Remember that time I got to go to the Betty Crocker Kitchens? Well, it was one of my favorite parts of a recently hosted trip to General Mills Wold Headquarters with General Mills Big G Cereal and I am so excited that they let me play in the Betty Crocker Kitchens to develop a recipe using Big G Cereal!
There was three reasons why I decided to use Wheaties in my recipe creation: 1) You almost never see Wheaties used in recipes; 2) Wheaties are pretty low in sugar (only 4 g per serving) so I could be fairly guilt-free in my other ingredients; and 3) I have a 2-year-old who is in LOVE with Wheaties and I knew this would make his day!
Ingredients ::
4 c. Wheaties cereal
1/2 c. dried cranberries
2/3 c. dark chocolate chips
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter
Topping (optional) ::
1/4 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
Directions ::
1. Line an 8″x8″ pan with foil. Lightly grease with the oil of your choice.
2. Mix Wheaties, dried cranberries, and 2/3 c. dark chocolate in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Over medium-high heat combine butter, brown sugar, and honey in a saucepan until boiling. Stir constantly and boil for 2 minutes.
4. Add sugar mixture to dry ingredients and mix well until all the cereal is well coated. The dark chocolate chips will melt during this step.
5. Press the mixture into the pan to help the bars “stick” together.
6. Add the white chocolate chips if desired.
7. Melt the 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips in the microwave.
8. Drizzle the chocolate over bars and set aside to cool.
9. Once cooled remove the foil from the pan and cut into squares.
Enjoy!
Tips ::
- When greasing the foil you can use cooking spray, butter, coconut oil, or any other oil of your choice. Just go easy on the oil and remember that some choices may add a flavor to the finished bars.
- To melt the dark chocolate for the top of the bars use the microwave. Start at 40 seconds and then check the consistency. If needed add 10 second increments and recheck recheck each set until able to be drizzled from a spoon.
- The white chocolate chips were an addition I choose for aesthetic reasons… without them the bars were really brown. If you don’t like chocolate chips try mini-marshmallows, colored chocolate candies, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, or coconut flakes. Get creative.
- To speed up the cooling process stick the pan of bars into your freezer or fridge. Once the chocolate drizzle is no longer “shiny” the bars should be cooled enough to cut.
