Scotcheroos

kanamade

Anyone ever heard of these? I know they are a sweet, but does the peanut butter count for ANY nutritional benefit?

links_slayer

Sure, but it's counteracted by all of sugar's toxic effects.

Contrarian

Sure, but it's counteracted by all of sugar's toxic effects.

Sugar is toxic?

links_slayer

Sure, but it's counteracted by all of sugar's toxic effects.

Sugar is toxic?

sure. just read the forums. lots of people post that it is. so it must be true, ldo.

NaurielR

Hmmm... looking at this recipe, http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/32202/Scotcheroos/detail.aspx, each serving (roughly 2in x 2in) has less than a tablespoon of peanut butter. (The recipe, which makes 30 servings, has 1.5 cups of peanut butter. That equals 24 tablespoons)

In comparison, there are 17 ounces of Nestle Toll House chips. That's .56 of an ounce per serving, which is a hair over 15 grams. One tablespoon of peanut butter is 16 grams.

There is one cup of granulated sugar (16 tablespoons), which comes out to roughly half a tablespoon per serving. Add to that the roughly half tablespoon of corn syrup per serving, and you end up with a full tablespoon of "sweetener" per serving.

There are six cups of puffed rice. That's 3.2 tablespoons per serving.

So, per serving, you get a scant tablespoon of peanut butter, over a tablespoon of "sweetener", and 3.2 tablespoons of puffed rice.

The peanut butter is healthy, but the sugar and corn syrup are nutritionally void. The puffed rice is somewhat void of nutrients if you're using rice crispies. You can also used puffed brown rice, which has more nutrients.

So, if you're looking to get the benefits that you would obtain from peanut butter healthy fats, moderately good protein), this isn't the best way to go. A banana with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter would translate to the same amount of calories, but with more than double the peanut butter and the added benefit of the vitamins and minerals in a banana.

I'm not saying you shouldn't have a scotcheroo because it isn't the healthiest option available. Food should be about enjoyment as well, and a scotcheroo definitely fills that requirement. I'm just saying that if you do decide to have a scotcheroo, the more nutritionally void ingredients outweigh the healthy peanut butter.

Edited because of typos

cupcakes_and_cardio

That'd be more of a treat for me, so I'd eat it because no food is off limits to me. Although, it is 260 calories per serving (which is a tiny square), so I probably wouldn't taste my calories on it, unless I'm having a "cheat" meal.