Rice and Peanut Crispy Bars

• vegetable oil spray
• 1/4 cup light maple syrup or corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 35 regular-sized marshmallows (or vegetarian equivalent)
• 5 1/2 cups toasted rice cereal
• 3/4 cup toasted wheat germ or flax, or combination of the two
• 1 cup peanuts

Instructions:

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with the vegetable spray. Simmer the syrup and butter on medium heat until blended. Add the marshmallows and stir it until melted, about five minutes or so. Add the cereal, wheat germ, and peanuts, and stir until everything is coated with marshmallow. Transfer the mix to the pan, cover, and refrigerate until set. Cut into squares.

NOTE: You should probably have all your cereal, wheat germ, and peanuts measured out beforehand to make adding easier and quicker (the mixture is a bit time-sensitive), and I suggest adding the peanuts first as they are the most difficult to stir in--rice cereal and wheat germ just fill in the cracks, but if there is not enough available marshmallow to coat the peanuts, they just end up falling out. This will be VERY sticky.