Happy Monday, everyone – I hope you had a nice weekend! The boys and I just returned from a trip to Washington DC to visit Ben’s parent’s for a few days!
It’s always a great mix of fun and R&R whenever we head out east. Over the past few days Lincoln enjoyed catching up on some light reading, we went for several long walks in the sunshine to house-gaze, and even got to have lunch with our friends Kim, Dylan, and their adorable four month old son who also live out there.
No trip to our nation’s capital would be complete without seeing some it’s signature sights, so of course we drove into the city to visit our junior senator’s namesake memorial. He’s a dead ringer, don’t you think?
No matter how many times I see the monuments around DC, they still make my jaw drop. Glad to see the reflecting pool’s been filled up too as it was under construction and empty the last time we were here. (Anyone else thing of Forrest Gump’s epic speech whenever they see this?!)
We were about five days early for peak cherry blossom viewing, but there were a few trees here and there that had bloomed. I’m actually glad we came when we did as it would have been mass chaos if the trees were at their peak. And although the wind was whippy as the family walked around the tidal basin in front of the Jefferson Memorial, the fresh air and clear blue skies were bliss. Spring…I heart you. :)
We visited a few yummy restaurants while out east, which I’ll fill you in on sometime soon, but first I want to share a treat I made for you last week before we left – Strawberry Shortcake Treat Bars, aka the easiest dessert known to man and Ben’s favorite one I’ve ever made. I thought it was quite the dramatic proclamation when he declared it, cheeks stuffed with gooey vanilla-strawberry flavored treat bars, but after swallowing he confirmed. Best. Thing. EVER!
Normally I wait until Fridays to share sweet treats, but these babies are too good to wait. Here’s the deal – 4 ingredients. 10 minutes. Gluten-free. Crispy, chewy-gooey treat bars that taste like Strawberry Shortcake. Need I say more? Make these for your office, your sweetie, or just for you. I won’t tell!
The base is Vanilla Chex which are not only gluten-free but also taste like cake. Freaking. CAKE! Mix in some melted marshmallows and freeze-dried strawberries and you’ve got yourself one heck of a kicked up treat bar. I’ve got about a million variations of these floating around in my head, so be prepared for some similar recipes in the months to come. In the meantime, make these treats TODAY!
As I mentioned, you’ll need just 4 ingredients for these Strawberry Shortcake No Bake Treat Bars. 1 box Vanilla Chex, 1 bag mini marshmallows, 1.2oz bag freeze-dried strawberries, and 4 Tablespoons butter. Easy!
Microwave the butter in a very (very!) large microwave-safe bowl until melted then add the mini marshmallows and stir to coat. Microwave for another 1 – 1-1/2 minutes then stir until the marshmallows are smooth.
Next add the entire box of vanilla chex and bag of freeze-dried strawberries. I got the strawberries from Trader Joe’s but if you don’t have one nearby just get 1 – 1-1/2oz freeze dried strawberries.
NOTE: freeze-dried strawberries are different than dried strawberries. I think dried fruit would work in this bar, but just know they are not the same!
Edit: Also look in the health food section of your grocery stores to find these under the “Just Tomatoes Etc” brand as “Just Strawberries”!
Mix until the chex are coated in marshmallow then scoop the mixture into a 9×13″ pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray. Press into an even layer using the bottom of a glass or measuring dish that’s also been sprayed with nonstick spray.
Let the treat bars sit for 20-25 minutes to cool and firm up then cut into squares – however big or small you like ’em.
Thaz it…!!!
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Strawberry Shortcake No Bake Treat Bars
Description
Strawberry Shortcake No Bake Treat Bars have 4 ingredients, are gluten-free and take just 10 minutes to make!
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 10oz bag mini marshmallows
- 13.5oz box Vanilla Chex
- 1.2oz bag freeze-dried strawberries (anywhere from 1 - 1.5 ounces is good if you can't find this particular bag from Trader Joe's)*
Directions
- Spray a 9x13" baking dish with nonstick spray then set aside.
- Add butter to a very large microwave-safe bowl then microwave for 30 seconds or until melted. Add marshmallows then stir to coat and microwave for 1 - 1-1/2 minutes. Stir until marshmallows are smooth then immediately add chex and freeze-dried strawberries. Mix until evenly coated then scoop into prepared baking dish and press into an even layer (I sprayed the bottom of large measuring dish with nonstick spray then used that to press) then let cool completely before cutting into bars.
Notes
Freeze-dried strawberries are not the same as dried strawberries!
