Any-Cereal Homemade Cereal Bars

Ingredients

• 6 cups cereal of choice
• 6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter
• 10 oz (283 g) mini marshmallows
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup total optional add-ins (mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, freeze-dried fruit, toasted coconut — choose up to 1/2 cup total)

Instructions

1. Line a 9×9-inch pan with parchment and lightly grease.
2. Measure cereal into a large bowl.
3. Melt butter over medium-low heat. OPTION: Continue cooking into brown butter for a nuttier flavor.
4. Reduce heat to low.
5. Add marshmallows.
6. Stir gently until almost completely melted.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Add vanilla and salt.
9. Pour over cereal.
10. Fold until coated.
11. Fold in optional additions if using.
12. Transfer to pan.
13. Press only as firmly as required for the chosen cereal.
14. Let set 45–60 minutes.
15. Cut into 16 bars.

Nutrition

Chef's Notes

USING A DIFFERENT CEREAL? Small / Tiny Cereals (crisped rice, tiny puffed cereal, small fruit-flavored cereal): • Use approximately 5 1/2–6 cups cereal. • These cereals have more surface area and may need slightly more binder relative to their volume. • Fold gently. Large Flake Cereals (corn flakes, bran flakes, large crispy flakes): • Use approximately 6 1/2–7 cups cereal. • Fold VERY gently. Use a large bowl. • Press lightly. The goal is to preserve the flakes. Oat Rings (plain or flavored toasted oat rings): • Use approximately 4 1/2–5 1/2 cups depending on density. • Either marshmallow binder OR the peanut-butter/honey variation can work especially well. Puffed Cereals: • Use approximately 5 1/2–6 cups. • Avoid excessive compression. Very Sweet Cereals: • Do not add additional sugar. • Use vanilla, salt, and brown butter to create depth rather than making the recipe sweeter. Chocolate Cereals: • Consider dark chocolate, sea salt, peanut butter, or hazelnuts as optional complementary additions. • Do not automatically add extra sugar. === PEANUT BUTTER & HONEY ALTERNATIVE FORMULA === BEST FOR: oat rings, denser cereal, less fragile cereal. INGREDIENTS: • 4 1/2–5 cups cereal • 3/4 cup (190 g) creamy peanut butter • 1/2 cup (170 g) honey • 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter • 1 tsp vanilla • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt METHOD: 1. Warm peanut butter, honey, and butter over low heat until smooth. 2. Remove from heat. 3. Add vanilla and salt. 4. Fold into cereal. 5. Press into parchment-lined 8×8 or 9×9 pan. 6. Allow to set. IMPORTANT: This is an ALTERNATIVE FORMULA. Do not combine the marshmallow and peanut-butter formulas. === WHICH BINDER SHOULD I USE? === MARSHMALLOW: • Best for: light cereal, flakes, puffed cereal, dessert-style cereal. • Texture: gooey + crisp. PEANUT BUTTER + HONEY: • Best for: oat rings, dense cereals, breakfast-style bars. • Texture: chewy + nutty. • Contains peanuts. ALLERGEN WARNING: Allergens vary depending on the cereal and optional ingredients selected. Check individual product labels. Do not claim gluten-free merely because a cereal appears oat- or rice-based. STORAGE: Store airtight at room temperature. Best within 2–3 days for marshmallow bars, 5–7 days for peanut butter bars. SCALING PAN GUIDANCE: • 0.5× (8 bars): Smaller pan (loaf pan or 8×8-inch). • 1× (16 bars): 9×9-inch square pan. • 1.5× (24 bars): 9×13-inch pan or split between pans. • 2× (32 bars): Two 9×9-inch pans. Cooking/melting time does not mathematically double. NUTRITION NOTE: Calculated per bar (1/16 of recipe) using the default marshmallow formula with crispy rice cereal as a baseline. Actual nutrition varies depending on cereal and optional additions chosen.

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