Crunchy Peanut Butter Cereal Bars Recipe

By
Yvonne Ruperti
A photo of Yvonne Ruperti, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and cookbook author. She is also an adjust professor of baking at the Culinary Institute of America in Singapore.
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Updated April 15, 2020
Captain Crunch any time of the day. Yvonne Ruperti

The cereal choices offered to me as a kid were always healthy and pretty bleak. Shredded wheat, Grape Nuts, Rice Chex, Corn Chex...yuck. But when Grandma was in town, she'd save the day by buying my cereal of choice: Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Cereal, a.k.a. the most delicious and crunchiest cereal ever (grandmas totally rule). Now that I'm in control of my own diet, I say why leave an awesome peanut butter cereal just for breakfast? If you thought peanut butter rice crispy treats were the bomb, then you've gotta try these.

Following the same format as a rice crispy treat, simply melt the butter and marshmallows, stir in the cereal, and press it into the pan. A few tablespoons of creamy peanut butter is added to the melted mix and a sprinkle of salt makes the peanut-y flavor pop. Though I've seen some versions with Reese's Pieces candies (which is definitely not a bad idea) I made it my own by tossing in a cup of honey roasted peanuts. The extra crunch and roasted honey flavor is out of this world.

Recipe Details

Crunchy Peanut Butter Cereal Bars Recipe

Active 15 mins
Total 30 mins
Serves 16 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter

  • 1 (10-ounce) bag marshmallows (47 large)

  • Pinch salt

  • 5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

  • 5 1/2 cups Cap 'N Crunch's Peanut Butter Crunch Cereal

  • 1 cup honey roasted peanuts

Directions

  1. Grease a 9- by 9-inch pan. Heat butter in large saucepan (preferably non-stick) over medium-low heat until almost melted. Add marshmallows and salt and heat, stirring, until marshmallows have melted.

  2. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until combined. Stir in cereal and peanuts until combined. Immediately spread into pan and press to smooth top. Let cool until set, about 15 minutes.

Special equipment

9- by 9-inch pan

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
688Calories
53gFat
40gCarbs
23gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories688
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 53g69%
Saturated Fat 11g57%
Cholesterol 8mg3%
Sodium 502mg22%
Total Carbohydrate 40g15%
Dietary Fiber 6g22%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 23g
Vitamin C 0mg2%
Calcium 64mg5%
Iron 3mg15%
Potassium 623mg13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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