S’mores Cereal Bars (with Peanut Butter)

It’s that time of year when everybody around me is getting summer fever. The minute it gets above 60 degrees, everyone is pulling out their summer clothing and they just can’t wait to get in their yards and get those flowers planted. I wish I felt their excitement, but unfortunately, I don’t. I cling to my hoodies as long as I can and reluctantly pull out my sun hats to keep me from burning and to hide the fact that the humidity of summer renders my beloved hair straightener useless. In all this, I have found one thing I like about summer. Like isn’t even the right word, more like one thing I adore about summer, and that one thing is s’mores. They are so delicious they almost make up for all the things I dislike about summer.

However, we do have a gas stove so I can make s’mores even in the winter (take that summer!), but as with everything I truly love, I get a bit obsessed. I try to make just about everything s’mores flavored and I go crazy on Pinterest just searching for s’mores recipes that I could make. As usual, I end up making up my very own recipes to suit what I’m craving. This is a spin off of traditional golden graham bars and it was definitely a hit!

Also, peanut butter is a guest star in this recipe. I originally made it with 1/4c. light corn syrup instead of good ol’ PB, but a friend suggested that I add peanut butter. At least that’s what I heard. You can just sneeze really loud and I’ll think I heard you say “This needs peanut butter!” because peanut butter is my lifelong food partner.

Is this picture not incredible?! They actually make s’mores cereal! Yes friends, this means you can have s’mores for breakfast and be socially acceptable at the same time! Of course for the purposes of this recipe, we’re just going to coat it in even more sugar……and probably have it for breakfast anyway.

Now, before I actually delve into the recipe, I want to zero in on this half cup full of chocolate. Notice how there are two different kinds. This was on purpose. I can’t remember where I read it, but there was a baker that suggested using different sized pieces of chocolate so the different textures would add some more variety to your chocolatey masterpiece. I believe they were discussing cookies, but I took it to heart and when I use chocolate pieces of any sort, I try to use different sizes or textures. Of course if all you have is regular chocolate chips I am sure this will turn out just as tasty. It’s just a little tip I’ve been using lately that I wanted to share with you all.

To start our awesome bars off, melt a full stick of butter in a large pot. And I mean as large of a pot as you can. Maybe it’s just me, but I tend to end up with more food on the stove than in my dish. A pan the size of a small well definitely cuts down on this problem for me. After your butter is melted, stir in a full 16oz. bag of marshmallows. I used mini marshmallows but if all you have in the big ones I think they would work just about the same. Add in some vanilla extract and toss the marshmallows in the butter until it all liquefies. Once it’s nice an smooth, turn off the heat and stir in the peanut butter until the mixture is smooth.

For this recipe, I stirred in about 11 cups of cereal, but it’s really all up to you. The more cereal you use, the more crunchy it will be. Mine turned out just a little bit on the crunchy side, but not too crunchy. You can use a cup more or less depending on your personal preferences. At this point, the mixture is still pretty warm, but its cooled down enough that I decided to add in the chocolate pieces. It will still melt them so be careful when folding them in because you want them to kind of hold their shape. As always, even if you completely liquefy them, it will still be delicious because it’s chocolate and nobody complains about that. And if they do, that just means more for you!

At this point, I have to give a shutout to my good friend parchment paper. I just roughly measured it, placed it on the dish, and poured the gooey goodness right on top. It lifts out of the dish like a charm and it’s super easy to clean up the dish afterward. I recommend pressing the cereal mixture into the pan with your hands to create a nice finish. Before doing this, you can give your hands a quick spray of nonstick cooking spray to keep them from ending up as part of the dish. Trust me- you definitely want to spray them! After it’s all mashed in there, mash in a few chocolate pieces for a nice finish and an excuse to add more chocolate!

This treat is so easy to make and it’s pretty low cost too. I made it for an event and it was a huge hit. This is perfect to take to summer picnics and it’s great for busy parents to throw together if their child has a school function. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser and it can make up to 24 bars, depending on how you cut it.

If you have a s’mores recipe that you swear by, do me a huge favor and drop it here!

S’mores Cereal Bars with Peanut Butter

• 10-12 c. S’mores Cereal
• 1 16oz. bag marshmallows
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2c. peanut butter
• 1/2 c. chocolate pieces, plus more for garnish

In a large pot, melt butter on low-medium heat. Once butter is melted, add in marshmallows and vanilla. Stir until the entire mixture is liquefied. Turn off heat and stir in peanut butter until thoroughly combined. Add in cereal and fold until it is evenly coated in the marshmallow mixture. Add more cereal for a crunchier bar. Next, gently fold in the chocolate pieces a few times just until they are dispersed throughout the mix. Pour the mix into a 13×9 dish lined with parchment paper. Buttering the dish will also work if you don’t have parchment paper. Spray your hand with nonstick cooking spray and press the mixture down into the dish. Press in some additional chocolate pieces for garnish and allow to set up overnight. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container. Also tastes delicious refrigerated, although refrigeration is not required.