These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal Bars are about to become your new favourite treat or snack. They have the most amazing texture and flavour combination with chocolate and peanut butter. Leave the store bought bars on the shelf, these homemade cereal bars are healthier and far more delicious. These cereal bars are also gluten free, dairy free and vegan.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE:
- The flavour! These bars have the perfect combination of flavours with a salty, crunchy cereal layer, a rich and sweet peanut butter layer and a delicious chocolate layer to top it all off.
- These cereal bars are a healthy alternative to store bought bars! They’re refined sugar free, gluten free, dairy free and can easily be made vegan and paleo.
- Make your bars with any type of cereal you like including Cheerios, Corn Flakes or Lovebird cereal.
- The whole family will love these chocolate peanut butter cereal bars! They make a great dessert or snack.
KEY INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT:
- A food processor – this is a must for making these cereal bars – this is the one I use and love
- CEREAL LAYER
- Cereal – to give the bars the perfect amount of crunch and texture. You can choose any type of cereal that you like. for this recipe – I used this LoveBird cereal which is gluten free, grain free and refined sugar free!
- Coconut oil – perfect for binding the cereal together.
- Honey or maple syrup – to add some sweetness to the cereal layer.
- PEANUT BUTTER LAYER
- Peanut butter – be sure to use a natural, smooth peanut butter for this recipe. You could also substitute peanut butter with another nut or seed butter such as cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
- Maple syrup – peanut butter and maple syrup make a fabulous pair.
- Coconut oil – to help bind the ingredients together and achieve a super luscious texture.
- Vanilla extract – to add another layer of flavour to the bars.
- Sea salt – just a pinch to balance out the sweetness of the other ingredients.
- CHOCOLATE LAYER
- Milk or dark chocolate – the star of the show. Chocolate is layered on top to give these cereal bars a photo finish and A+ flavour! I use these Zazubean chocolate bars which are both dairy free and refined sugar free. You can use any chocolate that you like including chocolate chips for this recipe.
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:
To make the cereal layer:
Step one: Preheat your oven to 350F.
Step two: Add your cereal to a food processor and blend until it reaches a flour-like consistency.
Step three: Add the cereal to a medium bowl and along with the other cereal layer ingredients.
Step four: Stir well until you have a nice sticky consistency.
Step five: Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper then add the cereal mixture to the baking dish, pressing down into an even layer
Step six: Bake for 12 minutes then let it cool.
To make the peanut butter layer:
Step one: While the cereal layer is cooling, place a small or medium pot on the stove and add the peanut butter layer ingredients.
Step two: Heat on low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to combine all the ingredients until they are smooth.
Step three: Pour the peanut butter layer over the cereal layer and then place the pan in the freezer for 2 hours, to harden the peanut butter layer.
Step four: Once the peanut butter layer has hardened, remove the pan from the freezer and pull the parchment paper out of the pan with the bars on it.
Step five: Cut the bars into 12 pieces (or as many as you like).
To make the chocolate layer:
Step one: Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe dish by heating it on high in 30 second intervals until melted.
Step three: Place each bar into the melted chocolate and cover it completely in the chocolate.
Step four: Then return the bar to the pan.
Step five: When all the bars are coated in chocolate, place the pan back in the freezer for 5 minutes to harden the chocolate.
TIPS AND VARIATIONS:
- When processing the cereal flour, leave a few chunks to give the bars more texture.
- Store these bars in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 14 days.
- How to make these bars paleo: use a paleo friendly cereal (like Lovebird) and another nut or seed butter such as cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
- To make these bars gluten free: use a gluten free cereal.
- To make these bars vegan: be sure to use vegan chocolate and maple syrup instead of peanut butter.
- Use a hot knife to cut these bars into pieces more easily (I simply run the blade under hot water).
- To add an extra crunch sprinkle some crushed peanuts on top of the chocolate layer while it is still warm.
- You get to decide whether to use milk chocolate or dark chocolate in this recipe. Both are amazing!
- Be sure to use natural, unsweetened peanut butter or other nut butter for this recipe (the bars will be too sweet if you use sweetened peanut butter).
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Can I make this recipe without a food processor?
It is more difficult to make these bars without a food processor, but you could break up the cereal by hand. To do this, put the cereal in a bag and use a rolling pin to crush the cereal.
What can I use instead of maple syrup?
You could use a variety of other sweeteners. I recommend using honey, brown sugar syrup or agave nectar.
What if I have a peanut allergy?
No worries! Instead of peanut butter you can use another nut butter or seed butter such as cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
Can I use chunky peanut butter?
Definitely! Chunky peanut butter will add a nice crunchy texture to the cereal bars. Just be sure to get natural, unsweetened chunky peanut butter.
OTHER RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE:
- Paleo Apple Pie Bars
- Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars
- Turtle Cookie Bars
- Gluten Free Lemon Bars with Cranberry
- Paleo Mint Crunch Bars
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal Bars
These chocolate peanut butter cereal bars are about to become your new favourite treat. You'll love that they are gluten free, dairy free, vegan and refined sugar free too!
Ingredients
Cereal Layer
- 3 cups cereal
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
Peanut Butter Layer
- 3/4 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter such as cashew butter)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
Chocolate Layer
- 9 oz chocolate
Instructions
Cereal Layer
-
Preheat your oven to 350F
-
Add the cereal to your food processor and blend until you have a flour like consistency (I like to leave some chunks for more texture)
-
Transfer the cereal flour to a bowl and add the other cereal layer ingredients. Stir well until you have a sticky consistency
-
Line an 8" x 8 baking dish with parchment paper and transfer the cereal layer to the pan. Press down evenly until you have an even layer. Bake for 12 minutes and then cool for a few minutes
Peanut Butter Layer
-
While the cereal layer is cooling, place a small or medium pot on the stove and add the peanut butter layer ingredients. Heat on low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to combine all the ingredients until they are smooth
-
Pour the peanut butter layer over the cereal layer and then place the pan in the freezer for 2 hours, to harden the peanut butter layer
-
Once the peanut butter layer has hardened, remove the pan from the freezer and pull the parchment paper out of the pan with the bars on it. Cut the bars into 12 pieces (or as many as you like)
Chocolate Layer
-
Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe dish by heating it on high in 30 second intervals until melted
-
Place each bar into the melted chocolate and cover it completely in the chocolate. Then return the bar to the pan and lean it on the edge of the pan. When all the bars are coated in chocolate, place the pan back in the freezer for 5 minutes to harden the chocolate
Recipe Notes
- Store these bars in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 14 days
- Instead of peanut butter you could use another nut or seed butter such as cashew butter or sunflower seed butter
- The nutritional information for these cereal bars will vary depending on the type of cereal, peanut butter and chocolate that you use.Â
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