Sunday, January 31, 2010

Cheerio Treats

Here's a quick and easy recipe for a fun treat. Most people already have all of these ingredients on hand. The only thing you'll have trouble deciding is if you should eat it for breakfast, a snack, or a dessert. They are so easy to grab, that you'll be snacking on them all the time if you're like me!





Cheerio Treats

• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. corn syrup
• 1 c. creamy peanut butter
• 1 t. vanilla
• 5 c. Cheerios (I used Honey Nut Cheerios)

In a large sauce pan, combine sugar and corn syrup. Bring to boil over medium heat.

Allow mixture to boil for one minute and remove from heat.

Add peanut butter and vanilla to mixture and mix until smooth.

Add Cheerios and mix until all coated.

Drop mixture by spoonful onto waxed paper and allow to cool.

Makes approximately 2 dozen.

*Thanks to www.realmomkitchen.com for this sweet treat!

120 comments:

  1. Peighton and I are LOVING these!!!!!
    I made them in a pan though, like Rice Krispie treats! YUM-O!

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  2. Laura - My whole family loved them! I LOVE your food blog. It is my absolute favorite one and I check it every day! :)

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  3. Did you use natural peanut butter (aka just peanuts an nothin' else)? I always ask because it definitely effects the taste because of the extra sugars and oils in brands like jiff.

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  4. Hi Brittney! I just used Jif or Skippy (whatever I had on hand). It would be interesting to do a comparison with ones made with natural peanut butter to see the taste difference.

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  5. I LOVE these and my kids love them too! Just made a new batch and threw a bar of Hersheys in with the peanut butter. Just when I thought they couldnt get any better. LOL Thank you for sharing your recipe

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  6. my mom used to make this with rice crispies, never thought to use another kind of cereal, sounds fun!

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  7. Oh man. I saw these on Pinterest and had to come check them out. I'm a cereal treat junky and these sound delish. Like, lock myself in a closet so I don't have to share with the kids good! Definitely going on my to-make list.

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  8. These are sooooo good! Used gluten free oats, brown rice syrup (look in your organic section at your grocer) and peabutter (can't have peanuts) and the boys loved them!

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  9. Made these today. AMAZINGLY GOOD!

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  10. I make these but I use corn flakes instead of cheerios :-)

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  11. I wanna make these with fruity cheerios and omit the peanut butter... wonder if it'd work?

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  12. I've done this with frito's and the salty sweet combo is AMAZING!

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  13. Unfortunately these would probably not freeze well. I have not tried it myself, but I imagine the cereal would get soggy.

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  14. YUM - would love to try these,
    but there's no corn syrup in Germany.
    What else could I use?

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    Replies
    1. In England they have 'golden syrup'. Is that available in Germany?

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    2. Treacle syrup? honey? or make your own http://www.tasteofhome.com/Cooking-Tips/Pantry-Pointers/Substitute-for-Corn-Syrup

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    3. Corn syrup substitute is 1/4 cup water to 1 cup sugar melted over low heat. Since the first step is to heat sugar and corn syrup...just do it all at once. :)

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  15. My mom used to make these when I was a kid -- she added M&Ms and peanuts (or maybe she used crunchy peanut butter??) for "special" occasions. Thanks for the reminder! I'll have to make them this weekend for my kids!

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  16. Oh these look so yummy! I have really been missing peanut butter since my daughter is just a little allergic to peanut butter. But mommy may just have to try this and keep it hidden.

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    Replies
    1. Have you tried sunflower butter? I have a peanut allergy, but no problems with the sunflower. I replace it in every recipe that calls for peanut butter & my family actually prefers the flavor in most things.

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  17. Kat78 - Interesting that Germany doesn't sell corn syrup. Do you have access to Glucose? You could substitute that instead. I've also read on a couple of sites that for each cup of light corn syrup in a recipe, substitute 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup water. I've never tried it though so no promises! Best of luck!

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  18. just made these for after school snack for the kids and I know they will love them, if they make it till school's out. They are so good and I'm having a hard time stopping eating them!

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  19. These sound wonderful! Have you made them with Splenda or another sugar-free substitute?

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    Replies
    1. I made a half batch with only a tablespoon of splenda. I also used Cheerios instead of Honey Nut Cheerios. Still tastes great and I cut out lots of sugar!

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  20. My grandma made these with Cocoa Puffs - they look like little piles of poo (which kids think is hilarious), but SO SO delicious.

