scotcharoo truffles

Scotcharoos. What a silly name. But mother trucker, are they good. They have been, and will be, one of my all time favorite bar cookie treats.

Yes, I have a crush on ol’ Scotcharoo.

This year for Valentine’s day, I’ve decided to introduce my kids to the delightful combination of chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter and crisp rice cereal. But with my own sweet little, bite-sized spin.

OMFG. So Good Friends, meet  Scotcharoo Truffles…
Aren’t they sweet? These crispy, fudgy little balls of goodness pack in all the flavor of a traditional Scotcharoo (my goal is to use that word no less than ten times in this post, btw) into a compact, bite-sized treat.

And wouldn’t it be nice to hand your favorite wee beasts a box of homemade-with-love candies rather than the same-old-store-bought this year?

Yes. Yes, it would.

Scotcharoo Truffles
(makes 20 – 24 truffles, depending on size)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
4 oz butterscotch chips (Hershey’s are gluten free)
3 cups crisped rice cereal (Kellogg’s now has gluten free Rice Krispies)

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, whisk together the cream and peanut butter until melted and smooth. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and let cool slightly. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate and butterscotch chips and melt in 30 second intervals (stirring between each) until completely melted and smooth. Add the peanut butter/cream mixture into the chocolate/butterscotch and whisk until completely combined and smooth. Spread the ganache into a glass baking dish, cover and refrigerate 2 – 4 hours or overnight.

To make the truffles, pour the rice cereal into a bowl and set aside. Line a sheet pan with parchment or wax paper. Using a teaspoon, melon-baller or small ice cream scooper, scoop truffle-sized spoonfuls of the chilled ganache (one at a time) into the rice cereal. (Don’t worry about trying to form the ganache into balls until it’s in the cereal, it will melt if you try to work it with your hands.) Roll the ganache in the crisped rice, gently pressing and rolling to form a ball. Set them on the prepared sheet pan (or in cute little paper candy cups) and return to the fridge to set for another 1 – 2 hours before gifting (or eating them all yourself.)

Obviously I made these Scotcharoo Truffles way before Valentine’s day, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to share my genius with you before the big day. This also means my lucky beasts got an early Valentine’s treat from the World’s Best Mom (self-proclamation doesn’t make it any less true, btw.)

And in return I got my own early, homemade-with-love, Valentine’s Day surprise.

OMFG. SO GOOD.