Nice ‘n Crunchy Cheerio Snack Bars

The best thing about the holidays? Getting time off work to spend with family and friends.

The worst thing about holidays? The cooking!

No matter how good the dish is, there’s always a pile of dishes leftover in the sink after company leaves, and that’s no fun for anyone. So this holiday season, here’s a quick recipe that can be prepared with only two dishes! And even better…no baking required!

Cookware
-Soup pot, the bigger the better
-7×11 or 9×13 baking dish

Ingredients
-5-6 cups of Cheerios (any kind, but I prefer Honey Nut!)
-1 10 oz bag of MINI marshmallows (try peppermint for a fun holiday twist!)
-3 tablespoons Smart Balance/butter
-1/8 cup chocolate morsels for drizzling (optional but delicious)
-1 teaspoon coconut oil (for the chocolate)

Steps

1. Put the butter in the pot and set it to low heat. Wait until the butter is at least partially melted.
2. Throw in the bag of marshmallows. Make sure they’re the mini kind – sometimes the jumbo marshmallows won’t dissolve all the way and leave lumps that can turn it from ooey gooey to just messy.
3. Stir the marshmallows until they’re completely dissolved and then turn off the heat.
4. Add in 5-6 cups of Cheerios, usually around 3/4 of the box and stir until mixed together.
5. Carefully (the sides of the pot may still be hot!) remove the Cheerio mixture and scoop into baking pan. It may be a little difficult getting it out of the pot – it’s really sticky!
6. Butter up your hands/spoon and press down firmly to make them compact. Depending on the size of your baking dish, you’ll either have thinner bars (9×13) or thicker bars (7×11).
7. Wait until cool before cutting and serving.

Optional Chocolate Drizzle:

1. Take 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and 1/8 cup of chocolate morsels (any kind!) and put them in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Heat until melted and smooth.
3. Take a fork and drizzle over bars as desired.

I personally love these bars because of the crunch. I prefer mine the thicker the better, almost to the point where it’s like I’m chewing on an apple. In the picture on the right, you can see they’re pretty thick. If that’s what you’re looking for, double the recipe above (that’s why I said the bigger the pot the better!) and use a 9×13 pan. It should fill it all the way to the top.

I hope you enjoy them! Happy holidays!

Nutrition facts for one 12-piece recipe, no chocolate drizzle:

Allergy Concerns
Dairy Free (if using Smart Balance)
Gluten Free
Egg Free
Nut Free
Soy Free