Special K Bars are a no-bake dessert bar made with Special K cereal, peanut butter, milk chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips. Try my Snickers Special K Bars for more Special K bars covered in Snickers frosting!
Special K Bars Ingredients
With just half a dozen common ingredients, you can get these bars made!
Sugar: Granulated sugar is what you will need for this recipe.
Corn Syrup: We used light corn syrup. You could get by using dark corn syrup, but it will change the flavor a bit.
Peanut Butter: Creamy was used in this recipe, but chunky would work as well.
Cereal: For Special K Bars, use Special K original cereal. You can use any cereal you prefer.
Baking chips: Both milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips were melted and added to the bars. If you don’t like butterscotch, you could stick with all milk chocolate chips.
How to Make Special K Bars
These no-bake bars are a staple at most get-togethers. For one thing, they are chewy, chocolatey, and delicious. For another thing, they are so easy to put together! To get started, line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. And, in a large bowl, measure the 6 cups of cereal and set the bowl aside.
In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to boiling. Next, stir in the peanut butter. Then, remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture over the cereal that is in the large bowl.
After you pour the mixture over the cereal, fold the cereal in with the mixture to coat it. This is the ‘glue’ that holds the bars together. Using an oiled spatula, pat the coated cereal down into the lined pan. Let it sit while you melt the chips.
Chocolate & Butterscotch Topping, Oh My!
I used both milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips to top the bars. Again, you could just use milk chocolate chips if you are not a fan of butterscotch. Add the baking chips to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat the chips in 20-second intervals until they have melted.
Pour the melted chips over the pan of bars, smoothing it out with a knife. Let the bars sit for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. To freeze the bars, let them cool completely before freezing them in a single layer in a freezer-safe container. Be sure to label and date the package; they will last up to 3 months.
How to Store Special K Bars
Keep the bars in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag to keep them fresh. They should be kept in a cool, dry place to prevent melting or spoilage.
More No Bake Treats
Special K Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups (511.5 g) corn syrup
- 1 ½ cups (387 g) peanut butter
- 6 cups Kellogg's Special K cereal, original
- 6 ounces milk chocolate chips
- 6 ounces butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish by lining it with parchment paper. Measure the cereal in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat until boiling.
- Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.
- Remove from heat. Pour the mixture over the bowl of cereal and fold in the cereal to coat.
- Pat the cereal mixture into the lined baking dish using an oiled spatula.
- Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, add the milk chocolate and butterscotch chips. Heat the chips in 20-second intervals until they have melted and the mixture is smooth with no lumps.
- Pour the melted chocolate and butterscotch chips over the bars, smoothing with a knife.
- Let the bars sit for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
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This is our family’s classic scotcheroo recipe – always made with Special K and never Rice Krispies – the only difference is we use semi-sweet chocolate chips. I love the chewiness that the Special K gives. It is a must-have for any family reunion
I make these a lot, but I use semi-sweet chips.
I have made these but added butter in with the peanut butter and cocktail peanuts and pretzels in with the Special K. It gives it extra crunch.
I make these every year around Christmas. Everyone loves them!
I would love to make this but have family with peanut issues. Is there a substitution for the peanut butter or can I leave it out altogether?
Sharon you can try using SunButter in place of the peanut butter 🙂
Just made these today and my kids love them. Curious to know if they are good with honey rather than the white sugar. Thank you so much!