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butterscotch

Peanut Butter Butterscotch Bars

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Peanut butter butterscotch bars are THE perfect dessert for those of us who wish peanut butter balls were around year round. All the sweet, creamy taste of peanut butter and melted chocolate and butterscotch on top of a peanut butter and graham cracker crust! These bars are gooey, rich and decadent. They also happen to be super easy, no bake and very pantry friendly.

ABOUT PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERSCOTCH BARS

My grandmother’s amazing peanut butter ball recipe was a big hit with my fellow peanut butter ball lovers when I shared it last December! It’s amazing because the balls are coated in both melted chocolate AND melted butterscotch. It makes the coating extra thick and delicious!

These peanut butter butterscotch bars are my grandmother’s peanut butter balls in bar form. Similar recipe and steps but even easier because you don’t need to form or coat any balls. It’s just two delicious layers in a pan. Yum!

HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER BARS

To make these bars, you’ll just make the base. Unlike a lot of other bar recipes, there’s no need to bake the crust. Just top it with the melted chocolate mixture, pop it in the fridge for a couple of hours and they’re ready to slice and enjoy!

NO BAKE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

For the base, you’ll first mix together:

  • powdered sugar
  • graham cracker crumbs
  • melted butter

Next, stir in 1 cup of peanut butter. By the way, if you love peanut butter, check out my favorite classic peanut butter cookies or if you’re a stuffed cookie fan, try these peanut butter stuffed salted brownie cookies!

Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of your parchment paper lined pan. You can use your fingers to do this. An offset spatula also works really well for this too.

MAKING THE TOPPING FOR PEANUT BUTTER BARS

Melt together the following ingredients:

  • semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • butterscotch chips
  • 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

Spread this delicious mixture on top of the base.

CHILLING THE PEANUT BUTTER BARS

Again, no bake means they go into the fridge instead of in the oven. Cover the bars with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge to firm up.

SERVING THE PEANUT BUTTER BARS

Once chilled, use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Slice and serve! The bars are best eaten straight from the fridge, if possible.

These peanut butter butterscotch bars come together in just a few simple steps. Filled with chocolate, butterscotch and lots of peanut butter, they will satisfy any sweet tooth, any time of the year!

For more delicious peanut butter recipes, check out my:

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Peanut Butter Butterscotch Bars

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
  • Yield: 16–24 squares 1x
  • Category: Dessert, Baking
  • Method: No Bake
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Easy Peanut Butter Butterscotch Bars are the best no bake treat! They feature decadent layers of peanut butter and graham crackers, chocolate and butterscotch! They’re sweet, rich and totally delicious! 

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, salted or unsalted, melted
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, from about 8 full sheets
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup peanut butter plus 2 tablespoons, divided
  • 1/2  cup butterscotch chips
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Line an 8 inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. Add 1 cup of peanut butter. Stir mixture together and press evenly into the bottom of a pan using your fingers or an offset spatula. 
  3. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut butter with the chocolate and butterscotch chips in the microwave using 30 second bursts. Stir well after each interval. Continue until mixture is smooth and melted. 
  4. Pour the chocolate mixture over peanut butter layer and spread evenly. 
  5. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours, or until firm. Best if enjoyed straight from the fridge and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Keywords: Peanut Butter Bars, No bake, butterscotch, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, chocolate, peanut butter, dessert

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Balls

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Old fashioned peanut butter balls thickly coated in butterscotch and chocolate.

My grandmother made the best Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Balls every year when my siblings, cousins and I were growing up. We would get so excited for these soft, sweet peanut butter balls and their thick, chocolatey coating! With only five ingredients, you can also easily make these creamy, delicious classic holiday treats!

PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERSCOTCH BALLS

I was so excited the day I found the handwritten recipe inside one of her old cookbooks. I wasn’t sure if that was THE recipe, but when I noticed butterscotch in the list of ingredients, I knew it was the one.

What makes this recipe for Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Balls special is that, once chilled, the balls are rolled in melted CHOCOLATE and BUTTERSCOTCH chips! Butterscotch adds such depth of flavor to the chocolate and also gives the balls a thicker, more delicious outer coating to bite into!

Plain peanut butter balls on a baking sheet.

HOW TO MAKE OLD FASHIONED PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

This recipe has a base similar to most other peanut butter ball recipes. The first step is to form the plain peanut butter balls.

  1. Melt some butter AND peanut butter together.
  2. To that mixture, you stir in some sifted powdered sugar.
  3. Form that mixture into balls and put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.

Chilling the balls is an important step. They will be much easier to coat in chocolate if they are chilled and hold their shape.

Plain peanut butter balls are delicious on their own. You can absolutely stop here or continue on to coat them. I personally like to coat most of mine, but I do leave some plain just to give people the option.

Melted chocolate and butterscotch chips in a pan with a spatula.

