Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars

We are 2/3 of the way through summer vacation! Enthusiasm has dwindled and the kids are watching entirely too many you tube videos about slime. My planner is packed full of practices and games for summer sports. I am tired.

I also did something crazy and stupid. I decided to give up coffee. I just didn’t like being addicted to it and the pile of sugar I dumped in my mug every morning was probably not very healthy. It has been a few weeks now and I am still a little sad in the mornings. It may sound silly, but it is a little harder to drag myself out of bed in the morning because there is no coffee waiting for me!

Summer vacation was a terrible time to decaffeinate! My kids actually want me to feed them in the mornings! During the school year the older ones would rather spend extra time sleeping or getting ready than eat breakfast. Now they expect me to make something?

The other day I decided to make something ahead of time- peanut butter cheerio bars. It is kind of like a cereal bar, in my mind. I might try to make these during the school year for the older ones to grab on their way out the door.

Easy Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars Recipe

Yes, the marshmallows add sugar to an otherwise healthy-ish cereal, but peanut butter adds protein, so I like to think that it cancels out.

How to make peanut butter cheerio bars- make a batch for grab-and-go breakfasts before school!

I used plain Cheerios, but I think it would be awesome with the chocolate ones! They keep coming out with new Cheerios varieties, so this could definitely be an easily adaptable recipe.

These peanut butter cheerio bars are so easy to make!

I am sharing the recipe below. They are made similarly to rice krispie treats, but they are quite a bit harder to stir. You also have to pack them into the pan really well because the larger cereal does not compress as easily.

Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars

3 Tbsp. butter
1 bag mini marshmallws (10oz)
1/2 cup peanut butter
6 cups Cheerios

Grease a 9” x 13” baking pan. Melt butter in a large pot. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Mix in peanut butter. Add cereal and stir until it is coated. Pour into greased pan and press down into pan very well. Cool and cut into bars or other desired shape.

If you want to pin it for later…

Make these easy peanut butter cheerio bars for a quick breakfast on the go!

Here are some more breakfast recipes from days when I was not so tired: