Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Treats

Here’s a fun twist on our best Rice Krispie Treats recipe made using Cinnamon Toast Crunch. These crispy and chewy Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Treats are absolutely fabulous and so easy to make.

Experimenting with new kid’s cereal treat flavors is so much fun.

So far, I’ve made Fruit Loops Cereal Bars, Fruity Pebbles Marshmallow Cereal Treats, Reese’s Puffs Cereal Treats, and my favorite, until now, Cap’n Crunch Cereal Treats. 

These new Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars have now taken over the number one spot on my list.

I hate to admit it but I ate the entire pan of these treats this week. I’m guessing you might just do the same thing!

The crispy cinnamon-flavored cereal makes a great substitute for Rice Krispies in a gooey marshmallow cereal treat. 

I just know you will love the flavor of these treats especially if you use European-style salted butter and Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows to make them.

Why, European-style butter? It’s all about the flavor!

Cereal treats made using European butter will have a richer flavor and creamier texture.

American Butter VS. European Butter

• Compare European Butter and American Butter

  • American butter has a higher water content than European butter.
  • European butter and has a higher butterfat content than American butter.
  • Butter made in Europe must have a minimum butterfat content of 82% while butter made in America only needs to have 80%.
  • While that may not seem significant, when you melt the butter to make your treats, more water will be evaporated from American butter leaving you with less butterfat, which means less flavor.

Marshmallows.

• When we created the very first recipe for this website, we had over 20 people taste test over 20 versions of the traditional Rice Krispie Treat recipe and found that tasters preferred the flavor and texture of Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows in their treats. 
• Tasters commented that the cereal treats made using Jet-Puffed Marshmallows had a wonderful vanilla flavor without being overly sweet. They also had the perfect chew. When tasters pulled the treats apart they were gooey but not overly sticky.
• If you use another brand of marshmallow take note that:
  • We found store-brand marshmallows to be stickier and were much more difficult to blend with the cereal. 
  • If you use store-brand marshmallows (like Kroger and Walmart) add more cereal (1/2 – 1 cup extra) so that our treats won’t be overly sticky. 

How many cups of marshmallows?

We found that every brand of marshmallows is different. Some are denser than others. So when making these Cinnamon Toast Crunch treats it’s best to use a 10-ounce bag of marshmallows. But you can measure them out if needed. 

Mini Marshmallows:

• Each cup of mini marshmallows weighs approximately 1.67 ounces.
• A 10-ounce bag contains 6 cups of mini marshmallows.
• A 16-ounce bag contains 9 2/3 cups of mini marshmallows.

NOTE:

• For some reason, Kellogg’s original Rice Krispie Treat recipe says there are 4 cups of mini marshmallows in a 10-ounce bag. We’ve weighed and measured this many times and there are definitely 6 cups in 10 ounces.

Standard (large) Marshmallows:

• Each large marshmallow is approximately 0.24 ounces.
  • 7-8 marshmallows = 1 cup of mini marshmallows
• There are approximately 40-48 marshmallows in a 10-ounce bag.
•  There are approximately 64-70 marshmallows in a 16-ounce bag.
• Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows are lighter than some other brands. If using them you’ll need 40 marshmallows for a recipe calling for 10 ounces and 64 for a 16-ounce recipe.

Let’s make some Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars!

Instructions:

• Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with butter or nonstick baking spray.
• Grease the inside of a large mixing bowl with butter or non-stick baking spray then pour in the 6 cups of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.
• Set the bowl aside until needed. 

Stove-top method

• Begin to melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan set over low heat.
  Then stir in the 10 ounces of marshmallows and allow them to melt, stirring often, until about 75% have melted.
• Remove the marshmallows from the heat and stir, smashing them, until they are completely melted.
  • If you remove the pan from the heat when the marshmallows are not fully melted the residual heat will continue to melt them. 
  • If marshmallows are overheated the sugar will begin to crystalize which in turn will create hard treats.

• Pour the marshmallow mixture over the cereal and toss to coat evenly.
• Spread the cereal mixture into the prepared pan.
• Press down gently to flatten the mixture into an even layer. 
• Then set the pan aside for at least 1 hour in order for the marshmallow cereal treats to cool before cutting into 16 squares.

Microwave Cinnamon Toast Crunch Treats Recipe

• Combine the butter and marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl.
• Heat on high power for 1 minute then remove and stir until the melted butter blends with the marshmallows.
• Keep stirring until the marshmallows melt.
• If needed, reheat for 15-second increments, stirring after each until the marshmallows are fully melted.
• Once again, you do not want to overheat the marshmallows! 
• Pour over the cereal and stir until the cereal becomes well blended with the marshmallows. 
• Then spread the cereal mixture into a prepared pan. 
• Give the cereal treats time to cool before cutting.

Be sure to watch the video to see how easy this recipe is to make. 

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Treats

Beth Klosterboer

Crispy and chewy Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Treats have a nice cinnamon flavor and gooey marshmallow texture.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Calories 131 kcal

Equipment

• 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan
• large mixing bowl
• medium-large saucepan

Ingredients

  

• 6 cups of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
• 4 tablespoons of European style salted butter
• 10 ounces Kraft jet puffed marshmallows

Instructions

 

• Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with butter or nonstick baking spray.
• Grease the inside of a large mixing bowl with butter or non-stick baking spray then pour in the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.
• Begin to melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over low heat.
• Then stir in the marshmallows and allow them to melt, stirring often, until about 75% have melted.
• Remove the marshmallows from the heat and stir, smashing them, until they are completely melted.
• This keeps your marshmallows from overheating which causes the sugar to caramelize and makes your treats too hard.
• Pour the marshmallow mixture over the cereal and toss to coat evenly.
• Spread cereal mixture into the prepared pan then set aside for at least 1 hour in order for it to cool before cutting into 16 squares.

Notes

• Store the treats in an airtight container for up to 1 week. 
• Optional Microwave Method:
  • Heat the butter and marshmallows on high for one minute then remove and stir until melted and smooth. 
  • Heat for an additional 15-second burst of high power, only if needed. 
  • Pour over the cereal and continue with the recipe listed above. 

Keyword cereal treats, marshmallows, rice krispie treats

Storage

• These treats are best served the day they are made but will stay nice and fresh if stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week and possibly longer. I ate my final treat on day 7 and it was still crispy and delicious!
• If you’d like to make these treats in advance you may freeze them.
• See our Rice Krispie Treat FAQ for information regarding freezing and storage. 

More Recipes

You might also like these other cereal treat recipes:

Lucky Charms Cereal Treats

Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats

Neapolitan Rice Krispie Treats

Apple Cinnamon Rice Krispie Treats