Cheerio Treats

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What’s that saying, “necessity is the mother of invention”?  That is so often the case around our house when it comes to using up food.  I try to be creative with how to use things up.  The latest food was Cheerios.  We somehow ended up with three big boxes of them and our Little Cupcake can only eat so many at a time. 😉  So I wanted to think of something to do with them.  I figured a dessert was the way to go and realized they might be a fun change of pace from the normal Rice Krispy Treat.  With some peanut butter added, they certainly were!

Let’s get to it!

Start by adding your marshmallows and butter to a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pan.  I used my homemade marshmallows, because I really enjoy the flavor and they get wonderfully gooey when melted. Store-bought works great also.

Cook them over medium heat and stir occasionally.  Once the marshmallows are melted, add the peanut butter.  Stir that in until it’s almost completely combined.

Now pour in your Cheerios.

With a large rubber spatula, stir everything together until all the Cheerios are coated in sticky marshmallow goodness.  Yummy!

Now coat a nine by thirteen inch dish with cooking spray.  Pour in the treat mixture.

Now you’re going to press the mixture into the pan.  You can do this with the rubber spatula or just use your hands.  Whichever tool you choose, spray that with cooking spray.  This stuff is very sticky so the spray helps prevent everything from sticking together.  Now press it into the pan so that you have an even layer and no holes.

Let it sit at room temp for about an hour to cool and firm up.  Now cut it into squares and enjoy!

The Cheerios have more texture and the nutty peanut butter makes them taste even more toasty.  Honestly. I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to regular Rice Krispy treats!