Transform Leftover Cereal Into A Nostalgic Ice Cream Sandwich
Cereal bar ice cream sandwiches are the playful, creative way to use your breakfast cereal beyond the bowl. These rainbow snacks are great for kiddos or fun-loving adults alike. This cheery treat plays off of the sugary-cereal-in-milk premise and catapults it into dessert stardom — perfect for afternoon snacking on hot summer Saturdays, pool parties, and beach days, not to mention a great dish-to-share for potlucks and picnics. Plus, from a foodie perspective, we're all about the textural interplay of the crunchy, sticky, gooey cereal treats and the smooth, frosty ice cream.
Simply use your favorite breakfast cereal to make marshmallow cereal bar treats, then grab two cereal bars and stuff 'em with a scoop of ice cream, sandwich-style. To assemble the cereal treats, simply melt butter, mini marshmallows, and a little vanilla extract (or use store-bought jarred marshmallow fluff) over low heat in a saucepan or pot. Then, stir your dry cereal into the melty marshmallow mixture until thoroughly coated. Spread the sticky cereal onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet to cool and harden, pressing down to flatten. Once they're fully cooled, you can slice 'em into bars, or lean into the "ice cream sandwich" motif and cut out cereal treat circles using a cookie cutter.
A technicolor dessert sure to deliver smiles
Keep in mind that you might want to make these cereal bars significantly thinner than your average thick, toothy Rice Krispies Treat, since for this elevated ice cream sammy, you're going to be stacking two bars on top of each other. You could also skip marshmallow fluff as the sticky binding agent and opt for nut butter and honey, imparting a deeper sweet-savory flavor profile. Molasses, treacle, maple syrup, or golden syrup would all also lend unique tastes and hold your treats together structurally if marshmallow isn't your style. For an ultra-rich finish, you could even dunk your cereal bars in melted chocolate and sprinkles, like we did with these Jazzed-Up Rice Krispies Treats.
In the spirit of these cheerful, fun treats, feel free to get creative with your cereal and ice cream flavor pairings. You could pair Lucky Charms and strawberry ice cream, Cap'n Crunch and French vanilla, or Cocoa Pebbles and chocolate ice cream. Stuff two Rice Krispies Treats with blue moon ice cream (Midwest foodies, rise up), or sandwich together Froot Loops cereal bars with pistachio ice cream. These cereal bar ice cream sandwiches make a great way to get kiddos involved in the kitchen — and for stress-free entertaining, you can make bulk batches of the cereal bar treats ahead of time, and scoop on the cold ice cream whenever you're ready to serve.