Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal bars give Rice Krispie treats an upgrade simply by switching out the base. These bars make a perfect lunchbox treat for the kids.

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Cinnamon Toast Crunch is one of our favorite cereals.

And when I was a kid, they came in bar form for breakfast or snacks on the go.

One weekday morning after pouring everyone’s bowls, I had an epiphany.

Why not make my own cereal bars?!

I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before.

The boys LOVED these.

And what’s not love?

Crunchy cinnamon cereal held together with ooey gooey marshmallows.

Yes, please!

Ingredients

Cereal– Cinnamon Toast Crunch is the cereal of choice for these bars. But you could use other cereal instead if you would rather like Cinnamon Chex or Golden Grahams. You could even use a mixture.
Marshmallows– I like to use mini marshmallows instead of the big ones. 4 cups miniature marshmallows
Butter– Salted butter, melted. I will always recommend salted butter in baked goods.

The above ingredients are the must have, but you can kick these yummy treat bars up another notch by dipping them and/or drizzling them in melted white chocolate.

To do that you need these option ingredients:

White chocolate chips– You could also use a baking bar of white chocolate.
Coconut oil– Don’t have coconut oil? You could use a bit of canola or olive oil instead.

How to Make

Making these is basically like making Rice Krispie treats but with Cinnamon Toast Crunch instead.

To do it, spray a 9×13″ baking dish or 9×9″ baking pan with cooking spray.

Then, melt the butter in a large pot over low heat.

When the butter is melted, add the marshmallows and cook them over medium-low heat until marshmallows are completely melted and smooth.

Once marshmallows are melted, remove pot from heat and add cereal to the pot, stirring to coat.

Press the mixture into the prepared pan and let cool completely.

When set, cut into bars and serve.

How to Add the White Chocolate

To add the white chocolate, cut the mixture into bars,

Then, put the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds.

After 30 seconds, remove it from the microwave and stir.

Then put the white chocolate back into the microwave and microwave in 15 second increments, stirring after each one, until the chocolate is smooth.

I like to stir in just a small amount of coconut oil to make the chocolate smooth and shiny.

Then, dip the bottom of each bar into the melted white chocolate.

Place the dipped bars onto a baking tray lined with wax or parchment paper until the chocolate sets.

While the bars are on the baking sheet, spoon extra white chocolate over the undipped side of the bars.

Do I Have To Add Chocolate To My Cereal Bars?

Nope, this step is completely optional! We make them with and without, and they’re delicious either way.

We started adding chocolate years ago to make them more of a copycat of the General Mill’s brand of cinnamon toast crunch treats you see in stores.

We love the white chocolate, keeping with the original flavor profile, but have also made these using regular chocolate and it’s equally delicious. So in that regard go with preference, or what you have on hand.

Also, if you don’t want to mess with chocolate chips and coconut oil, I highly recommend using chocolate or white chocolate melting wafers.

They need no extra ingredients to ensure maximum melt & creaminess and the instructions for using them are very easy to follow.

Storing

Store these cereal bars in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.

Tips and Tricks

Don’t want to use the stove at all to make these bars? Put the marshmallows and butter in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds or until the marshmallows puff up and the butter is melted. Then stir the marshmallows until smooth.
Make sure you spray the bottom of the tray liberally with cooking spray so the bars don’t get stuck.
When you press the bars into the tray, spray some cooking spray on your hands to keep your hands from getting cereal stuck to them.

Other Easy Cereal Treats

These Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal bars are a hit each time I make them! Whip up a batch to treat your kids to a sweet surprise today.

Looking for other easy cereal treats? Try these:

If you’ve tried these CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH CEREAL BARS, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!