MELTING THE CHOCOLATE AND BUTTERSCOTCH

The next step is to melt the chocolate and butterscotch. You can do this one of two ways: a double boiler or the microwave.

My grandmother always used a double boiler which to her just meant placing a glass bowl filled with your chocolate and butterscotch over a pan or bowl of simmering water. The important thing to keep in mind here is to not let your bowl or pan touch the hot water.

You basically want to use the steam from the water to melt the chocolate, stirring until it’s melted. I’ve had my water both too hot and too full before which caused me to burn my chocolate and butterscotch!

More and more in recipes that call for melted chocolate, I find myself using the microwave. To use the microwave, simply put your chocolate and butterscotch in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 15 second intervals. Stir between intervals and continue until it’s melted.

Plain peanut butter balls and a tray of chocolate covered peanut butter balls.

DIPPING THE BALLS IN CHOCOLATE

Once the balls have chilled, take some out of the fridge to dip them. I like to leave half in the fridge while I’m working to ensure that they’re all chilled and haven’t come to room temperature when I coat them. Have a cookie sheet lined with wax paper nearby.

You can use two spoons or two forks to coat the balls. I used to use spoons, but find it a little neater to use forks. The tines of the forks allow excess chocolate to fall through instead of globbing up on the cookie sheet. Drop a ball in the chocolate. Roll it around to ensure it’s coated and then gently pass it from fork to fork until the ball has been coated.

Let the balls cool and the chocolate harden either at room temperature or in the fridge. I prefer to let them cool in the fridge.

I just made my first batch of the season yesterday and can’t wait to start sharing them! Friends and family: expect to see them soon! Store them in the fridge. They last longer that way and I find them a little more enjoyable that way. They are also delicious frozen!

Here’s the easy recipe so that you can make, enjoy and share these super delicious old fashioned peanut butter balls!

For more decadent treats, try my:

A bowl of old fashioned peanut butter balls and a bowl of plain peanut butter balls.
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chocolate covered peanut butter balls in a white bowl with a bowl of plain peanut butter balls and two glasses of milk in the background

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Balls

  • Author: Natalie
  • Yield: About 100 1″ balls 1x
  • Category: Desserts
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This recipe easy, no bake recipe makes Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Balls coated in a thick layer of melted butterscotch and chocolate chips!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 cups peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted 
  • 1 package butterscotch chips
  • 1 package semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Melt the peanut butter and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly.
  2. Pour the peanut butter and butter mixture into a bowl and slowly stir in the powdered sugar. Use a spoon to start and then use your hands to make sure the ingredients are well combined. Form into 1″ balls. Chill in the fridge until firm.
  3. In a double boiler, melt the butterscotch and chocolate chips. Dip the balls into the melted mixture, turning them to coat completely.
  4. Place balls on wax paper to cool.
  5. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Keywords: peanut butter, peanut butter balls, chocolate, butterscotch, holidays

Coconut Butterscotch Bars

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A knife cutting into a batch of soft, chewy, crackly topped butterscotch bars.

This recipe for Coconut Butterscotch Bars makes the BEST butterscotch bars! You know blondies are good when you can actually SEE how chewy they are from the picture. You’ll love the unique flavor that the coconut adds and these crazy good bars happen to be one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make.

ABOUT THE RECIPE

I was flipping one of my grandmother’s recipe books the other day and found a sheet of paper with a recipe for butterscotch bars written on it. I don’t know where she got the recipe but I used it as a starting point for these bars. I changed the amount of flour and salt and added one additional ingredient: coconut.

COCONUT + VANILLA= FLAVOR!!

This recipe has 3/4 cup of coconut which is enough to give a subtle, unique flavor to this classic bar. You’ll also love the flavor the two teaspoons of vanilla gives these bars!

Brown sugar in a mixing bowl and in a measuring cup.

DELICIOUS AND CHEWY BROWN SUGAR

This recipe for coconut butterscotch bars has TWO cups of brown sugar! You can bet these bars are chewy and yummy thanks to all that brown sugar! The brown sugar also adds a sweet, delicious flavor since it has molasses in it.

I used light brown sugar. If you want more of a molasses flavor, use dark brown sugar. Curious about the difference between light and dark brown sugar? The Kitchn has a good article with EVERYTHING you may have wondered about brown sugar.

A pan filled with Coconut butterscotch bar batter.

GETTING THE BARS IN AND OUT OF THE PAN

The batter is pretty sticky and somewhat thick. It’s best to use a wooden spoon to spread it and to make sure it’s spread evenly.

The best way to get the bars out of the pan is use parchment paper that hangs over the edges of your pan. The parchment makes it possible for you to easily lift the bars out of the pan! Parchment paper also makes cleanup easier!

A close up picture of a knife cutting into freshly made coconut butterscotch bars.
Freshly baked and cut coconut butterscotch blondie bars ready to be eaten

It’s easiest to slice the bars once they’re out of the pan and while they’re still slightly warm. They can be eaten warm or at room temperature.

