NO-BAKE CEREAL BITES
Crispy rice cereal, honey, peanut butter (or sunflower butter), and jam bring together classic breakfast flavors in a new and fun way. These no-bake cereal bites are part PB&J sandwich, part rice crispy treat, and 100% delicious. Bonus: they are easy to personalize. Sunflower seed butter can be used in place of the peanut butter for a nut-free version of these bites. Any flavor of jam will work, so choose your family favorite. Even better, these no-bake cereal bites can be stored in the freezer for a quick and easy portable breakfast on busy mornings.
The trick to maximizing the flavor in these cereal bites is to brown the butter before warming the honey. It adds a depth of flavor that’s extra special. To keep added sugar in check, be sure to choose brown rice cereal with no more than 1g of added sugar per serving and fruit spread with no more than 8g of added sugar per serving (this recipe uses 1/3 of a serving of jam per cereal bite). Or make my two-ingredient strawberry jam. I also love that this recipe is super easy to assemble. It was featured along with a few of my favorite no-cook meals on ABC7’s Modern Mom. Watch me and Kristen Sze make these cereal bites together.
NO-BAKE CEREAL BITES
Makes 12
Note: Serve cold. Because these cereal bites are made with less sugar they will begin to fall apart at room temperature.
4 cups brown rice cereal
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup nut or seed butter of your choice (peanut, almond, sunflower)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup strawberry jam
Sea salt, for topping
1) Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2) Place puffed rice in a large bowl; set aside.
3) Brown the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until darkened in color and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the honey and whisk to combine. Bring to a vigorous simmer and cook until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the nut butter and vanilla and stir until fully melted and incorporated into the honey butter. Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool slightly.
4) Pour the warm mixture over the rice cereal and stir to combine. Place two heaping tablespoons of the mixture into each well of the muffin tin. Using your fingers, firmly compress the mixture into each well of the muffin tin to form a solid base.
5) Add one teaspoon of jam to each well of the muffin tin. Spread gently with a spoon to ensure the jam fully covers the crispy rice base. The jam should touch the cupcake liners so that when finished you’ll be able to see the jam layer.
6) Top each cereal bite with another two heaping tablespoons of the crispy rice mixture. Using your fingers, gently press the rice mixture onto the base. Sprinkle with sea salt.
7) Freeze for 25 minutes. Serve cold. Store in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to one month.
Nutrition Information (1 cereal bite)
Calories: 234 | Added sugar: 2 1/4 teaspoons or 9g | Carbohydrates: 23g | Sodium: 18mg | Saturated fats: 19% of calories or 5g | Fiber: 2g | Protein: 5g
- 4 cups brown rice cereal
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup honey
- ¾ cup nut or seed butter of your choice (peanut, almond, sunflower)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup strawberry jam
- Dash of sea salt, for topping
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Place puffed rice in a large bowl; set aside.
- Brown the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until darkened in color and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the honey and whisk to combine. Bring to a vigorous simmer and cook until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the nut butter and vanilla and stir until fully melted and incorporated into the honey butter. Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool slightly.
- Pour the warm mixture over the rice cereal and stir to combine. Place two heaping tablespoons of the mixture into each well of the muffin tin. Using your fingers, firmly compress the mixture into each well of the muffin tin to form a solid base.
- Add one teaspoon of jam to each well of the muffin tin. Spread gently with a spoon to ensure the jam fully covers the crispy rice base. The jam should touch the cupcake liners so that when finished you’ll be able to see the jam layer.
- Top each cereal bite with another two heaping tablespoons of the crispy rice mixture. Using your fingers, gently press the rice mixture onto the base. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Freeze for 25 minutes. Serve cold. Store in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to one month.