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Sweet, sticky, chewy and with a taste of spring berries – you will devour each and every morsel of these treats. Enjoy!
I love DC this time of year! I usually go down for the Cherry Blossom race but sadly, this is the second year in a row I had to miss. So glad you had a great trip and a wonderful weekend!
Such a perfect weekend for y’all to be here in DC!! I can’t wait to make these treats for my hubby!
these look so good! i’ve been craving some kind of marshmallow cereal bar for weeks.
funny coincidence, my post today is about our trip to d.c. too! we must have just missed the full reflecting pool, it was still empty when we were there. looks like a wonderful trip!
Fun!! I’ll check it out. :)
I couldn’t figure out how to comment but it looked like the perfect trip before baby!! So cute!
Those bars look so delicious! Smart combo, I never would have thought to use freeze dried
strawberries that way. I’m always eyeing them at Trader Joes… I think it’s time to give them a try.
I was up in DC this past weekend too visiting my best friend, it was way too cold though for me haha! Crazy I left Richmond just 2 hours away in shorts and got up there to gloves weather… makes no sense?? But anyways, despite the freezing cold, we had a blast and ended up checking out a new-to-me restaurant called Lincoln as well as Union Market in Northeast which had some awesome shopping and food vendors(and which I’d highly recommend next time you are there!!) Glad you guys had a nice trip and these shortcake bars look deelish :)
It probably felt so nice because of the frigid temps we were coming from. Yesterday was peeeeerfect – 60s and no wind!
Definitely fair enough, y’all have gotten your fair share of frigid temps & snow :) I think yesterday was alot nicer than Saturday – we went to the Nats game Saturday night and froze our butts off haha. Wish I had gone to the day game yesterday but I was already back in Richmond (wearing my shorts! ;) ) Looking forward to seeing what restaurants y’all went to, I have a feeling I’ll be in DC alot this year so looking forward to trying some new spots!!
These bars look AMAZING! Thanks for sharing!
Love a good trip to DC, I haven’t been in a few years! Looks like you all had a great time! Happy Anniversary :)
D.C is one of my favorite cities! Looks like you guys had a great time. The bars looks awesome and loving all the GF recipes!
What perfect timing! I just bought that exact same (only different, since mine are raspberries) bag of freeze dried fruit from Trader Joe’s! And while they are good, they are too tart to eat straight from the bag, so this is perfect and I will making “raspberry shortcake bars” in the near future! Thanks Kristin for the great idea :)
We made them last night with those raspberries and they were awesome!!
omg, we made them with the raspberries too and i can’t believe how good they are! can’t wait to try them with the freeze dried blueberries next!
I’m totally going to make these when we go to my in-laws for Easter. My father-in-law is gf and I feel like I always end up making something chocolate, but could switch things up a bit. Although, this might be good with a chocolate drizzle ;)
Isn’t EVERYTHING better with chocolate drizzle?? :D
I’m so freakin’ happy that you are GF now. I happened to come back to your site just when you announced it – I feel like it was fate!! :)
Howdy from Atlanta! If you notice an inordinate amount of new traffic to your site from Atlanta, that’s just me stalking :) your amazing blog which I just found last week (yes, apparently I’ve been living under a rock)! I am always looking for simple recipes to use with my stepson since baking together is one of our bonding activities. I am going to test out this recipe with him in a few weeks. Thanks so much!
Haha! Have fun whipping these up together!
These look AMAZING!!! I too like to make gluten free Rice Chex treats, but combining Vanilla Chex and dried strawberries…delicious!!!! Can’t wait to try!!!
Oh my gosh, Lincolin is so cute right now! He’s at the best age. Also… Omg to these bars. Must make, ASAP.
Alex at Cashmere Kangaroo
This is unrelated to this post but I noticed Lincoln was reading Goodnight Moon and I know you’re a fan of Sarah Jio’s books. Did you see her next book coming out in May is based on the origin of that favorite classic kids’ book? “Goodnight June”. Can’t wait to read it!!
Saweet!! Can’t wait!
What a nice trip! Happy anniversary!
Anybody else remember those Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bars from childhood? They were my favorite! These remind me of those–can’t wait to try the recipe!
Oh goodness, they sound delicious! I haven’t had the vanilla chex before but if they taste like cake, I need them pronto! Sounds like a fun trip – happy anniversary!
Not only did I just send this recipe to all my work friends, but I plan on making a whole pan just for me when I’m gestational diabetes free! Thanks for sharing and Happy Anniversary!
DC is one of my favorite cities!! Looks like you all had a fun trip! And those strawberry bars? Umm yes! I love vanilla chex! Can’t wait to make these!
