Chocolate Cheerios Review & Giveaway

Have you spotted Chocolate Cheerios on the grocery store shelves yet? Given my obsession with love of chocolate, it's no surprise that I was excited about giving these a try. I must say I was not disappointed. They were crunchy and chocolatey without being too sugary tasting. I enjoyed them as a treat in the morning as well as an afternoon snack. My kids really loved them too.

As much as we loved eating them in a bowl with milk, I also think using them in this recipe would be a fun treat for Valentine's Day.

Chocolate Cheerios® Marshmallow Hearts

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Start to Finish: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

Crust
1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 cup Chocolate Cheerios® cereal, crushed
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups miniature marshmallows
Topping
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag (11.5 ounces) milk chocolate chips
4 cups Chocolate Cheerios® cereal
Candy sprinkles, if desired

Heat oven to 350°F. Line bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with foil. In large bowl, mix all crust ingredients except marshmallows with electric mixer on low speed until crumbly. Press firmly into bottom of pan.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven; bake an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until marshmallows just begin to puff. Cool while preparing topping.

In large saucepan, place all topping ingredients except cereal and sprinkles. Heat over medium-low heat just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 4 cups cereal. Immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows; spread to cover. Sprinkle with candy sprinkles. Cool completely, at least 1 hour.

Using foil to lift, remove mixture from pan; remove foil. With deep 2 1/2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 18 hearts. Store loosely covered.

Go here for more recipes and a .50 cent of Chocolate Cheerios coupon.

Chocolate Cheerios is low in fat, heart healthy*, has 100 calories per serving, contains at least 8 grams of whole grain per serving (at least 48 grams recommended daily), and is a good source of calcium and vitamin D. Made with real cocoa, Chocolate Cheerios can help your family start the day off right with a delicious and nutritious breakfast that is sure to make you smile!

*Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. Chocolate Cheerios cereal is low in fat, saturated fat free and naturally cholesterol free.

Win it!

Cheerios and MyBlog Spark have generously offered a Chocolate Cheerios Gift Pack to one of my awesome blog readers so you can try them yourself.
The gift pack includes:
1 box Chocolate Cheerios
1 ceramic cereal bowl
1 chocolate scented spa kit

To enter: Leave a comment sharing something you and your family do to start your day off with a smile. (This is a mandatory first entry.) Please make sure to include your email address or make sure your profile is publicly linked to your email so I can contact you if you win.

For additional entries:
-Become a fan of The Money Jar on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know.(1 entry)
-Follow The Money Jar on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know. (1 entry)
-Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment and link letting me know. (1 entry)
-Follow The Money Jar through the follow button on the side bar and leave a comment letting me know. (1 entry)
-Subscribe to this blog and leave a comment letting me know. (1 entry)

Note: If you already subscribe or follow just leave a comment letting me know you already do so.

You may receive up to 6 entries for this giveaway.

Contest open to residents of the United States only.
Contest ends at 10 p.m., Thursday, February 11th.
Winner will be chosen by random number generator at Random.org and have 48 hours to contact me or another winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: Cheerios provided me with free product, information and a gift pack through MyBlogSpark for this review. No other compensation was given. All views and opinions expressed are my own.