Cheerio Treats

If your kids are anything like mine they will beg, whine, and manipulate to get what the want. When they get tired of the thing they cried for, they leave you with a mess to clean up. Case in point, Cheerios. "Please, Mommy, buy these. We like them!" Liars. After eating only a bowl or two, the stuff starts getting stale and a thin layer of dust settles on the box. Those little liars. This recipe was due to a perfect storm of expiring ingredients--the result was pretty tasty. Turns out they do like Cheerios (when they are smothered with candy).

Here's what you'll need: Cheerios (probably stale, but preferably not), marshmallows (hard and dry, or wet and sticky, maybe even store-fresh, your choice), chocolate chips (that white powder growing on them is just oxidation and it never hurt anyone), butter, and some cooking spray

Melt some butter

Central Texas humidity + opened bag of marshmallows =

 Add those to the butter, on medium heat (around 5 on an electric stove)

Catch your kid red handed, pilfering the goods

 Add more marshmallows--this ain't science, we don't need to measure

It takes a while to start melting

And its surprisingly difficult to stir

  

Maybe I need to get to the gym more often

Or just make more things that are hard to stir...

Hummmm. Back to the recipe. When its nice and smooth you can shut off the heat and start adding the Cheerios

When they're all in, lightly spray your lined dish, and get a big burly man to help you scoop them out of the pot

Spray your hand with cooking oil and press it down

Sprinkle on the chocolate chips and mash them in

Admire your work while it cools. Like a shark to blood, kids are to chocolate

Slice with a sharp knife

I wrapped them in wax paper. It just ended up being more sticky and messy than it was worth, so I don't recommend it.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups Cheerios (or whatever almost inedible cereal you have on hand)
• 4 Tbs butter
• 16 oz marshmallows 
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Line baking dish with foil and lightly spray with cooking oil
2. On medium heat, melt butter in large pot and add marshmallows
3. Stir constantly until completely melted and smooth
4. Turn off heat and add cereal to pot
5. Extract from pot and press into lined dish
6. Sprinkle on chocolate chips and smash them in