Peanut butter and chocolate, one of the best combinations of all time. This is a way cleaner, healthier version of the classic American treat – salty nut butter and sweet maple provide perfect cohesion for crispy cereal, while the thin layer of dark chocolate & a sprinkling of salt intensifies the magic of all the flavours.
I’d never heard of scotcheroos until I saw them (and drooled over them) on the Salted Plains website (at www.saltedplains.com, you’ll find a wealth of gluten free & mostly plant-based recipes) I instantly knew I had to make them. With only a handful of ingredients, Tessa has transformed a traditionally sugar-laden dessert bar into a lighter, healthier treat.
Puffed rice cereals can be packed with sugar. (In fact, one scotcheroos recipe I read ONLY contained sugary processed ingredients) I used plain puffed quinoa in these photos, but puffed brown rice works wonderfully too. You don’t need sweetened cereal, plain unsweetened is best.
The recipe below is gratefully adapted from Tessa’s at Salted Plains.
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (I’ve also used half maple, half brown rice syrup)
1/2 cup peanut butter
good pinch of salt
2 cups crispy puffed quinoa or puffed rice (brown is good)
125g dark chocolate (I used dairy free, 72% cocoa)
extra sea salt for sprinkling
Find a smallish baking tin/pan – mine is a 22 x 10cm silicon loaf pan. Either grease the pan with (coconut) oil or line it with baking paper (no need to do these steps if using silicon)
Put the peanut butter, maple & the pinch of salt in a medium saucepan, and heat over a low flame, stirring constantly until smoothly combined.
Turn off the heat, add the quinoa puffs and gently mix well, until the puffs are completely coated.
Press the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Pack the mixture down firmly, including the corners, into an even layer. Place pan in freezer for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. I put the chocolate into a bowl, over a pot of water, on a low heat.
Remove pan from freezer and pour melted chocolate on top, smoothing with a spatula or back of spoon. Sprinkle sea salt on top. Place in fridge to set, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Once set, transfer to a chopping board & slice into squares. Store in the fridge or in an airtight container.
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