Hi! These look like great easy snacks to make for my husband’s office. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Trader Joe’s within 2 hours of our home. Where else might I find freeze-dried strawberries? I assume these are not frozen strawberries. I’d like to make them this weekend if possible. Any suggestions? Thanks for you help and all of your inspiration!
I would look in the health food section of your grocery store!
Target also has freeze dried strawberries in the section with the trail mixes.
Strawberry shortcake is my FAVORITE dessert. Will be making these soon, THANKS:)
Hey! Wish I knew you were in my area! Would’ve told you some good spots !;)
So glad for all the GF recipes! You think coconut oil would work instead of butter? We are dairy free.
Sure! Though I’d store them in the fridge. My nephew is also dairy free and my Mom makes him rice krispie treats with Earth Balance and they taste great too.
Gosh, these shortcake bars look amazing! I just found out I’m allergic to strawberries so I wonder how it would turn out if I could find another freeze dried berry? I might have to try it out! If not, I will make them for my husband- he’d love ’em!
We made these with freeze-dried raspberries in DC and they were fantastic!
Haha, that picture of Lincoln next to Lincoln is so cute!
These bars look awesome, and so simple! A nice rice krispie treat variation.
I noticed the “Just Try and Ruin My Day” bracelet in the photo of Lincoln and his namesake. What an awesome guy Brian was. Such an inspiration! It’s cool to see his legacy live on. :)
He hasn’t taken it off since the day he got it! :)
OOH, this recipe looks amazing, Kristin!! I must try this next time I’m craving Rice Krispie Treats.
Happy anniversary to you and Ben! What a cute little person you’ve made! :)
looks delicious! do you think the cereal could be subed with rice krispies?
Sure! It just won’t have the vanilla cake flavor is all.
This look AH-mazing!! I love all the varieties of chex they have put out. So yummy!! Pinned and shared :) Oh, and happy anniversary!
This is such a fun snack! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I tried these yesterday, but mine came out too dry. Maybe less cereal next time? I could tell they were going to be tasty, but they just didn’t look like yours! :)
Oh no! Did you check the box size? Maybe yours was a bigger box? I’ve made these three times with no issues!
I made these last night, and the pan is already 1/2 gone! My husband absolutely loved them, thanks!!
Next time you’re in town – we should grab something to eat! :)
Definitely!! Hope you’re enjoying Taiwan!!
Third time I made these this week. My office loves me. :)
Made these for a treat day at work today, came home with an empty pan!! These are so good and super easy to make!!
These are delicious! Thanks for the fun & easy recipe. Also, the pictures of Lincoln are adorable! Thanks for sharing!!
This would make a perfect Easter treat for this week! I tried to make something similar but with Peeps. Nothing gets better than marshmallows in bar form!
http://hotdogfoodblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/peeps-rice-krispie-treats.html
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Yep, making these for the Easter gathering! They look great!
Thanks for sharing the cute pix of your family. Looks like fun trip!
Love your website.
I just made these, and they are SO yummy! They literally took all of 5 minutes to make! Thanks for sharing another winner, Kristin!
I made these for Easter and everyone loved them. And we have family members who are gluten free and they were so happy we had a treat for them and all. Everyone asked for the recipe. Thank you for posting this. These are killer. I can’t wait to try them with some of the other trader joes freeze dried fruits.
I made these last night and my family loved the flavor, but said they were a tad bit too chewy. So I doublechecked the recipe and have a question. In the recipe it says 4 tablespoons of butter, but in the picture from the blog it shows only 3 tablespoons. I used 4…do you think that’s why mine turned out the way they did? :>
Sorry for the confusing picture! I did use 1/4 cup butter – snagged a Tbsp from another stick.
Thanks so much for your super quick reply, Kristin! I just found out my husband snuck a bowl of cereal out of the box for my daughter, so that could be why the recipe came out a little differently. :> BTW, love love love your blog, your recipes, and especially Friday Favorites.
Ahhh, hahaha, those pesky husbands! Yes, that might make the bars a little more marshmallowy than intended. ;)
Made these tonight and they were soooo yummy! :)
I just made these tonight! I’ve been eyeing them every since you posted! I used a mixed berry bag of freeze dried berries (strawberries, blueberries & raspberries) and right after everything was mixed I ended up tossing in a 1/2 cup of ghiradelli white choc chips…they melted as they got swirled in. These are AWESOME! I am waiting for them to cool so I can cut them, but nibbled on a few pieces. YUM! Can’t wait for the hubby the try them!
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