Scotcheroos

Sometimes the best recipes happen a little by accident.  In my family, my grandma was legendary for having to make substitutions in recipes because she was out of something.  Once when making jam, she didn't have enough wild grape juice or sand hill plum juice left to make a batch of jelly.  She and my brother decided to combine the remaining juices together to make one last batch.  They called it "grum," and it was a family favorite.

Another time, when making a chocolate pie, she had to improvise.  She always said that it was the best pie she ever made.  The problem was, she couldn't remember what she had done differently, so she was never able to recreate it.

Fast forward several years to my kitchen. . .

My husband was getting ready to take my older kids in to the high school basketball games one night.  My oldest son, ever the sweets connoisseur, happened to mention, "They have the best scotcheroos there.  And they're really big!"

My husband, who has been particularly germ-conscious during flu season with a new baby, said that they would not be getting any concessions at the game.

After they left, I decided to surprise them when they got home with a batch of scotcheroos.  I texted my mother-in-law to get her recipe.  It's fairly straightforward.  However, in the middle of getting my ingredients ready to make the scotcheroos, I discovered that I didn't have enough corn syrup!  A quick internet search revealed that I could use honey as a substitute.  And. . . they turned out great!  I will be making them that way from now on.  So, not to repeat my grandma's mistake, I decided I had better get my modified recipe onto Sew God's Grace.

Scotcheroos

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup corn syrup
6 cups rice crispies

Topping:

1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips

Measure rice crispies into a large bowl and set aside.  Also, spray a 9 by 13 inch pan with cooking spray.  Place peanut butter, sugar, honey, and corn syrup into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for two and a half minutes, stirring after every minute.  (My microwave is 900 watts, so you may need to adjust this time if you have a more powerful microwave.  You want the sugar to dissolve, but you don't want it to boil.)  Pour the mixture over the rice crispies and stir to coat.  Spread in prepared pan.  (I use clean, greased hands to pat it down.)  Place butterscotch and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on 50% power one minute at a time until they are melted.  Spread on the top of the bars.  You can place the pan in the refrigerator to help them set up more quickly.  Once they are set, cut into bars and serve.

Tip:  you can use all chocolate chips if you don't have any butterscotch chips or are not a butterscotch fan!

Enjoy!