Pumpkin Spice Cheerios Bars

My stockpile of Pumpkin Spice Cheerios is growing and I picked up some Pumpkin Spice Special K and Frosted Shredded Wheat today.  I still haven’t made it to Trader Joe’s for my pumpkin haul, but that’s coming this weekend.

My niece sent me this recipe from We are Not Martha and I thought I would give them a try for bookclub last night — Pumpkin Cheerios Marshmallow Treats.  They are like Rice Krispie treats, but with Cheerios.

Ingredients:

• ½ stick (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter
• 11.5 oz. bag marshmallows (I used mini marshmallows)
• 7 cups Pumpkin Spice Cheerios (I think you could cut back to 6 cups so the bars aren’t too dry)
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp ginger
• ¾ cup white chocolate chips
• Note:  I think you could easily increase the spices to 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and nutmeg and 1/4 tsp ginger.

Directions:

1. Spray 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat.
3. Add marshmallows to saucepan and stir until melted.
4. Turn off heat and add spices then the Pumpkin Spice Cheerios. Stir until Cheerios are completed coated in marshmallow.
5. Fold in white chocolate chips.  I took the extra from the bag and sprinkled them on top while the bars were warm and spread them out with a knife.
6. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and let sit for about an hour to cool and harden.
7. Cut into squares.

I could see this recipe working with other flavors of Cheerios, even the chocolate variety.  They were tasty and an interesting twist on the normal krispie bars.  They’d be fun to wrap up individually for a school treat or fall hostess gift.

I’ve got tons of other recipes on my Bars and Brownies and Something Kinda Sweet over on Pinterest, so check out more ideas for weekend baking.