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  21. Hi! Here is a twist on your recipe:
    1 cup of clear Karo Syrup
    1 Cup of Peanut Butter
    1 Cup of Sugar
    1 bag of fritos poured out on a serving platter.

    put peanut butter, syrup and sugar in a microwaveable bowl. heat for 1 minute. stir. heat for 1 more minute
    stir. pour over fritos. ENJOY!

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  22. I've been putting this on popcorn for years and years. It's like caramel popcorn, but even better!!!

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  23. Just whipped up a batch for a weekend treat! They smell yummy and we can't wait for them to cool so we can try them :)

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  24. They are great but they stuck to the wax paper...what should I do next time I make them? Maybe spray the wax paper with a non-stick spray?

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  25. Sorry to hear you had a problem with them sticking. Did you let them cool before taking them off? You could definitely lightly spray the wax paper next time. Or maybe even try parchment paper instead.

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  26. i had something similar to this when i was a child except they used la choy chow mein noodles and called it birds nest (:

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  27. I didnt have the corn syrup so i tried the sugar/water mixture. They taste great but they dont want to stick together into balls, they just crumble apart. Any ideas to save my pan of tasty cheerios?

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  28. Maybe portion them out into a muffin tin and hope that they stick together a bit once they cool??? Good to know the sugar/water mixture doesn't work. Thanks for letting us know!

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  29. I used natural peanut butter (just plain old peanuts nothing added) omitted the sugar and they turned out fine. Yummy and healthy!

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  30. Jaclyn, did you use the corn syrup?

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  31. Jaclyn, did you use corn syrup?

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  32. I wonder how they would be with chocolate cheerios???

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    Replies
    1. I just made some with the chocolate Cheerios. They were yummy.

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  33. literally JUST made these :) saw them on Pinterest and HAD to make them for my dad for his birthday. Only 18, and this recipe inspired me to get off my butt and cook a bit! Thank you sooo much!

    my own little twist on them, i used Smucker's brand ice cream magic shell. I poured the chocolate over some of them and stuck em in the freezer for a couple minutes. came out GREAT!

    i plan on doing this for xmas :) only with the colorful cheerios. using only green and red ones with the honey nut will look so festive!

    again, thank you!

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  34. this looks so good! any idea if it will stick together without using peanut butter? my daughter is allergic to peanuts but i would still like to try and make this if at all possible :)

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    Replies
    1. Sunflower seed butter is yummy in these in place of the peanut butter for those who are allergic. Good luck!

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  35. I wonder if karo syrup would work instead of corn? I wanna make them now, but don't want to go to the store :)

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    1. I know this post is about a month old, but Karo syrup is corn syrup. It's just a brand name.

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  36. I used Karo corn syrup. What type of Karo syrup are you referring to? Pancake syrup?

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  37. One of my family’s favorite cookies. They are now called raccoon cookies because we took them camping with us and the raccoons ate through the plastic container and ate our cookies.

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  38. We don't use corn syrup, can you recommend a substitute that is more natural? Thanks.

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  39. Just made these, I used 2 tbls of Crunchy Nutella to fill up to a full cup with the rest being Honey Roasted creamy PB..then once they cooled a bit, I dropped chocolate chips onto them, and stuck them into the oven for about 1 min...YUM!! Big hit with the kiddos..next time, I will put it all in a pan like suggested above to just cut out squares later on...and drop the chips right on top of the hole thing for a topping. Thanks for the idea {found on Pinterest}

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  40. These are great with m&m's and peanuts added in too!!

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  41. I'm not sure if it would work with this recipe as I haven't tried it but I usually substitute honey for corn syrup. I'm planning on making these with natural peanut butter and honey. I can't wait!

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  42. This is one of the favorite snacks on our block! We call it Peanut Butter Delight :)

    http://thisnestisbest.com/2011/06/16/recipe-for-peanut-butter-delight-affectionately-referred-to-as-pbd/

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  43. I normally use that corn syrup mixture with Special K, put it in a 13x9" pan and then top with 1 cup of melted chocolate chips and 1 cup of melted butterscotch chips, combined. SO GOOD. Called Scotchies or O'Henry Bars.

    I just made your cheerios version. I'm considering drizzling a butterscotch and chocolate mixture over them. :)

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  44. These are so good!! My mom always made these with rice krispies and they had a chocolate frosting like a ganache on them!

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  45. does it call for 1 tsp of vanilla or 1 tbs of vanilla?

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  46. Great question! It calls for 1 teaspoon of vanilla. As a general rule of thumb, t. = teaspoon and T. = tablespoon.

