Yummy Special K Bars

Besides the incredible barbecue scene down here, there are few differences between Texan and Midwestern cuisine that stand out so brazenly as Texas's severe lack of dessert bars. I discovered this discrepancy this week when I made one of my all-time favorites, the Special K bar. This bar is also sometimes known as the "scotcheroo," a variation that uses Rice Krispies instead of Special K cereal. But whatever you choose to call them while in Texas, it doesn't matter; nobody knows what they are. Something must be done about this.

This recipe comes from the St. John Lutheran Church Cookbook and is credited to L. Johnson.

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Yummy Special K Bars

1 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cups white Karo syrup

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

1 tsp. vanillla

8 cups Special K cereal

1 pkg. butterscotch chips

1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Over medium heat, dissolve sugar and syrup. Add peanut butter, vanilla and Special K. Spread in a jellyroll pan. Frost with melted chocolate and butterscotch chips.

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It's an extraordinarily simple recipe with delicious results and enough sugar to melt your teeth. As a bonus, you don't even need to turn on the oven. This particular recipe has an excellent goop-to-cereal ratio that keeps the bottom half from getting too dry. The only downside to making these is that it takes the topping a few hours to harden, so the satisfaction is delayed a little while.

One thing is clear: Texas needs dessert bar education. Am I the one to do it? Perhaps my hesitance to adopt the local vernacular is holding back my credibility, so I'll say it in a way these southerners can understand: YA'LL NEED TO UP YOUR GAME.

Final rating: 5/5 long live the Special K bar