This easy-bake chocolate Peanut Butter Chex Bars use ingredients like Chex cereal, pretzel bits, creamy peanut butter, and melted chocolate to create delicious crunchy bars that make the perfect sweet treat for your weekly meal prep or as a great make-ahead snack for parties, road trips, hikes, and everything in between.
Remember those Kellogg cereal bars we used to eat when we were kids? Well, these cereal treats are a grown-up, chocolate-y version that will bring back all the nostalgia. And the crunched up pretzels on the top really take these to the next level 😏😏😏 Ever since we tested these, we’ve made sure to keep a batch on hand in the studio freezer. They’re a perfect treat with afternoon coffee.
To make this Chex bar recipe, just prepare your cinnamon-honey peanut butter mixture over the stove. Then mix in the Chex cereal and press it into a baking pan. Top with melted chocolate and pretzel pieces before chilling in the fridge for a couple of hours. YUM.
Peanut Butter Honey Chex Bars – What You’ll Need
- All-natural drippy peanut butter: Peanut butter gives these bars their deliciously nutty flavor. Use all-natural, unsweetened peanut butter for the best results.
- Honey: Honey is what binds the cereal mixture together and adds a touch of sweetness.
- Coconut oil: We used coconut oil in both the peanut butter mixture and to melt the chocolate chips. It helps give the bars a smoother texture and adds healthy fats.
- Cinnamon: A little bit of ground cinnamon adds a warm and cozy flavor to these bars.
- Rice Chex: These crispy rice cereal squares are the base of this recipe, making these bars crunchy. satisfying, and the best thing to snack on!
- Semisweet chocolate chips: We put a rich chocolate layer over these Chex bars to make them extra decadent.
- Pretzel pieces: The pretzels add a salty crunch and some variety of texture. Don’t skip ’em!
Tasty Swaps + Additions
Create something new and delicious every time you make these Chex bars by swapping or adding any of the following ingredients:
Rice Chex: We used rice Chex, but any type of Chex can be used, such as corn Chex, Chocolate Chex, or wheat Chex.
Chocolate chips: Swap the semi-sweet chocolate chips with white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips.
Toppings: Feel free to top the mixture with other ingredients along with the pretzels. Other cereal pieces would taste great, or make it extra decadent with mini marshmallows or chopped nuts. How fun!
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Peanut Butter Cereal Bars
Love these chex bars? You HAVE to try our peanut butter cereal bars.
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Batter too thick?
In step #2, if the peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil mixture isn’t thinning out, add another tablespoon of coconut oil.
Do I have to refrigerate these bars?
Allow these Chex bars to sit in the refrigerator long enough to set. If you’re in a time crunch, you can also set them in the freezer 😄
PS: Be sure you press mixture firmly enough into the bottom of the pan, or else the Chex may not stick together.
How to Store Peanut Butter Chex Bars
To store these peanut butter Chex bars, place them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
How do we store them? — in the freezer!
You can also freeze these bars for longer storage. Just allow them to set before slicing and storing in a freezer-safe bag. They will stay fresh for up to 3 months.
When ready to enjoy, let them thaw in the fridge before serving.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.