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  47. For those of you wanting to substitute the corn syrup: Here is a site I found with great substitutions: http://www.foodsubs.com/Syrups.html

    Here is what it states for corn syrup: "corn syrup Notes: This is a thick, sweet syrup that's popular in America, but hard to find in other countries. Unlike other sweeteners, corn syrup doesn't crystallize and turn grainy when it's cold, so it's a good choice for frostings, fudge sauces, and candies. Baked goods made with corn syrup are moister and stay fresher longer than those made with sugar. There are two types: dark corn syrup is dark brown and has a slight molasses flavor, while light corn syrup is almost clear and has a more delicate flavor. The two can be used interchangeably in many recipes. Karo is a well-known brand. Store corn syrup at room temperature. Substitutes: golden syrup (Substitute measure for measure) OR honey (This is sweeter than corn syrup, but substitute it measure for measure.) OR molasses (Substitute measure for measure.)"

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  48. Yummy!!! So good. I use natural peanut butter and they tuned out fine.

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  49. Not sure what I did wrong? I just made these a thought I followed the directions exactly. They were great when I first put them on the wax paper (tried a bite, hot but good) but now that they have cooled they are hard as a rock. I can barely bite through them even using the full pressure of my jaw. Is this normal? I was hoping to serve these at a play date tomorrow but there is no way toddlers would be able to eat these as they are.

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  50. i skipped the sugar and the vanilla--peanut butter & honey & cheerios are sweet enough! these little snacks are delicious and super easy to make.

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  51. Hollie,
    Sorry to hear your cheerio treats did not turn out. :( It sounds like they were either boiled for too long or at too high of a heat making them hard as a rock.

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  52. I am making these tomorrow! Yea!

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  53. Not sure if anyone else asked this yet, but can I switch the corn syrup for honey?

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  54. This recipe was wonderful and a definite keeper!! Delicious and so quick to make. Thanks for sharing!!

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  55. Ive never made these but want to try

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  56. yes what would be a sub for the corn syrup?

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    Replies
    1. My grandma would use honey if she ran out of corn syrup in a recipe. It might be worth a try.

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  57. I learned to make something like this 40 years ago; at my Aunt Liz's house in Madras OR. I later learned from another cousin that they were a recipe from Our grandmother's sister in Kansas . We added chocolate chip on top after we had poured the mixture in a pan.

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  58. Just a tip - If the mixture turned out too hard for you, that means that you boiled it for too long and the temperature got too hot. The hotter the temp, the harder it will be, which is why the author says only to allow the mixture to boil for a minute. These turned out delicious!!!!! Definitely a keeper recipe!

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  59. I add peanuts and raisins to these and press them in a pan--cool and cut in squares

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  60. These were pretty good! Very similar another treat I LOVE by Martha Stewart called No-Bake Peanut Butter Rice Krispies cookies. http://www.marthastewart.com/343255/no-bake-peanut-butter-rice-krispies-cook. Thanks for the share!

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  61. I just made these! So delicious. I used light corn syrup and Great Value (Walmart brand) Natural peanut butter, and they turned out AMAZING!!!! :) Thanks for sharing!

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  62. We make them with marshmallows instead of the corn syrup and sugar :)

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  63. I've made this treat without the sugaar & with Captain Crunch cereal. Yummy

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  64. I just have to say, I LOVE this recipe. I have made it multiple times and my kids go crazy over these. I like to add a cup of chocolate cheerios to make them even extra special. :)

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  65. oh my GOODNESS!!! I just made these with a box of count chocula I found in the back that had never been opened!! So chocolate cereal plus the marshmallows AND I had some of the jet puff mini marshmallows (the ones you put in hot cocoa that they came out with this christmas season!) OMG!!! Why have I never tried this before!!! AND I got to scrape the PB goop off the bowl! HAHA!! EPIC!

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  66. I have always made these but with cornflakes. They are to die for. I will try with cherios.

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  67. I've done these with Grape Nuts and they are delish!

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  68. I bought chocolate cheerios to try with this. Chocolate cereal and peanut butter! YUM! Hope they turn out!

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  69. made these last night and took them to work. they were a huge hit!!!!!

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  70. could you use agave nectar instead of corn syrup?

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  71. I have a partial box of Peanut Butter Cheerios that I need to use up (we don't care for them as 'regular' cereal). Any tips on how I could use them in this recipe without making them too peanut buttery with the added PB? Maybe Nutella instead of the peanut butter + add a few choco chips??? Would appreciate tips. Thanks.

