Chex Scotcheroos

My husband and I have literally been together 14 years, almost to the day (November 29th marks the anniversary of our first date), and I had no idea this was his favorite childhood dessert! Needless to say, he was super excited when I made this recipe, which surprisingly, I never have before. While these bars traditionally call for Rice Krispies, he actually preferred this updated version to the original because of the added texture from the air pockets in the Rice Chex. (Go me!)

Chex Scotcheroos
Yield: 9x13 pan

Ingredients
Bars:

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
• 6 cups Rice Chex cereal

Topping:

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups butterscotch chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Grease 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. For Bars: In large saucepan over medium-high heat, stir corn syrup and sugar until it comes to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth. Fold in cereal and pour into prepared pan. Gently flatten to form even layer.
3. For Topping: In small saucepan over low heat, combine semisweet chocolate, butterscotch chips, peanut butter, and vanilla. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Pour over cereal layer.
4. Allow to cool completely at room temperature before cutting into bars.

No Bake Reese’s Crispy Cookies

My favorite part about shopping the after-holiday clearance sales is finding tons of great candy at a deeply discounted price! Once I remove the wrapper, nobody will know that I used Christmas candy for my Valentine's Day baking, or Easter candy at the Fourth of July (except you, my readers!). As long as you make sure to check the expiration date on the packages, you will save lots of money!

This week, when I stopped by my local grocery store for a quick in-between shopping run, I found a great deal on mini Reese's peanut butter cups. The best part? The bold lettering on the back stating the candy is gluten free! (It's always important to check for this information since allergen warnings can sometimes differ on seasonal candy.)

No Bake Reese’s Crispy Cookies
Yield: 2 dozen

Ingredients
5 cups crisped rice cereal (I use Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
20 miniature sized Reese's peanut butter cups, cut into quarters
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips

Directions
1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine corn syrup, sugar, and peanut butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is evenly combined and smooth (about 5 minutes).
3. Add cereal to peanut butter mixture and stir to evenly coat.
4. Fold in chocolate and peanut butter chips.
5. Add Reese's peanut butter cups last to minimize melting.
6. Drop 1/4 cup sized scoops of mixture onto lined baking sheets. Slightly flatten so they look more like a cookie than a ball.
7. Store at room temperature with wax paper between layers so they don't stick together. (Note: Chilling the cookies makes them hard to bite into! If refrigerated, bring cookies to room temperature before eating.)

Note: Use small cookie dough scoop for mini bite-sized cookies.

Recipe adapted from My Incredible Recipes.