Chocolate Cinnamon Cereal Bars (Vegan Gluten-Free)
Delicious crunchy vegan and gluten-free, high-protein Chocolate Cinnamon Cereal Bars with a crispy base and a thick chocolate top. Make these easy no-bake bars for wholesome snacks and desserts.
I just love crunchy cereal bars and squares: they are one of my favourite things to make. They are also really easy as they are no-bake and you just need a few simple, wholesome ingredients to create something delicious! These bars are inspired by the new cinnamon hoop high protein cereal from Brave Foods which I just love but you can use other hoop or protein cereal.
Why will I love these bars?
These are one of my new favourite snacks for many reasons, here are a few:
- Crunchy, crispy and chewy
- Rich, chocolatey and melt-in-your-mouth
- Cinnamon and naturally sweet and spiced
- Easy to make in a few steps
- No bake and quick
- High in protein
- Wholesome and made with good-for-you ingredients
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free and easily nut-free
If you already love the sound of these bars, skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
These bars use simple whole-food ingredients. For the base we need:
- Smooth peanut butter: smooth and runny peanut butter is best for the bases as it mixes in better. You can also use smooth almond or cashew butter or try tahini or sunflower seed butter to make these nut-free.
- Maple syrup: for sticky sweetness. You can use other syrups like tapioca, rice or agave or use vegan honey.
- Coconut oil: this helps the bars to set.
- Salt: for flavour enhancement.
- Cinnamon: for the cinnamon flavour.
- Cinnamon hoop cereal: I just love the Brave foods cereal here as the flavour is so good and the ingredients are really natural. They are also high protein, making these snacks a great protein snack. You can use other cereal or hoop cereal too.
- Oat flour: to bulk out the bars. You can make your own oat flour by blending oats (gluten-free where needed) in a blender to a fine flour. Store these in a sealed container for 2 months.
- Vegan protein powder: I love the Macromike protein for adding to these bars to add texture, protein and it also thickens the mix. Try vanilla or cinnamon bun protein and use code AMB-AMY for 10% off or use extra oat flour, if you prefer.
As for the topping:
- Chocolate: I like dark chocolate as the rest of the bars are quite sweet so an 85% bar is great. You can use any dairy-free chocolate, though.
- Coconut oil: it is best to add some coconut oil to the chocolate as it melts so that it sets quicker and then when you slice these bars, they are less likely to crack.
- Smooth peanut butter: for swirls on top.
- Extra cereal: for more crunch.
How do I make these snacks?
These bars are easy to make in a few steps:
- Whisk together the wet ingredients for the base: to a smooth mix.
- Fold in the cereal, oat flour and protein powder: to a thick sticky mix.
- Press the mixture into a tin and make a compact layer: chill in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil: and pour over the base.
- Swirl on the peanut butter and add some more cereal: on top and then set in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Remove from the tin and use a hot sharp knife to slice into bars: or squares.
Are these bars gluten-free and nut-free?
Yes these are naturally gluten-free, just make sure that your oats and oat flour are gluten-free and that your cereal is also gluten-free. to make these nut-free, swap the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter or tahini and check that your chocolate does not contain nuts.
How long will these last?
These will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week and can be frozen for up to 1 month.
I love these bars, what else can I make?
I hope you are going to love these Chocolate Cinnamon Cereal Bars and for more ideas, how about my:
- Chocolate Raspberry Crunch Bars
- Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Caramel Squares
- Double Chocolates Tahini Fudge Bars
- Easy Vegan Rocky Road
Chocolate Cinnamon Cereal Bars
Delicious crunchy vegan and gluten-free, high-protein Chocolate Cinnamon Cereal Bars with a crispy base and a thick chocolate top. Make these easy no-bake bars for wholesome snacks and desserts.
Ingredients
For the Base:
- 180g smooth peanut butter
- 60ml maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- A pinch of salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 75g cinnamon hoop cereal
- 50g crushed hoop cereal (or more oat flour)
- 50g oat flour
- 20g vegan vanilla protein powder
For the Top:
- 100g dark chocolate, chopped small or chips
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
- Extra cinnamon hoop cereal
Instructions
- Line a 6-inch square tin with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, salt and cinnamon till smooth in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the cereal, crushed cereal, oat flour and protein powder and stir to a sticky mix.
- Press into the lined and freeze for 10 minutes till the top is firm to touch.
- Meanwhile, melt together the chocolate and coconut oil either in the microwave or over a double-boiler. Pour the chocolate over the cereal base and smooth out.
- Drizzle over the peanut butter and use a small knife or toothpick to make swirl patterns. Sprinkle over some extra hoop cereal and chill in the fridge for 1 hour or until set.
- Remove the cereal bars from the tin. Use a sharp, hot knife to slice into 9 squares.
- Enjoy straight away or keep in the fridge for up to 1 week in a sealed container. You can also freeze the squares for up to 1 month, allow to defrost at room temperature before eating.
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I look forward to hearing what you think of these Chocolate Cinnamon Cereal Bars so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make these bars, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With cinnamon crunch love x
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