Choco-Scotch Clusters
Choco-Scotch Clusters
Equipment
- Measuring Equipment (Cup/Tablespoon)
- Pot
- Stove Top
- Baking Sheet or Plate
Ingredients
- 175 Grams Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (1 Cup)
- 175 Grams Butterscotch Chips (1 Cup)
- 63 Grams Peanut Butter (¼ Cup)
- 100 Grams Rice Krispies (4 Cups)
- 1-2 Tablespoons Milk
Instructions
- Melt chocolate, butterscotch and peanut butter together in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until well blended.
- Remove from the heat.
- Add rice krispies; stir until well coated.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Drop tablespoon sizes clumps onto the baking sheet.
- Let stand in cool place until firm, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Seal in an airtight container.
Notes
The Enemy All Around
Choco-Scotch Clusters might look like a hardy cookie, and they can be. I’ve cut the roof of my mouth more time that I can remember on them. They do, however, have one major Achilles’ heel. Air! Air will absolutely ruin these cookies, and quick. If they get exposed to the open air for a few hours the Rice Krispies will turn stale and the cookie lose their crunch. They will just be dreadful after that.
If this happens, there is no way to salvage the situation and these cookies will be destined for the trash.
Avoid putting a large amount out on your cookie tray at one time.
Proper storage is also very important. In the past I have wrapped them in plastic and place them inside a plastic container. I would also add an extra level of protection by putting plastic wrap between the container and the cover. That is usually good enough, but last year my cookies went stale the first night. The plastic container must have had a crack somewhere in the body. Sadly, everything had to be thrown out.
This year I’ve upgraded to several 2 liter mason jars with rubber seals. I am very confident that these will get the job.
Because these go stale fairly easily, they cannot be refrigerated or frozen, which means they absolutely must be eaten during the holiday season. With proper storage and limited contact with the open air they should keep for 3 or 4 weeks at room temperature, or slightly below. I do keep all my Christmas cookies in an unheated space, where the temperature can fall to around 10c (50f) and this has not been a problem.
Sourcing Your Ingredients for Choco-Scotch Clusters
Like most of the cookies we have featured on this website, it’s quite easy to get everything you need in the US. Japan, that’s another story. There are a few challenges here, but it’s not impossible.
Getting regular Rice Krispies can be terribly expensive. Amazon Japan does have them, but a large box is about ¥2,500. That is way too much. You can find Kellogg’s Coco Krispies in most supermarkets. Ok Discount sells them for ¥199 a bag (289g). If though they are of the chocolate variety, they are a fine substitution. If you can’t find them in your local food market, there is always Amazon, which is more expensive.
The other ingredient that is hard to track down are the butterscotch chips, as mentioned in the 7 Layer Cookies. They can be a little on the pricey side. Good cookies are worth it, and if you’re also going to make the 7 Layer Cookies, it is less of a blow.
As mentioned in almost every other baking recipe, get yourself scale. Stop using a measuring cup. A digital scale is cheap and yields better results.
Looking for Other Cookies???
We have some other Christmas cookies you might like to try…
So this is Christmas, and what have you done?