These Paleo Chocolate Covered Cereal Bars are made with Paleo cereal, almond butter, sweetened with honey and topped with dark chocolate. They are a great Paleo dessert recipe, loved by kids and adults.

Remember those chocolate peanut butter cereal bars from childhood? Growing up, my mom made them every Christmas. We called them Special K Bars...because, well they were made with Special K Cereal.

Those cereal bars were my absolute FAVORITE holiday treat. Pretty sure I could have eaten an entire batch in one sitting!

Anyway, these Paleo Chocolate Covered Cereal Bars are a much healthier version. Just as addictive, but made with wholesome ingredients that are gut friendly and some-what nutritious.

Cereal Bars that are Actually Healthy

These healthy cereal bars are:

made with almond butter instead of peanut butter
sweetened with honey (made without corn syrup)
Paleo - made with a Paleo cereal
grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free
no bake and easy to make

I've wanted to put a recipe like this on my blog for quite some time, but there just weren't any Paleo cereals (besides granola...lots of Paleo granola on the market).

Now, don't get Paleo confused with grain free. There are many grain free cereals popping up. However, most of them contain legumes/beans so they aren't technically Paleo. That doesn't mean they aren't healthier, but they do not fit the true definition of "Paleo".

Lovebird Cereal - Finally a Paleo Cereal

FINALLY, a Paleo cereal has launched! Lovebird Cereal is completely grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free AND legume free! Not only that, but it tastes amazing.

Lovebird's cereal is basically Paleo cheerios - crunchy little donut-shaped cereal made with Paleo ingredients, low in sugar and delicious.

They come in three flavors: unsweetened, cinnamon and honey. All are delicious, but the honey is my favorite (and what was used in this recipe).

This grain free cereal is made with: cassava flour, collagen, coconut flour, coconut oil, sweet potato flour and sea salt. The cinnamon and honey flavors have a few extra ingredients. But, as you can see, the recipe list is top notch!

One thing to note: this cereal IS expensive. This is a small, new company that's just starting out and providing high quality products at the best price that they can. Do I think it's worth the cost? Absolutely! And 20% of their profits are being donated to fight pediatric cancer. You can learn more here.

That being said, I understand that some people cannot afford to buy Paleo cereal. I have a discount code available: bakeitpaleo, which will take 10% off your purchase. But, any type of cereal will work as a substitute for this recipe.

Ingredients in Chocolate Covered Cereal Bars

Now, back to this almond butter cereal bar recipe!

These Paleo cereal bars are made with just a few simple ingredients. Here's what you need:

almond butter (unsalted, unsweetened, drippy)
honey
coconut oil
vanilla extract
salt
Paleo Cereal (I used Lovebird Honey Cereal)
dark chocolate

While conventional cereal bar recipes contain peanut butter (hello Special K Bars), my recipe calls for almond butter. Any nut or seed butter will work as a replacement. To make these nut free cereal bars, I recommend sunflower seed butter.

Rather than corn syrup, my recipe calls for honey. Maple syrup may be used instead, but honey has a thicker, more viscous texture that works better for this particular recipe (IMO).

The purpose of the coconut oil is to help keep these no bake cereal bars firm at room temperature. Grass fed butter or non-hydrogenated shortening should work in it's place, but have not been tested.

gluten-free-cereal-bars-without-corn-syrup

How to Make Chocolate Covered Cereal Bars

These cereal bars are super easy to make - no baking necessary.

First, line an 8" x 8" baking pan with foil or parchment (I think foil works better).

Make the Bars

Place the almond butter, coconut oil, honey, vanilla and salt in a small sauce pan. Heat on low, stirring frequently, until the coconut oil is fully melted.

Then, turn off the stove and add in the cereal. Stir with a spatula until the cereal is fully coated in the almond butter mixture.

Firmly press the coated cereal into the lined baking pan. Place the bars in the freezer while you melt the chocolate.

Make the Chocolate Topping

Place the dark chocolate in a small sauce pan. Melt over the stove top on low heat, stirring frequently. Once fully melted, add in the almond butter. This extra almond butter makes the chocolate topping softer and easier to cut into.

Next, grab the bars from the freezer and pour the melted chocolate on top. Use a spatula to spread the chocolate to the sides, covering the entire top of the cereal bars.

Place the bars in the fridge or freezer to set. (I placed them in the fridge overnight before cutting.)

How to Store Chocolate Covered Cereal Bars

This Paleo cereal bar recipe is best kept in the fridge. However, they will stay firm at room temperature, so can be served at a party or social gathering. For longer storage, keep them in the freezer and let them thaw a few minutes before eating.

My entire family thoroughly enjoyed this recipe! I made it multiple times and the whole batch got eaten within 2 days each time. No regrets! We hope you love it too.

More Paleo Dessert Bars

For more simple, no bake Paleo dessert bars, check out these favorites from my site:

Enjoy!