Cereal Candy
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I must warn you, today’s recipe has its own disclaimer: Make At Your Own Risk. This Cereal Candy recipe is a family favorite and is highly addictive. I usually only make this during the holiday season, but I do make it a couple of times.
My family finished off this batch in two days, even with me being the cereal candy police. I rationed it out over those two days.
This is a recipe my husband grew up with. His mother made it for his family. I have altered the recipe a little bit. The original recipe called for Kix cereal in it, but nobody cared for the Kix cereal.
Ingredients to Make Cereal Candy
- CHEERIOS
- RICE CHEX
- SPECIAL K
- SUGAR
- WHITE CORN SYRUP
- BUTTER
- SALT
- WHIPPING CREAM
- VANILLA
The other thing about this is you have to use a candy thermometer to make it. Now the temperature you cook it at will all depend on where you are located. For me, here in the Salt Lake Valley and with my candy thermometer, soft ball stage for me is 230 degrees.
So you need to know what temperature soft ball is for where you live. If you don’t cook the candy coating enough, the cereal will be soggy. If you cook it too much, it will be hard.
So you gotta get it to the exact temperature for soft ball. Just be careful, because once you make this there’s no going back. You’ll want to make this all the time.
How to Make Cereal Candy
In a large bowl, combine all the cereal. Set aside. I have a large, sturdy Tupperware bowl that I use for this every year.
Next, in a large sauce pan, add sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt. Stir constantly and bring the mixture to a boil.
Once boiling, mix in the whipping cream. Now is where your candy thermometer comes in. Cook to soft ball stage while stirring constantly.
Once it reaches soft ball stage, immediately remove from the heat and mix in the vanilla.
Pour the hot sugar mixture over your cereal. The gently toss and coat the cereal. Once all coated, pour it out on to a large cookie sheet to cool.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the cereal candy?
Store the cereal candy in an airtight container at room temperature. It will stay fresh for up to a week.
How can I ensure even coating of the cereal with the syrup mixture?
Slowly pour syrup over cereal, mix well with spatula or spoon to coat evenly.
How do I prevent the cereal candy from becoming too hard?
To prevent the candy from becoming too hard, avoid overcooking the syrup mixture. Cook it just until it reaches the soft ball stage.
FOR MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS, TRY:
Cereal Candy
Real Mom Kitchen
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 cups Cheerios
- 5 cups Rice Chex
- 6 cups Special K
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup white corn syrup
- ½ cup butter It’s gotta be the real stuff
- 1 dash salt
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Add the cereals into a large bowl. I have a big Tupperware bowl that I use. Toss together and set aside.
- In a large sauce pan, add sugar, corn syrup, butter,and salt. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Oce boiling, mix in the whipping cream. Now use your candy thermometer and cook to soft ball stage, stirring constantly.
- Once at soft ball stage, remove immediately from the heat and add in the vanilla.
- Stir in vanilla and pour over your cereal. The gently toss and coat the cereal. Once all coated, pour out on the large cookie sheet to cool. Then enjoy!
Nutrition
This is the original photo from this post. The above photo was updated in December 2017.
