If you don't know me, hi! I'm Grace and I'm a cereal addict. I have been known to sit down and eat a bowl of cereal, then another bowl, then another until I'm basically through am entire box. There's just something about the crunch and sweetness that makes the box so hard to put down. When I have cereal in the house I usually end my night with a big bowl of it. Usually with some almond, cashew, or oat milk poured over it, so it gets a little soggy but still maintains that crunch. That's why I was so excited when Chex reached out to me in collaboration with one of my favorite alternative milk brands, Califia Farms, with their new Gluten Free Cinnamon Chex cereal. This cereal tastes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but there are less than 10, fairly clean ingredients (versus the 13, kind of suspicious ingredients) and there's no gluten for all my friends who can't and or don't eat it.
When I got the cereal I decided to force myself out of my comfort zone with my nighttime cereal fix. I wanted to move beyond my normal bowl of cereal with milk, so I decided to create these! They're literally PACKED with fiber + have a good dose of healthy fats and protein in them, making them more satisfying and filling than just a bowl of cereal itself. Here's the recipe, enjoy!
Ingredients
Crust
2 + 1/4 cups almond flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 heaping cup nut butter
3/4 cup Califia Farms Oat Milk (or any plant based milk)
1 tsp vanilla
Apple Filling
6 cup apples, sliced (roughly 3 medium-large apples)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Califia Farms Oat Milk (or any plant based milk)
1/4 cup liquid sweetener (honey, maple syrup, etc.)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp chia seeds **optional but thickens it
1 tbsp flax seeds **optional but thickens it
Crumble
Crushed up Gluten Free Cinnamon Chex cereal, enough to cover the top of the bars (could sub a different cereal/granola but this stuff is IT)
Recipe
Thinly slice apples
In a large pot, over high heat, start to sautee apples. Cover and let sit
After ~5 minutes add cinnamon + vanilla to apples and stir. Cover and let sit
After ~5 more minutes add water, honey, + milk to to apples and stir well. Cover and let sit (if you have chia + flax add them here to help absorb liquid and thicken filling)
Stir the apples filling again, reduce the heat on the stove to low, cover, and let the filling sit.
Mix all dry crust ingredients together
In a separate bowl mix all wet crust ingredients together
Fold dry ingredients into wet and stir well until a thick, gooey batter is formed
Spread the crust evenly in an oiled or parchment paper lined baking dish
Bake crust in the oven @ 350ºF for ~30 minutes
After 30 minutes, take your crust out and add the apple filling. Press the filling into the crust and layer it on top.
Place the crust and filling back in the oven @ 350ºF for 10-15 minutes more
Finally remove the product, add enough crushed Gluten Free Cinnamon Chex cereal on top to cover the entire thing, and bake for 5 more minutes @ 350ºF
Remove, let cool for 10-15 minutes, cut into bars, and enjoy! ***If you want them extra fudgey and dense let them sit in the fridge overnight like me***
As always don't forget to tag me or send me a picture on Instagram if you make these. Or maybe just save and keep em in the back of your mind for when it's the holidays and you need a sweet, healthy treat to bake.