2014 at 1:42 pmI know, right? Can’t ever go wrong with pb and chocolate!
Jillian says
May 20, 2014 at 2:16 pmI love that these don’t use marshmallow. Pinning for later.
Jasey says
May 21, 2014 at 8:53 amThe fact that this recipe doesn’t use marshmallows makes it so much easier to handle than other recipes! 🙂 Totally agree with you!
Aunt Bee says
May 20, 2014 at 5:42 pmI LOVE that you put special k cereal in these! They look super fun to make and delicious! Awesome recipe!
Jasey says
May 21, 2014 at 8:54 amThanks, Aunt Bee! Maybe since they have Special K in them we can pretend they are great for the waistline too 🙂 I took all the calories out, I promise 😉
Amanda @ Adorkablii says
May 20, 2014 at 6:28 pmOMG!!! These look amazing!!! I think I may have to make these as a treat for the kiddies one day!!!
Jasey says
May 21, 2014 at 8:55 amAmanda, please do, haha! Make sure to come back and let me know how much you loved them!
Marlys (This and That) says
May 21, 2014 at 2:03 amOh YUM! pinning
Jasey says
May 21, 2014 at 8:56 amMarlys, you have great taste! They are yummy!
Krystle(Baking Beauty) says
May 22, 2014 at 2:38 pmLove that these are made with Special K! It is my favorite cereal. I just want to dig into this picture nomnom
Jasey says
May 22, 2014 at 2:41 pmI have that problem often with photos of food on my screen! Such a tease, isn’t it?!