We Made Junk Food Cereal Bars so You Can Combine All Your Favorite Guilty Pleasures

Bea OsmeñaWords
Jerome JocsonPhotos
Talia CortezRecipe Development

Here’s a ridiculously easy and super fun recipe to do on a bored Sunday: combine all your favorite grocery-bought snacks or cereals to make the most unhealthy cereal bar you can think of. It’s essentially a 3 (or more depending on how many snacks you want to include in a single bar) ingredient recipe. The snack/s act as a base, marshmallows make everything stick, and the butter helps the marshmallows melt and helps keep the bars intact.

We used sweet corn, cracker nuts, and chocolate cereal, but you can use any combination of snacks.

It essentially takes 30 minutes of relatively brainless mixing of ingredients, and 4 hours to allow everything to set. While our chef recommends going with one sweet snack to two salty ones (or vice-versa), have fun with it and let us know where your tastebuds take you.

Serves: 16 people
Active time: 30 mins
Total time: 4 hrs 30 mins
Difficulty: Easy

Junk Food Bars

1/3 cup butter
10.5 oz marshmallows (one bag)
6 cups assorted cereal/junk food snacks

Prepare a 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper and oil.
Set aside.
In a large pot over medium heat, add the butter.
Heat butter until melted, then add marshmallows.
When marshmallows are fully melted, fold in assorted cereal/junk food until combined.
Transfer the treats into the prepared pan, making sure to flatten the top and press down the mixture.
Let sit at room temperature until hardened, about 4 hours.
When treats are set, remove from pan and parchment and cut into squares.

Bea Osmeña SEE AUTHOR Bea Osmeña

Bea Osmeña is a healthy-ish eater who is just as likely to take you to a vegan joint as she is to consume a whole cheese pie to herself. A former picky eater, Bea has discovered the joys of savory fruit dishes, but still refuses to accept pineapples on her pizza. On the rare occasion you catch her without food in her mouth, you are likely to find her looking at books she can't afford, hugging trees, or talking to strange animals on the street.