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Cranberry chocolate cereal squares are a perfect quick and tasty breakfast option for a busy morning, or a “just the right amount of sweet” late night snack before bed (crumbled atop vanilla ice cream—yum!).
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
I’ll never deny that I’m a cereal lover.
Some days I’ll eat it for all three meals—yes, just like Jerry Seinfeld. There are so many reasons why a bowl of cereal’s my go-to “can’t think of anything else” meal, but the main reason is this: convenience.
My mornings, I’m certain, are no crazier than yours.
We all have a laundry list of a hundred different things to accomplish before getting the kids off to school and then getting ourselves into work.
Or, at least a few things with a clock that seems to move at a pace that’s twice as fast as the rest of the day.
Lots of, “How is it eight in the morning and time for the bus stop already?? We just got up (um … two hours ago)!”
In typical mom fashion, my kids always have a breakfast each morning without fail, and I’m left scrambling to find something to either grab on the run, or eat at my desk.
(Eat at my desk usually wins.)
Cereal in its traditional with-milk-in-a-bowl format doesn’t bode well as an on-the-go, or at my desk, option—as much as I love it. Yes, I have tried, though I’ve considered one of these newer contraptions that could actually make it possible.
I digress…
So instead, I like to use cereal in a different way, for my quick breakfasts AND for yummy evening treats.
Cranberry Chocolate Cereal Squares
This recipe is pretty simple to pull together, and requires no—that’s ZERO! — baking.
I used Raisin Bran – Cranberry Almond Granola as my inspiration for a cereal treat, along with more sliced almonds, oats, mini chocolate chips, and all natural spun raw “creamed” honey.
First, I prepped a square glass baking dish with parchment paper.
A few drops of water on the bottom of the dish before adding the parchments helps to keep it in place while you’re prepping the filling!
I mixed the raw honey with a bag of sliced almonds to create a base for the squares, and then pressed the sticky mixture gently into the baking dish.
My fingers were really goopy afterwards, coated with honey and almonds.
This isn’t a recipe for the faint of heart (or at least for someone who’s not willing to get a little messy with food—your hands are the best tool for the job).
Once the almonds were pressed into place, I melted some semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave, and drizzled/glopped/spread it on top.
The chocolate’s obviously a tasty edition (when is it ever not?), but it also acts as a binder for the next layer: the cereal!
I mixed the cereal, oats, chocolate chips and more honey in a large bowl—again with my hands—carefully crushing all the ingredients together, and adding more honey as needed.
You want the mixture to be pretty sticky, otherwise it’ll fall apart instead of staying in cute little squares (we’ll talk more about that later).
And then I pressed everything down firmly.
Off into the freezer it went, overnight, before pulling the parchment up and out (no sticking!), and then using a very sharp knife to cut it into squares.
Here’s the thing.
The squares are crumbly. When you pull the dish out of the freezer, you want to work quickly with the knife, and then wrap each individually in plastic wrap or wax paper.
I’d keep the cranberry chocolate cereal squares in the freezer until you’re ready to eat one, if I were you, and I think adding more honey would help keep them together better.
Or more melted chocolate on top. Mmm…
But, if it turns out yours are too crumbly to hold, then you have options! Don’t fret. Surprise yourself and your senses.
I also love this flavor/texture combo on my plain yogurt, and it’s the perfect crunch topper for a bowl (or even a cone!) of ice cream in the evening.
What I’m saying is this: you have SO many options for cereal beyond the bowl.
Cranberry Chocolate Cereal Squares
These cranberry chocolate breakfast squares are a great grab-and-go breakfast, or perfect to top your yogurt or ice cream!
Ingredients
- 2 cups sliced almonds
- 6 oz creamed honey (or regular - preferably local)
- 4 cups Kellogg's Raisin Bran – Cranberry Almond Granola
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prep an 8x8" baking dish with parchment paper.
- Add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl, and heat it for 1-2 minutes until the chips have melted, stirring after 1 minute.
- Combine half the honey with the almonds and press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Spoon the melted chocolate on top—it doesn't have to be spread evenly.
- In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the cereal, oats, chocolate chips and remaining honey.
- The mixture should crumble together and feel sticky. Add more honey if it doesn't seem to be holding together.
- Press the cereal mixture on top of the chocolate and almonds, cover the baking dish, and then place it in the freezer.
- Let the cranberry chocolate cereal squares chill for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
Notes
Use a sharp knife to cut the granola into squares, then wrap each tightly with plastic wrap or wax paper, and store them in the freezer. These work great crumbled atop yogurt or ice cream, too!
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Visit this website for more inspiration for creative breakfast and snack creations!
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
