If you have the late night munchies, these small batch cinnamon toast crunch marshmallow treats absolutely hit. All you need is five ingredients, a loaf pan, and about 20 minutes for a sweet, gooey, cinnamon-y treat. Honestly, you might want to double this recipe cause they're that good.
Does anyone remember those Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal bars with white chocolate that we all used to eat for breakfast in the early 2000s? My mom never bought them, but I for sure ate them at school from time to time. Those things were totally unhinged. I think if I ate that much sugar for breakfast these days, I would have a hangover for a week.
Not that these bars don't have a ton of sugar, I'm sure they do. But for me, they're more of a late night munchie when I have mad sugar cravings and zero patience to bake a batch of my small batch brownies. They scratch the itch with very little work.
Like my small batch Rice Krispie treats, they have brown butter and extra marshmallows for extra gooey-ness which is a trick I learned in pastry school. And not going to lie, I think I might like them better than Rice Krispie treats. I mean, I absolutely love the classic but the addition of cinnamon is just soOoOooOo good!
How to get extra gooey bars
If you like an extra gooey bar like me, there's a few ways to get there! I've tried lots of tips and tricks but these are the ones that I've found work best.
- Use extra marshmallows. I like to throw in another handful at the end so the bars have pockets of melty mallow.
- Don't over-cook the marshmallows or they'll come out hard.
- Don't compact the bars too much or they'll be dense instead of light and airy.
Cinnamon toast crunch
The key ingredient here is obviously Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. But you can use generic if you prefer! Honestly, pretty much any cinnamon cereal would work in these bars.
You'll also need marshmallows, unsalted butter, pure vanilla extract, and Kosher salt. The vanilla and salt are optional but really take the bars over the top.
Brown the butter
You can 100% skip this step and use regular melted butter if you want to speed things up a bit. Just reduce the butter to 36 grams (2 ½ Tablespoons).
How to make the bars
Spray a rubber spatula with neutral oil before you press the treats into the pan. It seriously helps so much to keep the marshmallow from sticking!
Loaf pan alternative
If you don't have a loaf pan, you can use a cupcake pan instead! Just butter 6 cups of the cupcake pan or line them with paper liners. Then, divide the mixture between the cups for 6 individual treats.
Storing & freezing the bars
- Store - place the bars in an airtight container & store for up to 2 days.
- Freeze - wrap the bars in parchment paper. Pop them in a zipper bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
When it comes to small-batch baking, I always recommend using a scale to measure the ingredients. If you don't have a scale, here are all my tips on how I measure ingredients for small batch baking.
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Small Batch Cinnamon Toast Crunch Marshmallow Treats
Equipment
- Medium skillet
- 1 loaf pan
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 42 grams unsalted butter (3 Tablespoons)
- 200 grams mini marshmallows, divided (4 cups)
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 200 grams Cinnamon Toast Crunch (4 ½ cups)
Instructions
- Grease a loaf pan with butter or baking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on each side.
- Then, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Let it gently simmer, swirling the pan often, until the butter smells nutty and there are small brown bits on the bottom of the pan, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the 180 grams (3 ½ cups) of mini marshmallows to the brown butter. Stir the marshmallows constantly, just until they're melted and well-combined with the butter. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salt and vanilla extract. Add the Cinnamon Toast Crunch and remaining 20 grams (½ cup) of mini marshmallows. Stir until everything is well-combined and the marshmallows are slightly melted.
- Using a greased rubber spatula, gently press the mixture evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Then, let the bars set at room temperature or in the fridge for about 30-60 minutes. Use the sides of the parchment paper to remove the treats from the pan. Slice into 6 bars and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think!