Almond Joy Cereal Bars

I got my love for Almond Joys from my mom. I remember being a kid, sorting out my Halloween goodies into piles by candy type, while under the watchful eye of my parents. They played it off as wanting to make sure we threw away the open or suspicious pieces, but really they were just eyeing what they would take out of my stash after I fell asleep. And my mom was always sizing up the Almond Joy selection.

So with today being my mom's birthday, I figured it was the perfect time to try out these cereal bars I've been dreaming up. Cheerios coated in melted almond butter, topped with drizzled chocolate and coconut flakes. It's my childhood dream come to life. And since cereal is involved, that basically means I can eat them for breakfast - or any other time of day I'm craving them.

Don't worry mom. A sampling will be hand delivered to you by the end of the day. It's the least I could do given I went out of town to run a relay race on your day. 

Almond Joy Cereal Bars

• 5 cups Cheerios
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1 cup honey
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1. Over low heat, combine the almond butter and honey. 
2. Once the honey and almond butter is smooth, add in your cheerios, stirring to coat all of the cereal.
3. Pour the cereal mixture into a glass baking dish. Place in the fridge to cool for several hours (I let mine sit overnight).
4. Place a large skillet with an inch of water on your stove on medium heat. Pour your chocolate chips into a smaller sauce pan and place it into the skillet. Stir the chocolate chips until they're completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
5. Remove your cereal bars from the fridge. Using a spoon, drizzle the melted chocolate over the surface of the cereal. Before the chocolate hardens, sprinkle the coconut flakes to coat the bars. Allow to cool and then cut into desired sized bars.

Enjoy!