They are amazing served with a scoop of ice cream on top! I tried it with vanilla and it’s so, so good. Next time, I’ll add a scoop of butterscotch swirl!

a stack of moist, chewy coconut butterscotch blondie bar squares sprinkled with coconut

ADDING COCONUT

People love the unexpected taste of coconut when they bite into these bars!

To give people a hint as to what’s inside them, reserve 1/4 of the coconut and sprinkle it on top of the batter right before you put it in the oven. The coconut takes on a butterscothy color and looks so cool.

an overhead view of a stack of coconut butterscotch blondie bar squares sprinkled with coconut
a freshly baked coconut butterscotch blondie bar square with a bite taken out of it.

Depending on how you slice them, this recipe 12 large bars or up to 24 smaller pieces. You won’t believe how easy these Coconut Butterscotch Bars are to make. You almost don’t want to know how easy they are because you’ll be tempted to make them on a regular basis!

FOR MORE BUTTERSCOTCH RECIPES, TRY MY:

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sliced butterscotch bars on brown parchment paper on a cutting board

Coconut Butterscotch Blondie Bars

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 12 large or 24 small bars 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Try this recipe for quick and easy Coconut Butterscotch Blondie Bars! They’re soft and chewy and coconut and butterscotch are crazy delicious together!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 cup grated coconut
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 x 13″ baking pan and line it with parchment paper.

2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes.

4. Add the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the coconut.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Keywords: butterscotch, bars, brownies, blondies, dessert

Butterscotch Cream Cheese Cupcakes

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cupcakes with cream cheese and butterscotch chips on a cooling rack

These soft, moist Butterscotch Cream Cheese Cupcakes are topped with a decadent baked-in top layer of butterscotch chips and cream cheese! They are easy to make and are a unique, delectable treat! Butterscotch and cream cheese make an unbelievable, must-try combo!

I love butterscotch and was recently thinking about how I could incorporate it into more recipes. Since butterscotch is on the sweet side, I wanted to add it to something creamy and rich to balance out that sweetness. That something turned out to be cream cheese!

To make these treats, you’ll first prepare the batter for the tender cupcake base. The cupcakes get their extra soft moist texture from the addition of brown sugar in the batter. Once your batter is all mixed together, you pour it into your muffin tins.

cupcakes with a layer of cream cheese and butterscotch chips on a cooling rack with a jar of butterscotch chips next to them

Next, you mix your easy three-ingredient topping together. Simply mix the softened cream cheese with an egg, stir in the butterscotch chips and spoon the mixture on top of the prepared batter. Pop them into the oven and the result is a BAKED-IN LAYER of cream cheese and butterscotch on top!

I tried a few different ways of combining the cupcakes and cream cheese mixture (stuffed, melted into icing), but this is definitely the stand out version! The flavors literally melt together and look and taste amazing!

A closeup of a butterscotch and cream cheese cupcake with a butterscotch chip popping out on top and half covered with baked cream cheese on a cooling rack with other cupcakes out of focus behind it and a jar of butterscotch chips in the background

You’ll love how both ingredients peek out on top of the cupcakes and hint at the sweetness and richness inside. No need to make any additional icing and toppings since you already have it baked right in! All you need to do is eat and (hopefully) share them!

Feel like making another tasty, showstopping cupcake? Give these Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes a try! Enjoy the butterscotch chips? Here’s a cookie with equally tasty PEANUT BUTTER CHIPS!

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butterscotch and cream cheese cupcakes on a cooling rack

Butterscotch Cream Cheese Cupcakes

  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 2 dozen 1x
  • Category: Desserts
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Description

These Butterscotch Cream Cheese Cupcakes are moist cupcakes made with a delicious baked in top layer of butterscotch chips and cream cheese! 

Scale

Ingredients

CUPCAKE BASE

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light or dark brown sugar
  • 2 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ⅔ cup butter, room temperature
  • ⅔ cup milk
  • 3 eggs, room temperature

CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE

  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup butterscotch chips

Instructions

CUPCAKE BASE

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line 2 muffin tins with cupcake paper.
  2. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside
  3. In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream the butter, ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in the eggs.
  4. Alternatively add the milk and dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Set aside to prepare the cream cheese mixture.

CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE

  1. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, blend the cream cheese, egg, and ⅓ cup sugar for 2-3 minutes or until fluffy. Stir in butterscotch chips.

ASSEMBLING THE CUPCAKES

  1. Spoon the cupcake base into each muffin cup until about 1/2 full. Add a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture on top. Continue to fill all the muffin tins.
  2. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick, when inserted in the center of a cupcake, comes out clean.
  3. Allow cupcakes to cool in pan 10 minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Keywords: Butterscotch, Cream Cheese, Cupcakes, dessert, moist cupcakes,