Cinnamon Toast Crunch bars are undeniably sweet and gooey—and the cinnamon will have you coming back for more. Move over Rice Krispie treats, there’s a new cereal bar in town!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This is a simple no-bake recipe that delivers lots of cinnamon flavor and a perfect balance of crispy and gooey textures.
How long it takes: 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: 9 x 13 inch pan and large pot
Servings: 15
Everyone has a favorite breakfast cereal from their childhood, but even if Froot Loops or Corn Pops were your go-to, you have to admit that Cinnamon Toast Crunch ranks right up there with the best of the best. That’s why everyone is going to love these Cinnamon Toast Crunch bars!
If Cinnamon Toast Crunch isn’t your kryptonite but you’re still looking for a no-bake treat, you might want to try no-bake lemon berry cheesecakes.
Reasons to Love Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars
- A nostalgic treat. Just because you’re an adult now doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch bars! You’ll feel like a kid again when you’re eating these. (Oh, and your kids will totally love them too!)
- The perfect cereal bars. With the tips I share and my secret formula for extra deliciousness (that would be the extra marshmallows added to the mix!), you can be assured this is a no-fail recipe. It’s a guaranteed hit!
- 15 minutes from start to finish. Okay, you also have to wait 15 minutes for the bars to set, but still! How many other treats can you make with just 15 minutes of effort? Not many! (These banana popsicles are one of them!)
Ingredient List
- Marshmallows: You’ll need jumbo marshmallows to melt with the butter to hold the Cinnamon Toast Crunch bars together, and also miniature marshmallows to add to the cereal for pockets of gooey delight.
- Unsalted Butter: While the cereal and the marshmallows get all the attention in cereal bars, the butter is a key supporting player. It adds richness and an irresistible buttery flavor, keeping your bars from being cloying.
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal: The good stuff! A store brand is absolutely fine, as is one of the fun variations like Chocolate Toast Crunch or Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch. Don’t use Cinnamon Toast Crunch Churros, though, because the shape won’t work well for cereal bars.
How to Make Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Bars
Coat a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray; make sure you get the corners and up the sides.
In a very large pot set over medium low heat, combine the jumbo marshmallows and butter.
Why Are My Cereal Bars Hard?
One of the most common reasons cereal bars turn out hard is because the marshmallow mixture has been cooked at a high temperature. Always melt the butter and marshmallows over medium low heat. Low and slow is the key here; don’t raise the heat try to make it happen faster. Another common mistake is packing the mixture into the pan too firmly. Try not to compact the mixture into a hard layer.
Stir frequently until the mixture is smooth and melted.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Keep stirring until the cereal is coated; then stir in the mini marshmallows. Note: If you add the mini marshmallows at the same time as the cereal, the mixture is too warm which will cause the marshmallow to melt.
Immediately pour the cereal mixture into prepared pan. Press down gently to flatten. You might want to spray some nonstick cooking spray on your hands to do this, or you can save the butter wrapper and use that, buttery side down on the bars, clean side up for pressing.
Let the bars cool for at least 15 minutes, then cut and serve.
Tricks for making the best Cinnamon Toast Crunch Treats
I have a few tricks up my sleeve when I make marshmallow-based bars like these Cinnamon Toast Crunch ones, the best Rice Krispie treats, or Fruity Pebbles treats.
- Trick #1: Grease your pan, and your hands when you press the bars in. You’ll be glad you did. But if you don’t grease your hands, you’ll need to lick them off… so really, this is a win-win.
- Trick #2: Don’t press them in too firmly. Gently press down so they’re in a nice even layer, but don’t pack them in. You’ll end up with very tough bars if you do that.
- Trick #3: Extra marshmallows! Sure, all the cereal is coated in gooey marshmallow goodness, but why not add MORE? I add mini marshmallows to the cereal to achieve fun little pockets of marshmallow. Doing this also adds to the lightness of the bars, again preventing them from becoming tough or too dense.
Follow these basic steps and you’ll achieve no-bake perfection!
Ways to Change Up These Cereal Bars
- Mix in caramel: Add caramel bits (the ones they sell in bags near the chocolate chips) to the cereal and marshmallows for a little extra gooey-ness.
- No-cut cereal bars: Instead of making the cereal bars in a pan, you can make them in a well-greased muffin pan for individual portions.
- Take them over-the-top: After cutting the bars, drizzle them with melted white chocolate.
Room temperature: Cinnamon Toast Crunch bars will harden with time, so they’re beat eaten as soon as possible! Store them wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Would you believe you can freeze cereal bars? You can! Wrap your Cinnamon Toast Crunch bars in plastic wrap, pop them in an airtight container or freezer bag, and they’ll last up to 3 months in the freezer. Let them thaw at room temperature before eating. (You can also eat them straight out of the freezer. Don’t ask me how I know this.)
More Sweet Treats
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars
Ingredients
- 16 ounces jumbo marshmallows
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal (12.2 oz box)
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows, optional
Instructions
- Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large pot, combine jumbo marshmallows and butter.
- Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth and melted.
- Remove from heat and add Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal. Stir to coat cereal with marshmallow mixture, and then add mini marshmallows if using. Stir until everything is coated with melted marshmallow-butter mixture.
- Immediately pour this mixture into the prepared pan and press down gently to flatten. (You might want to spray some non-stick cooking spray on your hands to do this.) Don’t press them down too much or they will get tough.
- Cool for at least 15 minutes (mixture will firm up) before cutting into bars.
Notes
- Storage: Cinnamon Toast Crunch bars will harden with time, so they’re best eaten as soon as possible! Store them wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To freeze, wrap bars well and place in a freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- If you want to change things up, substitute a different kind of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, such as Chocolate Toast Crunch or Dulce de Leche Toast Crunch.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
I just had these on Monday at a party. Wound up eating 3 of them. Had to find out the recipe. Will be making these for my birthday.Very easy to make and delicious to eat. Thank you for the recipe.
Oh that makes me so happy! I’m so glad you liked these…and thanks for leaving a comment! Means a lot to me. :)
I LOVE cinnamon toast crunch so these bars are caaalling my name!
haha . . yes, Rice Krispie Treats are so yesterday . . :P Bring on the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars! love these!!! my kids would devour these!
I remember I would always beg my parents to get me cinnamon toast crunch when I was younger, and they never would. Actually to this day, I have not tried it! I think this needs to be fixed. These look amazing :)
I saw these bars on facebook I think in a yummly thread and I was so impressed, they truly are amazing and very creative!
Whoa – it’s as if Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Rice Krispies Treats had a love-child! Gotta love no-bake bars in the summer :)
I’m going to grab my expando-pants and head over for this party! I love cinnamon toast crunch and would faceplant in these bars!
Oh my goodness girl, I feel the same way! Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal is totally my jam! I made an ice cream cake using the crumbs for the crust and am seriously crushing on these gorgeous bars! Love that they’re no bake!
yummy alternative!
These look so much more delicious than Rice Krispie treats!!