Cocoa Puffs Cereal Bar

These crunchy Cocoa Puff cereal bars are loaded with gooey marshmallows and decadent chocolate and can be made in about 15 minutes using just 4 ingredients. 

These chocolatey cereal treats are easy enough to make for an afternoon snack but taste decadent enough to serve for an after-dinner dessert. 

If you are cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, you will definitely want to try out this Cocoa Puffs cereal treats recipe. 

It combines the chocolate-flavored corn and rice puffed cereal with marshmallows, butter, and chocolate chips to create a crispy and chewy treat. 

Oh, and it's super easy to make in about 15 minutes if you use the stovetop and in less than 10 minutes if you use the microwave. 

How good does that chocolate & marshmallow coated cereal look? My mouth waters every time I look at that picture!

You could use our traditional rice krispie treat recipe and make these treats using just butter and marshmallows, but I wanted the treats to be extra chocolatey, so I stirred some chocolate chips into the melted marshmallows. Yum! 

I personally wouldn't skip the chocolate. They really elevate the flavor of these treats.

I hope you love them as much as I did! 

Have questions about making cereal treats? Check out our FAQ page. (Or leave a comment and we'll be happy to help!)

You can see more recipe ideas for using a variety of cereal to make Cereal Treat Recipes, here. 

how to make Cocoa Puffs Cereal Bars

you will need:

COCOA PUFFS CEREAL

• Spherical cocoa-flavored corn and rice puffs.
• You'll need 7 cups so even a small 11.8-ounce box will give you enough cereal for this recipe.

MARSHMALLOWS

• You'll need 10 ounces of marshmallows.
• Always use the freshest marshmallows you have on hand. Fresh marshmallows make more delicately chewy treats. 
• While different brands of marshmallows weigh slightly differently. Approximately 40 regular-size OR 6 cups of mini marshmallows equal 10 ounces. 
• Use a scale or the measurement on the bag as a guide. 

BUTTER

• We have found that European-style salted butter provides the best flavor in our cereal treats recipes but when adding chocolate to the melted marshmallows the flavor of the butter isn't as important. 
• Any salted butter will work fine in this recipe but we do highly recommend using KeriGold, President Butter, or Kroger Private Selection French-style Butter for the best flavor.

TOOLS YOU'LL NEED: 

• 9-inch or 8-inch square baking pan 
• large mixing bowl
• silicone spatula or large mixing spoon
• butter or cooking spray to grease your pan, bowl, and spatula (I prefer the flavor of butter, but the non-stick spray works too.)

buy ingredients & supplies

You can find the ingredients and supplies to make these Cocoa Puffs cereal bars from Amazon. I earn a small commission for any sales when you use the links below at NO extra cost to you. 

Let's make some Cocoa Puffs Cereal Bars...

step one: prep your equipment 

1. Grease a large mixing bowl, your square 8-inch or 9-inch pan, and a silicone spatula with softened butter or spray with baking spray.
   • I personally prefer the flavor of butter over baking spray, but either work fine.
   • If you are using an aluminum or glass pan (that is not non-stick metal) you may want to line the pan with a piece of parchment paper for easy removal of the treats. 
2. Pour  7 cups of Cocoa Puffs Cereal into the well-greased bowl.  

step two: melt the butter and marshmallows 

stovetop method:

1. Cut 4 tablespoons of European-style salted butter into 4 pieces. 
2. Place in a medium saucepan and set over low heat. 
   • Using low heat is important. It will allow your marshmallows to melt slowly and not overheat. 
   • If you overheat your marshmallows, the sugars in the marshmallows will begin to caramelize so when you blend them with the cereal they will produce hard treats instead of chewy treats. 
3. Allow the butter to begin melting, then stir in 10 ounces of marshmallows. 
   • I prefer using mini marshmallows as they melt quickly but you can use traditional large marshmallows as well. 
   • Just be sure to stir them often, so they don't overheat. 
   • The marshmallows can take up to 10 minutes to melt. 
4. Continue to heat over low heat, stirring often, until about 75% of the marshmallows have melted.
5. Then remove the pan from the heat.

step three: add chocolate

1. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the warm marshmallows.
2. Stir the chocolate and marshmallows vigorously, smashing them as needed, until melted. 
   • By taking the pan off the stove at this point, you will ensure your marshmallows don't overheat and stay nice and soft.
   • It may take a minute of stirring before all the marshmallows melt. Just keep stirring and smashing. You'll thank me when you have delicately chewy treats that are easy to eat.

alternate microwave method:

1. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, place 4 tablespoons of salted butter and 10 ounces of marshmallows.
2. Microwave on high for 1 minute then remove, add the chocolate chips, and stir vigorously, using the residual heat to fully melt the marshmallows.
   • Once again, you don't want to overheat the marshmallows as this causes your cereal treats to be too hard. 
   • You need to use a large mixing bowl when melting the marshmallows in the microwave as the marshmallows will puff up a lot. 
3. If needed, you may microwave for additional 15-second intervals, stirring vigorously until melted. 

step four: stir into the cereal

1. Pour the melted chocolate and marshmallow mixture over the Cocoa Puffs Cereal in the bowl.
2. Stir gently until all of the cereal is coated evenly.
3. Spread into an even layer in a well-greased square baking pan. 
4. Let the pan of treats cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour. 
5. Remove from the pan and cut into squares.

printable recipe

Did you make this recipe or have questions? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below.

See more cereal treat ideas below the recipe. 

Cocoa Puffs Cereal Bars

Beth Klosterboer

Gooey marshmallow and chocolate coated cereal treats made using Cocoa Puffs Cereal.

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Cool 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Calories 169 kcal

Equipment

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

Ingredients

  

• 7 cups Cocoa Puffs Cereal
• 4 tablespoons European-style Salted Butter
• 10 ounces marshmallows
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Grease a large mixing bowl, an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan, and a large silicone spatula with butter or baking spray.
• Pour the Cocoa Puffs Cereal into the mixing bowl.
• Set aside.
• Begin melting the butter in a medium-large saucepan set over low heat.
• Toss in the marshmallows and stir occasionally until about 75% of the marshmallows have melted.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate chips.
• Stir vigorously, smashing the marshmallows, allowing them to melt until smooth.
• Pour the melted chocolatey marshmallows over top of the cereal.
• Toss to coat evenly.
• Gently press the cereal mixture into the prepared pan.
• Let cool for about an hour before cutting into 16 squares.

Notes

• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
• Microwave Directions:
• Heat the butter and marshmallows on high power, in a large mixing bowl, for 1 minute.
• Remove and add the chocolate chips.
• Then, stir vigorously until melted, smashing the marshmallows to help them melt.
• If needed, heat for additional 15-second increments, stirring vigorously after each, until melted and smooth.
• Pour over cereal then follow the instructions above.

Large Batch Ingredients 

• 6 tablespoons salted butter
• 16 ounces marshmallows
• ¾ cups chocolate chips
• 11 cups Cocoa Puffs Cereal
• Follow the instructions above but spread into a 9x13-inch pan. 

Keyword cereal bars, cereal treats, chocolate, chocolate chips, Cocoa Puffs, marshmallows, rice krispie treats

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