My kids are obsessed with cereal. They would eat it every meal, morning, noon, and night, if I let them. While they love many different kinds, their favorite would have to be the various ‘o’ varieties, especially when brightly colored or coated in honey. I decided to take things to the next level and make cereal bars, which, as you can imagine, were an instant hit. These bars are no-bake, are simple to make, and terribly delicious.

Not all chocolate chips are created equal, and some have a hard time melting. If your chocolate doesn’t melt well (clumps up instead of turning smooth and glossy), you can add some butter to the chocolate to help. After heating the chocolate, add butter one tablespoon at a time, stirring after each tablespoon is added, until the chocolate turns glossy and smooths out.

• 5 cups honey ‘o’s’ cereal
• ¾ cup peanut butter
• 2/3 cup corn syrup or honey
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping:

• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3-5 tablespoons unsalted butter (see note)

1. Grease and line an 8-inch square baking pan with a parchment paper sling.
2. Place the cereal in a large bowl.
3. In a medium saucepan combine the peanut butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, and salt. Heat over medium-low until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
4. Immediately pour the warm peanut butter mixture over the cereal, and mix with a spatula until evenly coated.
5. Pour the cereal into the prepared pan, and pat with a spatula into an even layer. Let the bar cool.

For the topping:

1. In a microwave, heat the chocolate chips in a microwave safe measuring cup, stopping and stirring frequently until completely smooth and glossy, about 2 minutes total. If the chocolate has a hard time melting, add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, and stir until the mixture is smooth and glossy (see note above).
2. Pour the warm chocolate over the cooled bars and use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Let the chocolate set before slicing and serving the bars.

Enjoy!