Celebrate #NationalCerealDay with No Bake Peanut Butter Cereal Bars

Disclosure: Many thanks to Post Cereals for the opportunity to sample Honey Bunches of Oats. I received a few boxes in exchange for this review. No monetary compensation was received. The views expressed above are mine and so is the recipe. For more information on the Disclosure Policy of Three Boys and an Old Lady blog, please visit http://threeboysandanoldlady.blogspot.com/2010/01/advertisecontact.html

We get all the way to school and one of the kids got out of the car, looks at me and says "Mommy, I didn't eat breakfast."  

Ugh, don't you hate when that happens?

I'm a good mom.  I'm not a "Make Breakfast Everyday" Mom, but I try to make sure my kids have a healthy breakfast before we head out the door to start our day.  I keep our freezer stocked with homemade breakfast burritos so the kids can just heat and eat.  I keep a pantry full of breakfast cereals like Honey Bunches of Oats Chocolate® but it never fails, in the midst of the morning mayhem someone will forget something.  Some days it's a backpack. Other days it's breakfast.  C'est la vie.

On those mornings when one of the kids forgets breakfast and there's no time to return home, we forego the morning drive thru and local donut shop and head straight to the closest grocery store to grab a box of breakfast bars.  It never fails that whenever I buy breakfast bars I always think "Hey, I know how to make these."  Breakfast bars are easy to make and a great recipe to try with the kids.

Here's a simple 5-ingredient recipe for No Bake Peanut Butter Cereal Bars.  Just five ingredients:  brown sugar, syrup, butter, peanut butter and cereal but you can get creative and make it your own.  For this recipe I used Honey Bunches of Oats® Chocolate but you can use whatever cereal you have on hand. Honey Bunches of Oats® Chocolate are gluten free and a great way to add a hint of chocolate flavor to your cereal bar recipe.

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup syrup
• 2 tbsp butter (softened)
• 3/4 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy, your choice)
• 3 cups cereal (I used Honey Bunches of Oats Chocolate® )

Pro tip:  Add a sprinkle of raisins, dried fruit or nuts to the mixture for additional nutrition.

Directions:

1. Combine brown sugar, syrup and butter in large bowl and stir.  
2. Slowly stir in peanut butter and gradually add cereal.
3. Press into a plastic wrapped lined, butter 8x8 baking dish.
4. Chill for 2 hours or until firm.
5. Cut into bars.

How are you celebrating National Cereal Day?  What's your favorite cereal?  Let me know leave a comment below.