Christmas Crunch Bars
We did a thing this weekend. A thing that most of you will not approve of.
We decorated for Christmas.
Look. I know that Thanksgiving is still coming. I’m well aware. I love Thanksgiving! It’s delicious and warm and fuzzy and I celebrate it every year, just like most of you.
I just don’t decorate for it. By the time November rolls around, I’m over the pumpkins. I’m ready for the brightly colored trees and the magic of Christmas lights.
Don’t hate me, okay?
Anyway, this year I decided to get my boys in on the decorating fun for two reasons – 1.) I needed someone to carry all the heavy boxes for me and 2.) I’ve accumulated an entire storage room full of Christmas decor and putting it all up takes for. ev. er.
So, I needed reinforcements.
I plied my boys with Christmas goodies and they were happy to help! This is such a fun way to start the magic of the season together as a family!
I whipped up my cookie dough fudge, Oreo fudge, and candy buttons for the occasion, along with these Christmas cereal bars.
What a delicious way to start the season!
These cereal bars are pretty similar to rice krispies treats, but I swapped in Chex cereal here. You can use corn or rice Chex.
You’ll melt your butter and marshmallows, pour in the cereal, and then add some red and green sprinkles and m&m candies. So easy and super festive!
My kids liked these even better than a traditional rice krispies treat and that’s saying a lot. We’re RKT fanatics around this house. I mean, have you tried my browned butter rice krispies treats?
They are my most popular recipe with friends and family. I bake cookies and brownies for a living and people are always requesting I bring rice krispies treats to get-togethers. Ha.
Anyway! I hope you guys enjoy these easy treats this year! Fa la la la la!
Should I come back in February with a Valentine’s version??
Christmas Crunch Cereal Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 10 ounces marshmallows
- 6 cups Chex cereal, rice or corn variety
- 3/4 cup red and green m&m candies, divided
- 2 tablespoons red and green nonpareils, divided
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, heat the butter and marshmallows until melted together, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
- Stir in the Chex cereal, 1 tablespoon of sprinkles, and half of the m&m candies, being careful not to break the cereal too much.
- Press the mixture into a parchment lined 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining sprinkles and candy over the top.
- Use a piece of wax paper sprayed with non-stick spray to press the cereal bars tightly into the pan.
- Let set for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | |
| Amount Per Serving | As Served |
| Calories 168kcal Calories from fat 53 | |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 6g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat 4g | 20% |
| Transfat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 8mg | 3% |
| Sodium 108mg | 5% |
| Carbohydrate 29g | 10% |
| Dietary Fiber 1g | 4% |
| Sugars 17g | |
| Protein 1g | |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
| Calories | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | Less than | 65g |
| Sat Fat | Less than | 25g |
| Cholesterol | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 25g | |
I’m so jealous Karly! You and my neighbor are way ahead of the game for sure. Decorating late seems so much more stressful – good for you! And love these easy festive bars. Hope you and yours have a fantastic Thanksgiving 🙂
These are so perfect! My boys will love them — now if only they were big and strong enough to help me decorate! I’ve got a few more years to wait for that. 🙂
I’m totally with you on the holiday decor. As soon as November rolls around I’m ready for the red and green! My husband, on the other hand, won’t tolerate it until AFTER Thanksgiving. Scrooge!
I understand where you are coming from, but the seasons all seem to be rushed earlier and earlier each year. Maybe you wouldn’t be so “over” fall and Thanksgiving if everyone didn’t start celebrating it in late summer-August. I love to see decorated houses and trees on Thanksgiving evening but am still enjoying fall. But then I didn’t start decorating for it until after Labor Day. Several days after Labor Day. I know as a blogger you need to be ahead of the season. Your recipe looks festive and sounds delicious. My concern or wonder is, will you be “worn out” with Christmas before it actually gets here? I’m 61 and am learning to slow down things in my life. Maybe that is why I am concerned with how your family will perceive the holiday season. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas season, none the less. Thanks for sharing your recipes with all of us.
Hi Vickie!
I don’t mind the seasons being early – it gives us more time to celebrate them! We personally don’t decorate for Fall at all – just Halloween. That goes up mid-September and comes down Nov. 1. Christmas usually goes up mid-November and comes down Dec. 26. It’s so much work dragging everything out and setting it up, so we like plenty of time to enjoy it. 🙂
I’m totally ready to decorate for Christmas! Now I feel like I have permission to, since I won’t be the only one! Love these treats too! Yum!!
You totally have permission! 🙂
I love these! They’re so festive ?
I have NO self control around chex mix-ey type recipes! And with marshmallows. I pretty much couldn’t make this because I would eat it all! This over pie, cookies, cake…any day!
These look amazing!!! How far in advance Can I make them? Also how and where do you stores them? I’ve recently started baking a lot and I’m unsure of storage for some of the things. I think I’ll make these as gifts for Xmas. Can’t wait to try it. ??
I wouldn’t make them more than a few days in advance. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. 🙂
Where do I find the Christmas Crunch Bar recipe on your Pinterest page? I can’t seem to find it and you don’t have a Pin Button on this page. Please help!! I really, really want this recipe for our family Christmas Eve party. Thank you so much!!
Emergency over!! LOL I just found the pinterest button at the bottom of the page.
These bars look so festive, and SO delicious! My daughter would love making these with me!
LOL, you sound like my husband. He calls me a scrooge since he brings up every decoration he can find and I have to take about half back to the basement when he goes to work! But I’d be happy to start my Christmas baking right now! Your crunch bars look fabulous!!!
I’m ready for Christmas too! I have a few decorations out, but I need to make some of these bars to give me the energy to finish 🙂
I’ve made this exactly as the recipe states and then again with a few modifications. I replaced several cups of the Chex cereal with crunched pretzel sticks and regular M&M’s with mini. The mini M&M’s melted, so it was kinda chocolatey, but still good. The mini’s I dropped on top didn’t melt. Both versions were good, but I think I liked the version with the pretzels better. It was more of a sweet/salty bar and I liked that.
Pretzels sound like a great addition! 🙂
What’s better? Rice or corn Chex? Is there a difference? Thanks!
I don’t notice much difference, honestly. 🙂
I was just wondering. After you cut them. Do you wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then store them in an airtight container? ?