Sweet Churro Cheerios start with caramel-coated toasted oat cereal that gets drizzled in white chocolate and coated in cinnamon sugar. It’s an explosion of churro flavor with a totally addictive, crunchy texture and just the right amount of sweetness!
Use leftover Cheerios in a fun snack mix like this White Chocolate Chex Mix or Chocolate Peanut Butter Snack Mix!
Churro Cheerios
If I don’t have a fun after-school snack for the kiddos, the first thing they reach for is cereal — usually Honey Nut Cheerios and sometimes a crisp rice cereal. So this year, I took one of their favorite cereals and made a snack with it!
These Churro Cheerios are definitely a treat, but who doesn’t need a pick-me-up after those first few grueling days of getting back into a routine after a fun summer?!
(Note: Cheerios is a trademarked cereal produced by General Mills. For this recipe, any toasted oat cereal can be used.)
Churro Cheerios Tools Needed
- A medium-sized nonstick pot. This pan is for making the caramel sauce. You’ll want to use one larger than you may think because the mixture “grows” when the baking soda is added in.
- A really large bowl or two smaller ones. We toss the Cheerios with the brown sugar-caramel mixture. Use the largest bowl you have (or one that can easily accommodate all the ingredients) to allow plenty of room for mixing without spilling.
- Grab one extra-large (15×21 inch sheet pan) or two smaller ones. There is a good amount of cereal in this recipe, so you’ll need plenty of space to spread it out in one even layer. If the Cheerios are piled on top of each other, they won’t bake properly.
Variations
Churro Cheerios Variation Ideas
We tested a few variations of these Cheerios snacks and brought them to a family reunion for testing! The Churro version (this very recipe I’m sharing) was by far the most popular!
Another version that was popular: chocolate-coated sugared Cheerios! Make the recipe the same, but replace the white chocolate with dark, semi-sweet, or milk (whatever you prefer — we like milk best!) chocolate. Leave off the cinnamon-sugar topping.
Another variation idea would be to switch up the type of Cheerios. There are so many different varieties of Cheerios to choose from — maple, coconut, frosted, chocolate, cinnamon — the sky’s the limit here!
Tips for melting chocolate
- Melt the chocolate slowly and stir it often. To avoid burning your chocolate, don’t rush the melting process. Microwave the chocolate in bursts of time, remembering that the chocolate is still melting even after you take it out of the microwave. Make sure to give the chocolate plenty of time to melt outside of the microwave as you stir.
- Use high-quality white chocolate for the best results. You’ll get both a better melt and a better flavor. My favorite chocolate for this is Ghirardelli® or Guittard®. Cheaper brands can have a waxier content that is less flavorful–and that yields less tasty Churro Cheerios!
- Don’t allow any liquid near the chocolate. If it gets wet it will seize and harden, and you don’t want that. Here’s why.
- Microwave the chocolate chips in sturdy, heat-safe bowls instead of using plastic or melamine. It may seem like a lot of chocolate, but we want the cereal thoroughly coated!
- Be sure to add the cinnamon-sugar mixture quickly before the white chocolate has begun to harden. Once the white chocolate has hardened, the cinnamon-sugar mixture won’t stick.
Quick Tip
Churro Cheerios Tips
- Bake on a Silpat® liner or parchment paper. For even baking and to ensure these (very) sticky Churro Cheerios don’t stick to your pan, line the pan with a good liner.
- Let the Cheerios cool completely before drizzling on the white chocolate.
- Make sure the sugar syrup mixture boils for 1 minute; start the timer once it’s doing a full rolling boil, not just simmering.
Storage
Churro Cheerios Storage
To store these sugared Cheerios, place any leftovers in an airtight container (I like using glass jars or Weck® mold jars). Keep the container in a cool dry place for up to a week. It is best when fresh; every day it stands, it loses texture (especially in overly humid climates).
This recipe isn’t a great candidate for freezing and thawing; the caramel coating softens and the cereal becomes stale.
More snack recipes
- Oreo Balls coated in chocolate
- Muddy Buddies peanut butter and chocolate snack mix
- Funfetti Cookies with sprinkles
- Sugar Cookie Snack Mix with sugar cookie M&M’s
- Sweet Chex Mix Recipe with coconut
Churro Cheerios
Ingredients
Cheerios
- 5 cups toasted oat cereal (we use Honey Nut Cheerios)
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (4 tbsp.) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon EACH: fine sea salt & ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, optional
White Chocolate
- 1-1/4 cups white chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Topping
- 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- PREP: Assemble all the ingredients. Line one extra-large (15x21-inch) or 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat liner and set aside. Measure and pour the cereal in a very large bowl (large enough to toss with other ingredients without spilling-- I use the largest bowl I have!) Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
- CARAMEL SYRUP: In a pot over medium heat, add the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, and fine sea salt. Stir until the butter is melted and then bring to a boil. Let fully boil for 5 minutes (still over medium heat) without stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract. Watch out-- the vanilla may sputter a bit and the mixture will foam up a lot! Immediately pour this mixture over the prepared cereal in the bowl. Working as quickly as possible, toss with a wooden spoon to combine and cover the cereal in the caramel syrup mixture.
- BAKE: Spread the coated cereal on the prepared cookie sheet(s) in one even layer. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes with a spatula and then spreading the cereal again in one even layer. Remove the pan(s) and allow the mixture to completely cool.
- CINNAMON-SUGAR: In a small bowl, combine the white sugar and cinnamon. Stir and set aside.
- WHITE CHOCOLATE: Melt white chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl in bursts of 30 seconds, stirring in between each burst for 15 seconds until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer melted white chocolate to a plastic bag and seal the bag without air in it. Cut off the tip of the bag and pipe this melted white chocolate over the cereal (it may seem like too much, but we want the cereal well coated!) As soon as the cereal is covered in white chocolate, sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over everything.
- ENJOY: Let the cereal harden at room temperature, about 1 hour, and then break up and put in a large bowl. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These look delicious! Out of curiosity, what does the baking soda do in this recipe?
Have I missed it? How much white chocolate? I don’t see where it says that. Thanks.
So sorry, typo! Thanks for pointing that out, I’ve updated the recipe 🙂
Thank you so much! Appreciate it
Thank YOU for pointing that out! 🙂