No Bake High Protein Peanut Butter Cereal Bars

Ingredients

For the treats:
1 cup natural creamy peanut butter (we love Wild Friends!)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup virgin coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt (if your peanut butter isn’t already salted)
3 cups Three Wishes cereal** (flavor of choice, but I love cinnamon for this recipe!)
For the chocolate topping:
3.5 oz 70% dark chocolate bar, broken up into pieces
To garnish:
Fancy sea salt, for sprinkling on top

Line a muffin tin with liners and spray with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking. I spray them as a precautionary measure just so they come out easier, but it’s not necessary.
Roughly chop 1 ½ cups of the Three Wishes cereal and keep the remaining half of the cereal whole. Add to a large bowl.
Place a medium pot over low heat and add in peanut butter, coconut oil and maple syrup. Mix until smooth and well combined until slightly simmering on the edges. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract
Add mixture to the bowl with the cereal and stir until completely coated. Pour into the prepared muffin tins, filling about ⅔ of the way, and use the bottom of a small measuring cup to flatten the top so it is even and compact. The more compact it is the better!
Next make the chocolate topping by adding chocolate to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring in-between, until chocolate is completely melted. You can also melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over very low heat if you prefer.
Pour a small spoonful of melted chocolate over each muffin cup and tilt your pan to spread out the chocolate evenly. Place the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes for or until the bars are completely cool and chocolate is hardened. Sprinkle cups with fancy sea salt, then remove from liners and enjoy. Cups should be kept covered in an airtight container in the freezer; they will quickly soften at room temperature. Serves 12.