Pistachio Scotcheroos

Crunchy? Check. Sweet? Check. Nutty? Check. Chocolaty? Check. Pistachio scotcheroos have everything you’d expect from a great dessert. If you’ve never had a scotcheroo, you’re missing out: The vintage dessert is like a leveled-up Rice Krispies treat, made by stirring melted marshmallows and peanut butter into cereal, and topping it with generous layers of butterscotch and melted chocolate. Brilliantly, there’s no baking whatsoever.

Prep:15 min
Cook:5 min
Yield:2 Dozen

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 cups miniature marshmallows, divided
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons pistachio butter, divided
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 cups cornflakes
• 1 cup dark chocolate, chopped or semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 cup shelled roasted salted pistachios, roughly chopped
• Flaky sea salt, for topping

Directions

1. Line a 13×9-in. baking pan with parchment, letting the ends extend up the sides. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add about 3 cups marshmallows and stir constantly until marshmallows begin to melt.
2. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup pistachio butter, vanilla and salt until fully combined. (Some small pieces of marshmallow remaining is ideal.) Return to low heat briefly if needed to combine thoroughly. Remove from heat and gently fold in cornflakes until coated. Fold in remaining 1 cup marshmallows.
3. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and gently press into an even layer without packing too tightly. Spread remaining 2 Tbsp. pistachio butter over cornflake mixture.
4. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl or a double boiler until smooth, stirring occasionally. Pour over bars and spread evenly. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Refrigerate 30–45 minutes.
5. Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt. Remove bars from pan and slice.

Nutrition Facts

1 bar: 225 calories, 14g fat (6g saturated fat), 6mg cholesterol, 157mg sodium, 24g carbohydrate (13g sugars, 2g fiber), 5g protein.

Notes:

To cut neat slices of scotcheroos, grab a sharp knife. Run it under hot water to warm the blade, then dry it on a cloth. Gently cut across the short length of the pan. Rinse the knife clean, dry it and then make another cut. Use a narrow offset spatula (often used for frosting cakes) to lift the slice from the pan.

One major reason scotcheroos can get hard is that the cereal mix gets packed too densely into the pan. Luckily, that’s easy to fix. Don’t try to cram and pack the filling in. Just spread the cereal-marshmallow mix with a light hand, smoothing the top gently with a spatula.

Yes, these scotcheroo bars freeze well. Prepare the recipe, then allow the bars to sit until fully set and cooled. Slice the bars and freeze them, individually wrapped in storage wrap and foil. You can also freeze the entire pan. Either way, they’ll keep well for up to three months. Defrost them in the refrigerator overnight before serving them.

On the counter, pistachio scotcheroos will keep for up to five days. In the fridge, the bars will keep for up to one week. The bars will harden in the fridge, so plan to bring them to room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving them.

Store pistachio scotcheroos at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Either way, cover the pan tightly with storage wrap or foil, or transfer the bars to an airtight container.