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  72. I tried this with golden grahams and cheerios, my family and friends loved the golden grahams!!!!!!!!!! used the light karo syrup, I going on vacation and will take this treat with us. will try with chocolate cheerios. Thanks

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  73. My family has passed down a very similar recipe over the years!!! we always pour it over a bag of popcorn!!! (we don't separate it into balls) and it is a favorite of everyone who tries it!! :)

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  74. I just made a version of these with Joe's O's, honey, almond butter, and dark chocolate chunks. Yumm!

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  75. Have made these a couple of times and theyre gone right away. I made them tonight for my daughters bday party tomorrow and cant wait to see how they go over at it:)

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  76. I added a few chocolate chips...they melted in slightly at the end...it is now a nice chocolate peanut butter snack! You cannot go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter! These will be a great surprise when he comes home from work tonight!

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  77. I used the fruity cheerios and left the peanut butter in the recipe and it tastes a little funky, but still delicious. My 7 year old cousin helped me make these and she had a blast and thinks they are the best things ever :) thanks!

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  78. Awesome Treat, made it tonight quick and easy and my little ones LOVE it!

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  79. How far in advance can you make these?

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  80. made these for the second time, the kids liked them a lot. maybe next time i will try and add a twist to it

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  81. Has anyone used dulce de leche cheerios?

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  82. Made these today. Turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!

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  83. You can substitute pancake syrup for the corn syrup

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  84. Simple & fabulous! They look so cool too. This recipe is great for trying out all those new flavors of Cheerios! =]

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  85. Hello all....just want to throw in my 2 cents....instead of the whole corn syrup thing, you could also think about melting CARAMELS!!!! Caramels plus the peanut butter would act as your "GLUE" and oooooohhhhh so yummy!!!

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  86. Just made these..pretty sure it was the easiest yet yummiest dessert ever! Thanks for the recipe!

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  87. Just made these and they turned out amazing!! Definitely made this pregnant girl happy! Next time I'm going to put them in a pan and drizzle caramel over and cut into bars. Yum!! I already want to make more. :)

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  88. Just made these and my whole family LOVES them!!

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  89. Making these for a ladies craft night. Hoping they turn out great. used maple syrup instead of corn syrup, cause that's what I had on hand... they look amazing!

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  90. would it work if I used Agave Nectar in place of the corn syrup?

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  91. This is NOT a way to make it healthier but was wonderful. Substituted half honey and half Mrs Butterworth's for the corn syrup since I didn't have any. Used half white and half brown sugar then half almond butter half peanut butter. Kids called the neighbors to come over and try them :)

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  92. Made these today with kix, turned out yummy!

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  93. I just made these and they are AMAZING!!! The only hard parts were cleaning the pan and ripping them off the wax paper:-) I think my family may be eating some paper..but totally worth it!

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  94. I make them with local honey and no sugar with multi grain cheerios! they are great

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  95. yum yum I just made these!!!

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  96. Just made these and I used honey instead of corn syrup but didn't really take into consideration that I should probably tone down the sugar because they are REALLY sweet. Other then that they came out great :)

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  97. My daughter and I just made these... we used 4 cups cheerios and 1 cup honey kix...they are DELICIOUS!! My daughter is 4 and is such a picky eater but she is on number three! Lol Definately going to be a regular in our house :)

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  98. I used multi grain cheerios and chocolate fiber one cereal with natural peanut butter and light corn syrup. I also halved the recipe, the kids loved it!!!

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  99. Just made these with Banana Cheerios and added no sugar. Made bite sized balls for my two year old and she loved them. Still a little sweet for my liking.

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  100. I made this using Quaker whole hearts cereal. Then sprinkled heart shaped confetti on top. Wrapped them up with a note saying, "made with love".

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  101. How long do they last? Can you freeze them? I want to make a batch but its just 2 of us.

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  102. Easy to make and so good! Thanks

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  103. Back when i was in elementary school, they made these all the time. And since my mom was one of the cafeteria cooks, i always got the extras. I've missed these and I plan on making them.

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  104. I save all the "less than a bowl left" bags of cereal, doesn't take long in my house, and when I have enough for a batch, they all get mixed together. We call them peanut butter mysteries.

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  105. I've made these a few times and everyone loves them! I made them again today, using all the same ingredients (brand name) as before and they are as hard as rocks. I'm wondering if I boiled the syrup too long. Any ideas?

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  106. Made these yesterday for my super picky almost 3 year old. After some coaxing I got him to try it. To my surprise he loved them. It is a relief to have another snack that he really enjoys. He needs all the extra fat and protein I can give him.

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  107. These are so good. I used organic creamy peanut butter. You can't eat just one.lol. Thank you for the recipe Kathie

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