Monster “Mash”mallow Cereal Treats

October’s plenty busy. The kids’ school assignments are getting harder, football season’s in full swing and then there’s Halloween.

You’re either making costumes, buying costumes or reinventing old ones. (Last year’s pirate, with bandana and fake earring, is this year’s gypsy!) Add in repeated trips to the store to buy candy, pumpkins, the pumpkin-carving tools you forgot when you bought the pumpkins and the ever-increasing vats of hair product you need to give your youngest son the perfect Bieber swoosh, and who has time to bake for the latest school fundraiser?

No one.

So don’t. Make something easy, on the stovetop, that takes less than 30 minutes. I speak, of course, of Monster “Mash”mallow Cereal Treats. Made with melted marshmallows, Count Chocula, Frankenberry and Booberry cereal, what’s not to like?  And with Halloween upon us, what’s more seasonally appropriate than a “monster” cereal?

First, melt 15 ounces of marshmallows with three quarters of a stick of butter (that’s 6 tablespoons or 3 ounces, for those of you who buy butter in bulk) in a sturdy saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Smaller marshmallows melt faster, of course, but use what you have — it will all end up equally gooey eventually.

Meanwhile, measure out three cups of each Monster Cereal, putting each in a separate bowl.

These could not come together more quickly. Once the marshmallows and butter have become gloriously one, spoon one third of the hot gloop into a bowl of cereal. Stir and fold, mixing thoroughly, and then add ¼ cup of the appropriate chip (chocolate, of course, for Count Chocula, and white chocolate for Franken- and Booberry). If you add the chips in at the same time as the hot marshmallow, they’ll just melt away into nothingness- you want them to stay whole, and just streak slightly through the cereal mixture.

Now, the messy part. Reach on in to the warm, sugary mass and pull out a hunk about halfway in size between a golf and tennis ball. Roll it around in your hands until it’s spherical (or commandeer some free after-school labor to do this part for you), then plop on a greased cookie sheet or into a greased muffin tin.

After that batch has been formed, roll each ball in appropriately ghoulish sprinkles, and move on to the next cereal. You might need to warm the marshmallow business up slightly, until it’s hot, loose, and flowing again.

More Ghoulishly Gooey Halloween Treats!

• Halloween Marshmallow Mummies
• Green Goblins
• “Brain” Popcorn Balls
• Monster Cereal Bars
• Creepy Brownie Bites

Enjoy!

XO

Michelle

Michelle Palm created the Jelly Shot Test Kitchen blog after discovering a lack of cocktail-style jelly shot recipes. Look for her posts here, and check her Tablespoon member profile often to see what she’s already gelled up!