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Gluten-free Peanut Butter Butterscotch Rice Crispy Treats (no-bake)

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Looking for a yummy 4-ingredient no-bake gluten-free dessert recipe? I’m happy to help! I’m sharing these no-bake gluten-free peanut butter butterscotch rice krispie treats today! 

Platter with no bake gluten-free treats

 These gluten-free peanut butter butterscotch crispy treats are super easy to make, needing only 4 ingredients. These have very similar flavors to my Gluten-free Scotcharoos recipe and if you like those, you’ll like these too! 

I make a treat every single Friday night as a way to end the week on a sweet note. Sometimes it’s more celebratory, after a great week or some awesome accomplishments for my husband, kids, or myself. 

Sometimes it’s a way to just say TGIF because it was a hard week! On those kinds of weeks, I don’t feel like baking either, so I often opt for making a no-bake treat.

If you love peanut butter and butterscotch and chocolate then you’ll love this treat! 

Ingredients for no bake gluten-free crispy treats

Notes on ingredients and substitutions for gluten-free peanut butter butterscotch crispy treats:

  • Don’t use regular “Rice Krispies” or generic crispy rice cereal as those aren’t gluten-free due to the malt (barley) in them. You want to make sure to buy a gluten-free crispy rice cereal. I always buy Nature’s Path Organic Crispy Rice cereal which is easy for me to find locally or buy a 6 pk here on Amazon. There are some other brands that make good gluten-free rice cereals including Malt o Meal Crispy Rice. There are others that I have tried that I didn’t care for like Erewhon. Kellogg’s used to make a gluten-free Rice Krispies cereal too, but it was discontinued here in the US. Look closely at the ingredient label for malt, wheat, or barley listed no matter what brand you buy, as ingredients can change and they also vary from country to country even with the same brand. 
  • Peanut Butter: I’ve had success with pretty much every kind of peanut butter in this – natural, regular, different brands. If you want to add some crunch, you can even use crunchy peanut butter.
  • Butterscotch chips: Check and then double-check your butterscotch chips for gluten as well. Some popular brands like Nestle previously had barley added to their butterscotch chips (they recently changed this but there might still be bags of previous formula in circulation). The gluten-free butterscotch chips I use the most are Guittard butterscotch baking chipsHershey’s butterscotch chips are also clearly labeled gluten-free.
  • Chocolate Chips: You can use your favorite chocolate chips here. If you love milk chocolate, then use milk chocolate chips. If you love semi-sweet like I do, then use those. I used Guittard semisweet chocolate baking chips.

If you wanted to make these extra peanut buttery, then you can mix in 2 Tbsp. peanut butter in with the melted chocolate that you drizzle on top.

How to make these:

In a 3 quart saucepan, you’ll combine the butterscotch chips and peanut butter. Cook over low until smooth, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Stir in the gluten-free crisp rice cereal until it’s all mixed in and coated well.

Use a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon to scoop out balls of this crispy mixture – Press the scoop against the inside of the pan as you scoop so that it packs it in tight, which will help them stay together. Release the scoop onto wax paper. I like to put my wax paper on a large jelly roll pan so I can move the pan of them as needed and not worry about them all sliding off onto the floor. 

If any of the bites fall apart, just press together with your fingers. 

Let these set while you prepare the chocolate topping.

In a small glass bowl, microwave the chocolate in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted, smooth, and shiny.

Now you can decide how you want to top your no bake bites with chocolate!

Topping the bites with chocolate:

You can either dip the bites in chocolate, fill a pastry bag or ziploc bag to drizzle chocolate on them, or just put a dallop of melted chocolate on each. Try a few to see what you like best or what’s easiest given the amount of time you have!

Here’s how I did the ones where I drizzled the chocolate on:

Making gluten-free no bake peanut butter crispy treats

I added the melted chocolate to a pastry bag (the type you fill with frosting for cupcakes), and snipped the tip off of them. Then I just squeezed gently to drizzle it back and forth over each one.

