Chewy, vibrant and no bake Froot Loops Bars made with 3 ingredients are the easiest cereal bars that you will ever make! Not only these are super fun and delish, they are so colorful. That's why I call them rainbow bars.
These bars are perfect for rainbow themed parties, St. Patrick's Day, Spring and Summer Treats. Try my Pistachio Cereal Bars next you will also love this Lemon Loaf Cake!
Who hasn't had bowls and bowls of froot loops cereal while growing up! While their flavor was the best ever we had, did you like to soak them in milk while the cereal turned all mushy? Not so fun right?
Well make them into bars instead. They will stay all crispy and intact here in the best way possible. Plus marshmallows add so much to their flavor and make them all gooey and chewy. My mouth is watering as I type this!
Ingredients and their possible substitutes:
Only three basic simple ingredients and you got yourself ooey-gooey and chewy cereal bars. These bars not only turn out pretty easily but are super versatile too. Below is an overview of the ingredients. Full recipe with measurements is mentioned in the recipe card below.
Froot Loops: This cereal tastes real good in these treats. But you can easily swap it with your choice of cereal.
Marshmallows: I have used mini marshmallows to make my bars. Even regular or jumbo would work here. You just have to be real patient while they melt. If regular/jumbo are the only ones that you have on hand, you can even cut them using kitchen scissors. That would convert them into mini. 😉
Butter: Just a few tablespoons of butter would give them such a nice flavor and texture. Don't skip the butter and don't skimp on it! I like to use salted butter, that way you don't need to worry about adding any extra salt in your recipe.
How to make Fruit Loop Bars:
There are just the easiest treats to make and they turn out so bright, vibrant and flavorful. Here are the 5 main steps that we opt to create these bars.
Prep the pan: Grease your pan with some butter or line it with a parchment paper with overhang for easy removal of bars later.
Melt Marshmallows and Butter: In a large pot or pan melt these two together over low heat. Melt till every bit of marshmallow is melted and remove it from heat.
Mix the Cereal in: Add Froot Loops to the melted marshmallow mixture. Gently fold with a greased spatula until every bit of cereal is evenly coated.
Press into the pan: Transfer the mixture to your prepared pan. Using a greased spatula, gently press the mixture into an even layer.
Allow to cool and cut: Let the bars rest at room temperature for about an hour before cutting. If you want neater and crisp cuts, refrigerate them for some time and cut then.
Recipe Variations:
Add nut butters: You can use nut butters like peanut, almond, cashew or even pistachio to the melted marshmallow and butter mixture. Then coat cereal with this mix.
A splash of Vanilla: Although these bars taste good on their own, but half a teaspoon of vanilla can be added to them for an amplified flavor.
Top with sprinkles of choice: Rainbow nonpareils or jimmies would look so good on them. I sometimes top them with chocolate sprinkles too.
Add other Cereals: Such as Cocoa puffs, Reese's Puffs, Lucky Charms, Fruity Pebbles etc.
A drizzle of Chocolate: Use milk, semi sweet or even dark chocolate for this. Even melted white chocolate would be so good here.
Use flavored Marshmallows: Swap fruity such as strawberry or mango marshmallows here. Or use pumpkin and even gingerbread flavored marshmallows during the time of festivities.
Cut into fun shapes: Using large cookie cutters cut them into fun shapes such as hearts, bunny, clover leaf or stars. The choices are endless. That way these treats can be a great match to your themed parties.
Troubleshooting:
Here are a few most common problems that we face while making these bars and below is also how you can fix them:
Making cereal bar treats is mostly straight forward. But it's the simplest things that can make life the hardest, if a few simple rules are ignored.
1. My Bars are Brittle or Dry:
What Caused this: Marshmallow were melted too fast or over too high heat. If you allow them to sit for too long on the stove after they have melted, sugar can caramelize. This causes the sugar to harden as it cools turning the bars brittle.
How to Fix: Always melt butter and marshmallows on low to medium-low heat. Remove pan from heat the second marshmallows are melted. A few small bits are still okay here. Rest of the mix will smoothen from the heat of the pan. Removing pan quickly from heat will assure sugar doesn't get any time to caramelize.
2. Bars are too Dense and not Gooey:
What Caused this: Pressing the cereal mix down too firmly or applying too much pressure while pressing it.
How to Fix: Use a greased spatula, also grease your hands lightly and gently press the mixture into an even layer. Stop pressing once it fills the pan. That way the bars won't get to dense.
3. The mixture has converted into an impossible Sticky mess. What should I do?
What Caused this: The mixture with gluey marshmallows is certainly sticky. It will glue itself to un greased hands or tools.
How to Fix: Lightly coat spatula and your hands with non-stick cooking spray or just some butter before starting to work with the mix. You can also handle the warm mixture with slightly damp hands to stop it from sticking.
4. Bars are crumbling when I am trying to cut them:
What Caused This: Trying to cut bars while mixture is still warm or the marshmallows have not set completely.
How to Fix: Allow the bars to rest in the pan for at least an hour or until completely cooled. Alternatively, you can set the bars in refrigerator for 1-2 hours or till they are firmly set. For perfectly clean cuts use a greased sharp knife and wipe the blade clean between each cut.
Tips for Recipe Success:
Line the Pan: Line your baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang. This allows you to lift the entire block out of the pan without breaking it.
Work Fast: As soon as the marshmallows melt, pour in the froot loops and stir immediately. Marshmallow mixture hardens as it cools. This makes it much harder to coat the cereal and to set it, if you stall.
If you liked this recipe give it a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog Also follow me on Pinterest and Facebook!
Recipe
Froot Loop Bars
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot/Pan
- 1 9 x 9" square baking pan
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Butter (I used salted, but unsalted is fine too)
- 10-ounce 1 bag of Marshmallows (mini size or regular)
- 6 Cups Froot Loops Cereal
Instructions
- Line a 9 x9 inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving enough parchment overhang to lift the bars out of the pan once done. Set it aside.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a very large pot or pan. Once the butter melts, turn the heat to low and add the marshmallows. Continuously stir the mixture until marshmallows are completely melted.Remember not to melt marshmallows on high heat as it can make the bars dry and hard.¼ Cup Butter, 10-ounce 1 bag of Marshmallows
- Remove marshmallows from heat and then fold in the cereal. Make sure each all the froot loops are coated with the marshmallow mix.6 Cups Froot Loops Cereal
- Transfer mixture to the pre-lined pan. Lightly grease the back of your spatula either with butter or cooking spray. Now gently press the mixture down into the pan. Do not apply too much pressure while pressing this mix. Just lightly press it down.
- Allow treats to set for at least 2 hours at room temperature. You can leave them as is covered, up to 1 day. When ready to cut, lift the cereal block out of the pan using the overhangs of parchment paper. Cut into squares using a sharp knife. Clean between each cut for crisp and clean edges.
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