I stood in front of the cupboard looking at what appeared to be quite a bit of Count Chocula.
Unfortunately, I really like Count Chocula, but rarely take the time actually sit down with a bowl and milk.
My mind wandered to a video I had watched recently of breakfast hacks and they had suggested cereal bars. I like cereal bars…
The problem is, their suggestion was to make them like one would make rice crispie treats – with marshmallows and butter. To me, that’s a delicious snack, not a breakfast bar. One can only abide by so many marshmallows before you have to stop calling it breakfast. So, after some experimentation, research, and trial, came up with the following recipes. P.s. I included the snack bar style recipe at the bottom.
Peanut Buttery Breakfast Bars:
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups dry cereal
- 1/2 cup dried fruit (optional)
- 1/2 cup nuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
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Spray 9-inch square pan with cooking spray. In large bowl add cereal and dried fruit (if using)
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In 2-quart saucepan, heat corn syrup, brown sugar and peanut butter to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
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Pour syrup mixture over cereal mixture; toss to coat. Press firmly in pan. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.
Brown Sugar Bars 
- 7 cups dry cereal
- 3/4 cup light corn syrup
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 6 Tablespoon butter or margarine
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
– Pour cereal into a large bowl. – In medium saucepan, combine syrup, sugar, and margarine and heat over medium to boil. Boil 3 minutes. – Stir in vanilla. – Pour mixture over cereal bars and stir well to coat. – Press into a greased jelly roll pan
Milk Filling for Peanut Buttery or Brown Sugar Bars
- 1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup non-fat powdered milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 -2 tablespoon hot water, as needed to thin
– cream butter and sugar with mixer – add dry milk a little at a time – stir in vanilla – blend on high until smooth, gradually adding water by the teaspoon as necessary. – To apply, spread half of your cereal mixture (for one of the other two recipes) then spread the milk mixture, then the other half of the cereal mixture.
Snack Bars
- 3 tablespoons butter
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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4 cups miniature marshmallows
- 4 cups dry cereal
- Coat a 9 x 13 inch pan with spray oil or margarine.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter or margarine over low heat. Add the vanilla. Melt the marshmallows into the margarine, stirring. Add the cereal when the marshmallows have melted; stir until cereal is coated. Quickly pour into the prepared pan. Use a sheet of waxed paper to press the mixture down flat and evenly into the pan.
- Let set for 2 to 3 hours. Cut into squares.