Grandma Cookies

Four ingredients, no oven, and every kid who’s ever stood on a step stool in their grandma’s kitchen has made these. Chocolate chips and butterscotch chips melted together with peanut butter create a sweet, rich coating that gets stirred with crisp rice cereal until every piece is covered. Spoon them onto wax paper, chill, done.

The butterscotch-chocolate combination is what sets these apart from a plain chocolate crispy. Butterscotch adds a caramel sweetness and a slightly creamy quality that smooths out the chocolate and makes the peanut butter taste richer.

Add the cereal gradually and stir gently. You want each piece coated but not crushed into crumbs. The crunch is the whole point.

Kitchen Tips

• Melt the chips and peanut butter slowly over low heat or in a double boiler. Chocolate scorches easily and turns grainy if the heat is too high.
• Stir in the rice cereal while the mixture is still warm but not hot. Too hot and the cereal gets soggy. Too cool and the mixture seizes up and won’t coat evenly.
• Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to drop uniform portions onto wax paper. Consistent size means even chilling and better presentation.
• Store in the refrigerator. The peanut butter and chips soften at room temperature, and the cookies lose their shape.

Variations

• White chocolate version: Swap the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips for a sweeter, creamier take.
• Pretzel crunch: Replace one cup of the rice cereal with crushed pretzels for a salty-sweet contrast.
• Coconut addition: Fold in half a cup of shredded coconut with the cereal for extra texture and tropical flavor.