Special K Bars
What can I say about Special K Bars?…
Well, in North Dakota and Minnesota, everyone makes them. At my family reunion this summer, two out of the three people who brought bars, brought these, and they all got eaten. Now I live in California, and they don’t seem to be common here. There are actually a few twists on them but basically they are for the most part, peanut butter/ chocolate goodness.
My grandma always had them at her house when I was a kid but apparently she used mint chocolate chips in her frosting, something I was told but did not remember. I have seen people use pre made frosting and various kinds of chips for the frosting. They can also be made with Rice Krispies instead of Special K but my son, Danny, recently informed me that technically those are Scotcheroos.
Danny is a connoisseur of these bars and he has done his research. He told me that the best ones that he had were from a gas station type place that he would go to get them, and after talking to the lady she told him she doubles the peanut butter. Ah… now we were on to something. I believe that I have the perfect mix of ingredients to make one of the easiest, most delicious and aside from all of the sugar, kind of healthyish snacks. These particular ones, I made to mail to said son for his birthday this year. It is hard not to be able to celebrate with him this year but at least he will have a treat from home.
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups peanut butter (I always use Jif so I can't say how it would work with natural peanut butter)
- 6 cups Special K cereal
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- Prepare a 9 by 13 pan by spraying with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large pan on the stove, put the sugar and corn syrup together and stir constantly over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil.
- Boil for one minute only, then remove from heat.
- Add all of the peanut butter and stir to combine.
- Add all of the cereal and stir to completely coat the cereal with the peanut butter mixture.
- Spread the mixture in the pan.
- Immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips all over the top of the warm bars.
- I usually put the pan in a warm oven (170 degrees) for about 5 minutes so the chips get soft and glossy looking.
- Take it out of the oven, with the back of a spoon, spread and mix the chips across the top of the bars so that the chips combine to just look like chocolate frosting.
- Let them sit to cool and let the frosting harden (if I am in a hurry, I will refrigerate them for about 15 minutes after they have cooled a bit).
- Cut into approximately 2 X 2 squares to make 24 bars.
- ENJOY!
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