Cocoa Puff Cereal Bars are quick and easy, no bake bars made with crunchy cereal, gooey marshmallow, and extra chocolate deliciousness. This recipe is wonderful when made with gluten free and vegan ingredients too!
Why you'll love this recipe
Crunchy cereal bars are so delicious and simple to make, they are sure to become an instant favorite. With just 4 ingredients, these are treats you can easily throw together in minutes for a quick snack.
Adding chocolate to the standard marshmallow bar has a few advantages. Obviously, adding extra chocolate flavor is a plus. Also, the chocolate-marshmallow mixture stays chewy and fresh longer than marshmallow alone which tends to get dry in just a few days.
This recipe is easily adaptable for dietary requirements. Make Cocoa Puff bars with ingredients that are gluten free, dairy free, and vegan.
Ingredients
- The bars in the photos are made with regular marshmallows. Vegan marshmallows (such as Dandies brand) can be used, but the bars will not be shiny.
- Nature's Path Envirokidz Cocoa Chimps cereal is gluten free and made with ethically sourced ingredients including fairly traded cocoa.
- Chocolate chips are an optional ingredient. The added chocolate makes the texture of the bars slightly less chewy than marshmallow only bars, but the bars remain chewy longer.
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Pour cocoa puffs cereal to a greased, large bowl.
- Place the butter in a large saucepan over low heat to melt. Add the marshmallows and mix continually until most (not all) of the marshmallows have melted. Remove from the heat. Mix in the chocolate chips. Continue stirring until the chips and marshmallows are completely melted.
- Pour the marshmallow mixture over the cereal and mix with a silicone spatula until the cereal is coated.
- Press mixture into a greased, 8x8 baking dish, then set aside to firm before cutting.
Storage
Wrap individual cereal treats in plastic wrap and store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freezing is recommended. For longer shipping times, vacuum sealing is recommended.
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Tips and variations
- For chewy treats, marshmallows MUST be melted slowly in order to keep the sugars from caramelizing. Don't rush the melting process.
- This recipe can be made with vegan marshmallows (Dandies brand) by mixing 1 tablespoon of water into the melted marshmallows. The top of the bars will not be shiny.
- The shiny look of these bars is due to corn syrup in regular marshmallows. To give a sheen (still not the same shine) to bars made with vegan marshmallows, add 2 tablespoons of corn syrup to the melted marshmallows.
- Margarine or vegan butter can be used instead of butter.
- Try this recipe with other flavors of baking chips, such as peanut butter chips, cinnamon chips, or butterscotch chips.
Frequently asked questions
No. General Mills brand Cocoa Puffs contain wheat products and are made in factories that produce other wheat products.
To make homemade, gluten free cocoa puffs bars, use a gluten free cereal such as Nature's Path Envirokids Cocoa Chimps available at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Target.
General Mills brand Cocoa Puffs bars don't contain gelatin, however, homemade cereal bars with marshmallows do contain gelatin.
For homemade bars without gelatin use vegan marshmallows such as Dandies brand available in many supermarkets.
More cereal snack recipes
Cereal Cookies are deliciously crispy treats using with your choice of favorite cereal.
Granola Bars are an energy boosting, portable chewy cereal bar! This no bake recipe is great for after school snack.
Crispy rice cereal is the secret ingredient in Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies, giving them irresistible crunch and flavor.
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies are one of the best cocoa puff cereal recipes! Melted peanut butter and chocolate mixed with chocolate cereal for a bite sized, quick and easy treat for any occasion.
Frosted Flakes Cookies are thin, crisp, and crunchy sugar cookies coated in crushed cereal.
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Cocoa Puff Cereal Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups cocoa puffs cereal I use Envirokidz Choco Chimps
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter vegan butter or margarine can also be used
- 10 ounces marshmallows see note if using vegan marshmallows
- ½ cup chocolate chips semisweet
Instructions
- Using butter, margarine, or nonstick cooking spray, grease a large mixing bowl and an 8" x 8" baking pan.
- Add the cocoa puff cereal to the greased bowl.
- Place the butter in a large saucepan over low heat to melt.
- Add the marshmallows and mix continually until most (not all) of the marshmallows have melted. Remove from the heat.
- Mix in the chocolate chips and continue stirring until the chips and marshmallows are completely melted.
- Pour the marshmallow mixture over the cereal and mix with a silicone spatula until the cereal is coated.
- Press the cereal mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- Allow to firm at room temperature for about one hour before removing from the pan and cutting into bars.
- Wrap individual cereal bars in plastic wrap and store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freezing is recommended.
Notes
- For chewy treats, marshmallows MUST be melted slowly in order to keep the sugars from caramelizing. Don't rush the melting process.
- This recipe can be made with vegan marshmallows (Dandies brand) by mixing 1 tablespoon of water into the melted marshmallows. The bars will not be shiny.
- The shiny look of these bars is due to corn syrup in regular marshmallows. To give a sheen (still not the same shine) to bars made with vegan marshmallows, add 2 tablespoons of corn syrup to the melted marshmallows.
- Margarine or vegan butter can be used instead of butter.
- Try this recipe with other flavors of baking chips, such as peanut butter chips, cinnamon chips, or butterscotch chips.
- Wrap individual cereal bars in plastic wrap and stack in a freezer weight ziplock plastic bag or in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- For longer shipping times, vacuum sealing is recommended.
cindy
These treats look so delicious Wendy. I have to tell you that your photography skills have really been improving. Love the lighting on the first image. There highlights from the chocolate are beautiful. And I love the composition in. the image where they are stacked up. Really wonderful.