Pan of Gluten-free no bake treats with drizzled chocolate

Here’s how I did the ones where I spooned the melted chocolate on using a 1/2 teaspoon measurer to scoop and spread with the back of it:

Chocolate topped gluten-free no bake peanut butter treats

If you want to make these even easier, you can spread the cereal mixture into a greased 8×8 glass pan and then just drizzle or spread the chocolate over them for butterscotch peanut butter rice krispie bars.

I make these year round since they’re a fun treat for our family and friends.

I make these in the summer when I don’t want to heat up the oven. They’re fun to bring along to a bbq (as long as it isn’t too hot outside so the chocolate isn’t all melty and messy).

Platter with about 2 dozen Gluten-free Peanut Butter Butterscotch Crispy Bites

I make these at Christmas time when I want an easy no bake gluten-free treat to add to platters for holiday parties. Or package up some in a cute box to give as a gift.

If you’re looking for other easy gluten-free desserts that are no bake, then be sure to check out my no bake gluten-free S’mores cookies, and my no bake gluten-free raspberry pie. And of course, everyone needs a good gluten-free Rice Krispie Treats recipe.

Whether you’re celebrating, packaging them up to give away, or just looking for a fun treat for a group of kids, I think you’ll find these sweet bites to be a yummy no-bake gluten-free treat.

No Bake Gluten-free PB Butterscotch Bites on platter with chocolate drizzle

If you make these and love them, please come back and give this recipe a 5 star rating in the recipe card! Feel free to comment with tips or to share any successful substitutions you made.

Recipe adapted from peanut butterscotch bites Kellogg’s.

Yield: 56 bites

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Butterscotch Rice Crispy Treat Bites (no-bake)

Platter with no bake gluten-free treats

Easy no bake treats that are bite-sized. They're like chocolate topped peanut butter butterscotch rice krispie treats. Gluten-free, only 4 ingredients!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Additional Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butterscotch morsels
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3 cups gluten-free crispy rice cereal
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

Instructions

  1. In a 3 quart saucepan, combine the butterscotch chips and peanut butter. Cook over low until smooth, stirring constantly.
  2. Remove from heat. Stir in the gluten-free crisp rice cereal until it's all mixed in and coated well.
  3. Use a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon to scoop out balls of this crispy mixture. Press the scoop against the inside of the pan as you scoop so that it packs it in tight, which will help them stay together. Release the scoop onto wax paper. I like to put my wax paper on a large jelly roll pan so I can move the pan of them as needed and not worry about them all sliding off onto the floor. 
  4. If any of the bites fall apart, just press together with your fingers. 
  5. Let these set while you prepare the chocolate topping.
  6. In a small glass bowl, microwave the chocolate in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted, smooth, and shiny.
  7. Now you can decide how you want to top your no bake bites with chocolate!
  8. You can either dip the bites in chocolate, fill a pastry bag or ziploc bag to drizzle chocolate on them, or just put a dallop of melted chocolate on each. Try a few to see what you like best or what's easiest given the amount of time you have!

Notes

If you want to make these even easier, you can spread the cereal mixture into an oil-sprayed 8x8 glass pan and then just drizzle or spread the chocolate over them for butterscotch peanut butter rice crispy bars.

Pin this to your gluten-free treats or snacks board on Pinterest:

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Butterscotch Crispy Treats on platter

I hope you and your family enjoy these as much as mine!

Click to share this with your friends or family!

Gluten-free Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

Friday 15th of April 2022

[…] also make these gluten-free butterscotch rice crispy treats all the time. I love no bake treats like both of […]

Christine

Sunday 3rd of October 2021

Any suggestions for dairy free, gluten free butterscotch chips?

Christine Tusher

Monday 31st of August 2020

I can't wait to make these with my son! Have you tried letting them cool in silicone molds? I'm thinking about making some pumpkin-shaped treats for Halloween!

Katerina

Monday 15th of June 2020

These look absolutely delicious, Michelle! I love how easy these are to put together, and they look like the perfect party treat!

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