No, people. I’m not just posting about a regular ol’ cereal treat, and just swapping out the type of cereal. I’m not just posting a recipe that you’ve made thousands of times in the past. I’m amping up the volume. You will want to know about these. Because these little beauties changed my life.
I kid you not. While most elementary school children came to school with the run-of-the-mill Rice Krispie treats, my mom made these. Cheerio treats – with peanut butter, m&m’s and, of course, marshmallows (there was no concern about kids getting too much sugar in those days). These treats made me instant friends when I switched schools in 5th grade. These treats allowed me to be the first picked for any teams. I even think that these treats were the reason I got “most likely to succeed” when graduating.
And you should not be surprised, because these treats do exactly that: they lead you to success. It’s so unexpected, but when you take a bite, and you taste the mellow peanut butter flavor to cut the usual sweetness of these treats, and then see the colored candies that remind you of your childhood, you just know that you’ve found a winner. A cereal treat winner.
Cheerio Treats (recipe from my mom)
3 tbsp. butter
1 package marshmallows
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 cups Cheerios
1 cup M&M’s
Lightly butter a 9×13 inch pan. Set aside. In a large pot, over low heat, melt butter. When the butter is melted, add marshmallows and stir until completely melted and smooth. Add peanut butter and stir to incorporate. Turn off the heat and stir in Cheerios. Stir until the marshmallow and peanut butter mixture has coated all of the cereal. Add the candy and stir to distribute evenly. Turn out into the prepared pan and pat down. Cool slightly before cutting.