Red Velvet Cereal Treats

Red Velvet Cereal Treats
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I love Valentine's Day. I love making little treats that look festive and that taste great. My little girl loves cereal treats. Cereal treats are decent, but these are SO addictive. I could not stop eating them. Red Velvet anything is worth the calories. This recipe takes cereal treats to a whole new level. This was a super fun (and tasty) activity to do with her for the holidays. She had lots of fun using the cooking cutter and making the heart shapes. This will definitely make the cut of fun things to do together to celebrate Valentine's Day. I also LOVE doing my cereal treats in the microwave. It makes them come together quick and clean-up is a breeze. I don't even remember the last time I did cereal treats on the stove top. Give them a try in the microwave and I think you'll love it.

 

Here's what you need:

 

-6 TBS butter, plus a little extra for greasing your pan
-(1) lb. bag of mini marshmallows
-3/4 C Red Velvet cake mix
-3 drops of red food coloring, optional
-1 tsp. vanilla extract
-8 1/2 C chocolate rice cereal (i.e. Cocoa Pebbles, DynoBites, etc.)

Garnish:
-1/2 C white chocolate chips
- 1 tsp. coconut oil, melted
-1 drop cinnamon oil (about 1/16th tsp), optional


1. Butter a standard-sized baking sheet and set aside.

2. In a large microwave safe bowl (I use a large Tupperware bowl) melt 6 TBS of butter. Once butter is melted add vanilla and food coloring if desired. I think the food coloring adds the perfect color "punch" to this recipe. Stir together. Add marshmallows and coat with butter mixture. Add cake mix and stir to incorporate.

3. Microwave mixture on high for 1.5-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Once mixture is melted, add your cereal and stir to combine.

Melty marshmallow chocolatey goodness
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4. Pour mixture onto your baking sheet and press down with buttered hands.

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5. Once mixture is cooled, use a cookie cutter and cut out heart shapes. Take another baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper and place the hearts on top. **If you are in a hurry you can just skip this step and just cut into squares.

So cute for Valentine's Day
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6. Use a chocolate melter if you have one (it's like a mini crock-pot that melts chocolate and keeps it at a constant temperature). I have 2 of them and they are my favorite to use. I love that it keeps the chocolate at a constant temperature and I don't have to worry about using a double boiler or running the risk of my chocolate seizing in the microwave. If you can invest in one, I highly recommend it. It also works great for dipping chocolates. If you don't have one, then you can melt the chocolate in the microwave in 15-30 second intervals. It takes about 3-4 minutes and you want to make sure that you stir often. Once chocolate is melted, add coconut oil and cinnamon oil and stir to combine. I always thin out my chocolate with coconut oil. It makes it SO much easier to drizzle.

7. Drizzle white chocolate over cereal treats.

 

So yummy!
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Once the chocolate is set then they are ready for eating. You can put them in a cute, decorative bag and it's a perfect little gift for a friend or loved one for the holiday.

Squares or Hearts? Both are cute!
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Here's the printable recipe.

Enjoy and Happy Baking!