Strawberry Cheerio Treat Bars

It’s looking like I might be that blogger who makes treat bars with every new flavor of Cheerios. I’m cool with that! My latest: Strawberry Cheerio Treat Bars.

A couple years ago I shared the recipe for my friend Emily’s Cheerio Treat Bars. This past fall I adapted that recipe using the new Pumpkin Spice Cheerios. So of course, when I spotted these new Strawberry Cheerios at the store last week, my mind immediately turned to treat bars.

However, I was on a shopping mission and didn’t give the cereal any more thought until later in the day when I got a message from my friend @SweetShadeLane on Twitter. She tweeted me an image of a box of the new Cheerios which led to a discussion of how these new treat bars should be created. While I knew that white chocolate was a must, she suggested using freeze-dried strawberries. I was immediately sold. So a big thank you to her for helping me decide on the ingredients for these Strawberry Cheerio Treat Bars.

If you’ve never made a bar like this, you need to know that they are so simple! It’s one of the reasons I love them. The process is the same as for making crispy rice treats, but a few extra ingredients are used.

White chocolate chips, corn syrup, butter, and mini marshmallows (Hey, I didn’t say these bars are healthy!) get melted in the microwave until smooth. Then the cereal goes in. I also mixed in a cup of roughly chopped freeze-dried strawberries.

Mix everything together as quickly possible because the mixture will start to stiffen up pretty fast. Pour the cheerio mixture into a greased pan and press the mixture down with your hands. Then drizzle melted white chocolate on top and sprinkle with a few more chopped freeze-dried strawberries. That’s it, folks. I told you these treats were easy.

And they’re yummy, too! They are a bright and fruity take on the classic, making them perfect for spring and summer. Plus, who doesn’t love a delicious, fantastic-looking snack that you can whip up in 15 minutes. Right?.

Makes 24 bars

Here's what you will need:
11 oz. bag (about 1 ½ cups) white chocolate chips
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
Pinch of salt
1 cup freeze-dried strawberries, roughly chopped
6 cups Strawberry Cheerios
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries, finely chopped

Lightly spray a 9x13" cake pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave white chocolate chips, light corn syrup, butter, mini marshmallows, and a pinch of salt on high for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Stir after each minute.

Add the Cheerios and 1 cup strawberries and quickly mix them in until they are evenly coated.

Press the Cheerio mixture into your prepared pan. Press with a spoon (or your hand) that's been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave. Heat at 30-second intervals, stirring in between. Heat until smooth; then stir in the cinnamon.

Add the melted white chocolate to a piping bag (or plastic baggie) and then snip off the tip to drizzle the chocolate over the bars. Sprinkle with finely chopped freeze-dried strawberries before the chocolate sets.

Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm. Slice and serve. Store in an airtight container.

Pretty, right? Those bright red strawberries made all the difference.

If you liked these bars, be sure to check out the original Cheerio Treat Bars here and my Pumpkin Spice Cheerio Treats bars here.

Now if I can come up with something for winter, we’ll have Cheerio treat bars for every season.

Enjoy!

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