Chocolate Cheerios! Giveaway

If you know me, you know I LOVE chocolate! I am not a big fan of cold cereal with milk. But my family loves cold cereal. My husband and all three kids would eat cereal several times a day, if I allow them. I do like to eat dry cereal as a snack. Sometimes I mix several of them together for a sort of "Gorp". (Add popcorn, nuts, etc.) Since General Mills recently switched whole grain and reduced sugar in their cereals, I can feel good feeding this to my kids! Add chocolate to the mix, and we are talking: Yummy!

Here are some great recipes to try:

Strawberry-Chocolate Cheerios® Parfaits

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Start to Finish: 15 Minutes

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
4 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait® Light Fat Free strawberry yogurt
2 cups Chocolate Cheerios® cereal

1. In 4 parfait glasses or clear drinking glasses, layer half of the strawberries, half of the yogurt and half of the cereal. Repeat layers.


2. Serve immediately

Chocolate Hazelnut Marshmallow Balls

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Start to Finish: 15 Minutes

1/2 cup hazelnut spread with cocoa
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
14 large marshmallows
Toothpicks
3 cups Chocolate Cheerios® cereal
Round wooden sticks with one pointed end or craft sticks
(flat wooden sticks with round ends)

1. In medium microwavable bowl, microwave hazelnut spread and chocolate chips on high 30 seconds; stir until smooth. Place cereal in shallow dish.
2. Insert toothpick into marshmallow; dip in chocolate mixture. Roll in cereal to coat completely. Place on large plate; remove toothpick. Repeat with remaining marshmallows. If desired, insert round wooden sticks into each for pops.
3. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.

14 servings

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

1. 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.


2. 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.


3. 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.


4. 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.

Thanks to MyBlogSpark, I have a chocolate spa gift set to give away to a reader. It comes with a box of Chocolate Cheerios, a chocolate scented spa kit, and a ceramic cereal bowl.

To enter, leave a comment. Anything goes (as long as it is nice!)

Bonus entries (leave a separate comment for each):
* Tell me how you found me (please be specific! regular reader, giveaway listing, etc)
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* Add this giveaway to a contest page or linky.

Winners must have a US address. Contest ends Friday, February 22, 2009

Chocolate Cheerios, prize pack, information, and giveaway were all provided by MyBlogSpark and Cheerios. I also received a box of Chocolate Cheerios from General Mills Pssst program. The opinions expressed in this post are mine, and I did not receive any additional compensation.