Life Cereal Bars

Crunchy cinnamon-flavored Life Cereal makes a delicious adult-friendly marshmallow crispy treat that kids will love too.

In about ten minutes you can make a batch of these delicious Life Cereal Bars to serve as an afternoon snack, after-dinner dessert, or bedtime treat.

This recipe is quick and easy to make and it's a great snack for adults and kids alike. I bet Mikey would love them! 

Look at all those layers of crispy Life Cereal held together with gooey marshmallows. 

The squares of multigrain cereal stay nice and crunchy when blended with marshmallows and butter and they make really unique-looking cereal treats. 

To make these treats we started with our BEST rice krispie treat recipe. Our original recipe calls for a ratio of 4 ⅔ cups of cereal to 10 ounces of marshmallows.

We had to add more cereal because the Life Cereal squares are much larger than the tiny puffs of Rice Krispies Cereal.

The Life Cereal treats were too sticky with less cereal. 7 cups of cereal made perfectly chewy yet crispy treats. 

We always suggest you use European-style salted butter to give your treats the best flavor and this time I added a dash of cinnamon to really enhance the flavor of the Life Cereal in these treats.  

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. 

You might also like Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Treats. 

how to make Life Cereal Bars

you will need:

LIFE CEREAL

• You can use original multi-grain Life Cereal, or the cinnamon, vanilla, or chocolate varieties. If you use the other flavors, you can eliminate the cinnamon from the 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, you can usually use 40 regular-size OR 6 cups of mini marshmallows.
• Use a scale or the measurement on the bag as a guide. 

BUTTER

• We have found that salted European-style salted butter provides the best flavor in our cereal treats recipes. You'll be amazed at the difference good butter will make in this recipe.
• We recommend using KeriGold or President Butter. Kroger Private Selection French-style Butter is great too. 

TOOLS YOU'LL NEED: 

• 9-inch or 8-inch square baking pan 
• butter or cooking spray to grease your pan (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 Life Cereal marshmallow cereal treats from Amazon. I earn a small commission for any sales when you use the links below at NO extra cost to you. 

Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter...Shop on Amazon Life Breakfast Cereal, Orig...Shop on Amazon Kraft Jet Puffed Mini Marsh...Shop on Amazon  Farberware Nonstick Bakewar...Shop on Amazon Wilton Perfect Results Prem...Shop on Amazon

Let's make some Life Cereal Bars...

step one: prep your equipment 

• 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.
• Pour a 13-ounce box (about 7 cups) Life Cereal into the 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. 
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 and stir the 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. 
6. If using, stir in 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
   • I highly recommend using cinnamon if you are making your Life Cereal bars using original Life Cereal. You can skip it if using Cinnamon Life Cereal. 

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 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. 
4. Stir in the cinnamon.

step three: mix everything together 

1. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the Life Cereal in the bowl.
2. Stir gently until all of the cereal is coated evenly.

step four: spread into pan 

1. Spread the cereal treat mixture into the greased pan and gently press it into an even layer.
   • If you press down too forcefully, you will break all the squares of cereal and create hard treats.
   • Just press gently until you get the mixture to spread into an even layer.
2. Let cool at room temperature for about 1 hour. 
3. Cut into squares.

printable recipe

Life Cereal Bars

Beth Klosterboer

Crunchy and chewy cereal bars made with Life Cereal, marshmallows, salted butter, and cinnamon.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Calories 169 kcal

Equipment

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

Ingredients

  

• 13 ounces (7 cups) Life Cereal
• 4 tablespoons European-style Salted Butter
• 10 ounces marshmallows
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

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 Life 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 continuously stir, smashing the marshmallows, allowing them to melt until smooth.
• Pour the melted marshmallows over top of the cereal.
• Toss to coat evenly.
• Gently press 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 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, mix to combine, spread into pan, and allow to cool before cutting.

Keyword cereal bars, cereal treats, Life Cereal, Life Cereal Bars, Life Cereal Treats, marshmallows, no-bake desserts, rice krispie treats

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