Some people can’t imagine an Easter basket without Peeps, some can’t imagine why anyone would want to eat them and then there is a group of people who will only eat Peeps if they are stale. Somewhere in the middle of all of that is what I think Peeps are perfect for: crispy cereal treat bars.
As far as I’m concerned those simple, three ingredient cereal bars get elevated a few notches in eye appeal and flavor when Peeps are used in place of standard marshmallows. My theory is that the dusting of colored sugar on the outside of the Peeps is the reason for both.
Beyond the basic tenants of using only one color of Peeps per batch and deciding if you want to go with the name brand Kellogg’s Rice Krispies or a similar crispy rice cereal, the only thing that one needs to do is figure out how many Peeps are equal to a bag of marshmallows.
This takes just a small math calculation to adjust your existing recipe from the weight of the bag of marshmallows to the weight of each package of Peeps. It will sound like/feel like you’re buying a lot of Peeps, but trust the math or simply follow the recipe below that has been adjusted for you.
One final tip, if you’ve always melted your marshmallows in a pan on the stove, I implore you to try it in the microwave. It’s a game changer.Â
Crispy Cereal Treat Bars
3 Tbsp butter
4-7 packages Peeps*
5 cups crispy rice cereal
Cooking spray
Coat a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray.
In a large microwave safe bowl, heat butter and Peeps on high for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth.
Add crispy rice cereal and stir until well coated.
Using a buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture into prepared pan. Let cool and cut into squares.
* 5-count packages of classic chicks and 4-count packages of classic bunnies each weigh 1.5 oz. Round up and use seven packages of this size per batch.
10-count packages of classic chicks and 8-count packages of classic bunnies each weigh 3 oz. Use four packages of this size per batch.
