Add protein powder to your scotcheroos for a protein-boost dessert recipe!

adminsr January 7, 2024

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These protein scotcheroos are made in 30 minutes with a short list of whole ingredients. They pack protein powder in both the chocolate topping and scotcheroo base. Enjoy!

A sheet of chocolate bars on a white plate.

These Protein Scotcheroos are part of our 2024 Protein Dessert Series. If you make this recipe, snap a photo and upload it to the comment section to enter for a chance to win a Power XL Air Fryer! You’ll also be entered into a greater giveaway for this series — a $500 lululemon shopping spree! Winners will be chosen on January 31.

As midwesterners, we love a good dessert bar, and thee protein scotcheroos are sure to impress. Not only do they pack that butterscotch and chocolate-y flavor you love, but we’ve added chocolate protein powder to both the rice crispie base snd chocolate topping.

What’s in these Protein Scotcheroos?

These protein scotcheroos are composed of two layers, a peanut butter rice crispie layer and a chocolate layer. The peanut butter layer consists of rice crispies tossed in peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, and of course, protein powder.

And the chocolate layer packs butterscotch and semi sweet chocolate chips, coconut oil, and protein powder that all melts down to the most gorgeously glossy chocolate topping.

Oats, chocolate chips, peanut butter and other ingredients in bowls on a white background.

Substitutions & Variations

Chocolate chips: you can use a dairy-free chocolate chip or milk chocolate. We don’t recommend removing the butterscotch chips as they are crucial to the flavor.
Protein powder: we tested this recipe with collagen powder, too, and that worked great. Feel free to use any kind and any flavor. Chocolate would be delicious!

You can also mix up how you cut these bars. Triangles would be fun! Or you can make them smaller to be more bite-sized to serve a crowd, too.

Chocolate chips in a bowl with a wooden spoon.

Top Tips

We recommend a double boiler for melting the chocolate for this recipe because it helps ensure even melting, and is the best way to avoid burning the chocolate. A double boiler consists of two stacked pots: the lower pot holds simmering water, and the upper pot sits inside it.

The heat from the simmering water in the lower pot gently and evenly transfers to the contents in the upper pot. Essentially, it’s a way to heat things slowly and evenly without direct contact with the heat source. If you don’t have two pots, you can use a pot and a metal bowl, as well.

Add coconut oil as necessary. If the peanut butter used is not oily enough, you may need to use more coconut oil to smooth out the peanut butter mixture.

A chocolate sauce being poured over oats in a baking dish.

Storage + Freezer Instructions

After slicing the scotcheroos, store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. We don’t recommend storing these at room temperature as the coconut oil will cause the bar to not hold its shape.

We recommend storing these scotcheroo bars in the freezer as they will last the longest. We have them in a gallon-size bag and that works great!

A close up of chocolate squares on a white plate.

A stack of chocolate peanut butter granola bars.

A plate of chocolate granola bars on a white surface.

Protein Scotcheroos

Our protein scotcheroos feature protein powder in both the peanut butter layer and chocolate layer. They’re the perfect sweet treat that pack 9g of protein per bar!

Prep:15 minutes

Cook:15 minutes

Total:30 minutes

Fat 21

Carbs 31

Protein 9

Ingredients

Peanut Butter Layer

2 cups all-natural drippy peanut butter
¾ cup honey
1 tablespoon coconut oil
⅓ cup vanilla protein powder we used Whey Garden of Life
6 cups rice crispies

Instructions

Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Heat the peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir to combine and heat until melted and becomes glossy.
Remove from the heat and add the protein powder, rice crispies, and the peanut butter mixture to a large mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon or wet your hands and mix until combined.
Pour the rice-crispy mixture into the lined pan. Press the rice crispies firmly down to the bottom of the pan with your hands. Set aside.
Set up a double boiler on the stovetop.* Heat the pot over medium/low heat. Add the coconut oil, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips to the top pot. When the mixture begins to melt, stir the ingredients constantly until the mixture is melted and becomes glossy.
Slowly add the chocolate protein powder to the melted chocolate, stirring until combined before adding more protein powder. When all of the protein powder has been added and mixed in, remove from heat.
Pour the chocolate over the rice crispies and use a spatula to evenly distribute. Sprinkle on coarse sea salt, if desired.
Place the pan in the refrigerator until set.
Serve immediately or store on the countertop for softer bars or in the refrigerator for a firmer bar.

Tips & Notes

A double boiler is a kitchen tool used for gentle and indirect heating of foods or liquids. It consists of two stacked pots: the lower pot holds simmering water, and the upper pot sits inside it. The heat from the simmering water in the lower pot gently and evenly transfers to the contents in the upper pot. Essentially, it’s a way to heat things slowly and evenly without direct contact with the heat source. If you don’t have two pots, you can use a pot and a metal bowl, as well.
If the peanut butter used is not oily enough, you may need to use more coconut oil to smooth out the peanut butter mixture.
Be careful not to heat both the peanut butter and chocolate mixture over too high of heat to avoid burning.