Lucky Charms™️ Crispy Treats

Lucky Charms™️ cereal makes great crispy treats. The secret to chewy and soft treats? Melt the marshmallows slowly over low heat. And always use fresh, soft marshmallows.

I love crispy treats! And this version, made with Lucky Charms, tops my list of favorites. The oat flavor of the cereal goes great with the buttery-marshmallows.

Ingredients

You only need three ingredients for these bars!

• Lucky Charms™️ cereal. You’ll need 6 cups of Lucky Charms or similar cereal. 
• Marshmallows. I prefer mini-marshmallows for cereal bars. They melt quickly and evenly. Make sure the marshmallows you use are fresh, not stale. 
• Butter. Both salted and unsalted butter work–as does a dairy-free butter spread. 

How to Make Lucky Charms Treats.

Melt. Stir. Press into pan. Those are the basic steps. Let’s take a look at each one!

Before you begin: You want your pan ready and waiting. For nice thick bars, use an 8×8-inch square pan. For thinner bars, a 9×13-inch works perfectly. Grease the pan with nonstick cooking spray or brush it with softened butter. Then place a piece of parchment into it. Cut the parchment large enough that it overhangs the pan by an inch or so. This will make it easy to lift the bars out of the pan.

Cook Fast Tip: Clip the parchment to the pan with binder clips. This holds it in place while you fill the pan.

1. Cut the butter into 6 pieces and melt it over medium-low heat in a large pan. 
2. Once the butter melts, add your marshmallows.
3. Stir the marshmallows until they’re melted and creamy. Remember: melting them over medium-low heat keeps the bars soft and chewy. If you love crisp bars, melt them over high heat. 
4. As soon as the marshmallows are melted, remove the pan from the heat. Add the cereal.

5. Now: stir, stir, stir. You want all the cereal coated with the marshmallow-butter mixture.

6. Spoon the mixture into your prepared pan. Press it down gently, I like to use a piece of greased parchment paper for this step. If you want to use your hand, wet them with cool water. 
   
   You can either let them set up at room temperature. This takes an hour or so. Or you can pop the pan in the fridge and let them cool for about 30 minutes. 
7. Cut into Bars. Lift the bars from the pan using the overhanging parchment. Cut them into bars. And enjoy!

Tips

• Use Fresh Marshmallows and Cereal. You want your marshmallows soft and your cereal crunchy. If the marshmallows are stale, they won’t melt nicely. 
• Don’t Press Too Hard. When you put the cereal mixture into the pan, press down gently. You don’t want to pack the cereal mixture. 
• Add Vanilla. For an extra-creamy flavor, add a ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.

How to Store Leftovers (If you’ve got any!)

These disappear fast! But if you don’t eat them all right away, here’s how to store them. 

Place the treats in an airtight container and store them at room temperature. They keep for up to 4 days. If you made a few batches, place a piece of parchment paper between the layers to keep them from sticking together. 

I don’t recommend freezing these bars. The texture of the cereal gets a little soft after freezing.

Note: This recipe was originally shared in March, 2023. It was updated April, 2024 to include photos and step-by-step directions.