Everyone enjoys a cereal bar and these snacks are so easy to make! Captain Crunch Cereal Bars are filled with marshmallows and only take three ingredients to make quickly at home.
Captain Crunch Bars
Using Cap’n Crunch Cereal to create marshmallow coated bars is a favorite homemade treat for our kids!
Cereal is usually eaten for breakfast and almost always eaten as a bed-time snack in our house. I ask the kids to eat whole grain cereal most of the time, but sometimes we get some fun, colorful cereal like Captain Crunch.
When we want to go the extra mile we melt our own mini-marshmallows and stir in regular Cap’n Crunch. Spread out in a 9 x 13 pan and allow to set for no-bake cereal bars.
Captain Crunch Berries makes more colorful cereal bars. Close to the holidays, we like to grab a box of the special Christmas or Halloween versions. The seasonal colors are especially fun for the kids. Any flavor of Captain Crunch cereal works great in this snack recipe!
Ideas for Other Easy Cereal Bars
I’ve made so many different versions of cereal bars from Chocolate & Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats to Oreo Cookie Krispie Treats and Reese’s Puff Cereal Bars, they are ALWAYS a hit at parties and meals with kids.
If I want to impress my kids around the holidays I grab a box of cereal and whip up a batch of Halloween Treats, Valentine’s Day Treats, or Christmas Chex Mix.
On a recent trip to Kroger one of the ladies was offering samples of these Captain Crunch Cereal Bars and I knew I had to make them at home.
After making these for a family party my son decided to make a batch himself a few days later. He was so proud of his accomplishment and super excited to share.
Tips for Making Cereal Bars
- Always use fresh cereal and marshmallows
- Stir marshmallows often during melting process to avoid burning
- Keep fingers wet to spread out in a 9 x 13 pan
- My son likes to cut the recipe in half because it’s easier for him to stir and manage
- Stale cereal will make your bars hard, crunchy and difficult to cut
- Stale or burnt marshmallows will make the recipe extra gooey and taste bad
We have a little challenge in our house where people don’t understand how to fold down a bag of opened cereal to keep air out. Or little hands tear open a bag of marshmallows to grab a handful and then leave the bag open to get a bit stale.
So use fresh marshmallows and keep stirring them often during the melting process. As soon as they have melted remove from the heat and stir in cereal to avoid burning marshmallows.
How to Make Cap’n Crunch Bars
- In a large saucepan melt butter over medium heat; stir in marshmallows and stir often until melted.
- Pour cereal mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Wet fingers to spread out mixture.
- Allow about 20 minutes to set-up, cut and serve.
Step By Step Instructions
Lightly coat a 9 x 13″ dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Prepare the ingredients by opening the marshmallows and measuring out the cereal before starting to make the Captain Crunch Bars.
Over medium low heat melt half a stick of butter in a sauce pan.
Then add the whole bag of mini marshmallows.
Stir to ensure they are all coated in butter.
Continue to stir until the marshmallow are mostly melted.
The marshmallows don’t need to melt completely because they will continue to soften once removed from the heat.
Turn the burner off and move the pan to a cool part of the stove.
Pour cereal into the pan.
Stir quickly with a long handled spoon until the marshmallows coat the cereal well.
Pour into the greased pan and pat until smooth on top with clean, wet fingers.
Let set up for about 15 – 20 minutes, then cut into desired sized pieces with a butter knife and serve.
Storage
Store covered in an air tight container or bag for up to 3 – 4 days on the counter or in the pantry at room temperature.
Other No-Bake Snack Recipes
- Pay Day Crunch
- St. Patrick’s Day Treats
- Crock Pot Peanut Clusters
- Best No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
- Almond Bark Specials
- Fudge Meltaways
- 5 Ingredient Chocolate & Peanut Butter Bars
- White Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Captain Crunch Cereal Bars
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 10 ounces Mini Marshmallows
- 8 cups Captain Crunch Cereal
Instructions
- Use a large sauce pan to melt butter over medium low heat.
- When butter is almost melted add marshmallows all at once and stir often until nearly melted.
- Remove the pot from the heat, add cereal and stir well.
- Pour cereal mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Wet fingers to spread out mixture.
Notes
- Always use fresh cereal and marshmallows
- Stir marshmallows often during melting process to avoid burning
- Keep fingers wet to spread out in a 9 x 13 pan
- My son likes to cut the recipe in half because it’s easier for him to stir and manage
- Stale cereal will make your bars hard, crunchy and difficult to cut
- Stale or burnt marshmallows will make the recipe extra gooey and taste bad
Equipment
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Nutrition
Originally posted on January 7, 2020 with updates made on May 31, 2023.
Shared on Weekend Potluck
Cereal bars that too made with marshmallows sounds amazing. The list that you added in this article of various other recipes is very helpful for foodies like me. Thank you putting it together and sharing it with us. Keep sharing.
Yummy!! These look so good!