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Puffed Wheat Squares

Puffed wheat squares 2

This feels like a bit of a copout, but I’ve been meaning to mix up a batch of puffed wheat squares (a very prairie thing) and eat the whole pan myself for awhile now. And I think if anyone came across a plate of these on the kitchen counter, they’d eat them.

I’d like to say I grew up eating puffed wheat squares, but I didn’t – hopefully W will not suffer the same fate.

Puffed wheat squares 10

I’d make them more often if puffed wheat was a thing I normally kept in the house, but when I think to buy a bag, I remember that a panful takes about ten minutes to stir together. Well worth it.

Puffed wheat squares 7

There’s no technique here, really – just a formula. And likely the same ratio of butter:sugar:syrup:cocoa that has been mixed together for generations. If you really want to go all out, try making them with Corn Pops (really), or stir a handful of salted peanuts into the mix. (OK, that’s not really going all out, but it’s tasty.)

Puffed wheat squares 11

Puffed Wheat Squares

AuthorJulie

Puffed Wheat Squares

Yields1 Serving

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Roger's Golden syrup or corn syrup
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla
8 cups puffed wheat (or 7 cups puffed wheat and 1 cup salted peanuts!)

1

Lightly spray the inside of a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put the puffed wheat (and peanuts, if you’re using them) into the bowl and set it aside.

2

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa and salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour over the puffed wheat and stir to coat evenly. Press into an ungreased 9 x 13-inch pan and refrigerate or leave at room temperature until set. These are easiest to cut (and taste best) at room temperature.

3

Makes about 20 squares.

Ingredients

 1/4 cup butter
 1/2 cup Roger's Golden syrup or corn syrup
 1 cup packed brown sugar
 1/4 cup cocoa
 pinch salt
 1 tsp. vanilla
 8 cups puffed wheat (or 7 cups puffed wheat and 1 cup salted peanuts!)

Directions

1

Lightly spray the inside of a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put the puffed wheat (and peanuts, if you’re using them) into the bowl and set it aside.

2

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa and salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour over the puffed wheat and stir to coat evenly. Press into an ungreased 9 x 13-inch pan and refrigerate or leave at room temperature until set. These are easiest to cut (and taste best) at room temperature.

3

Makes about 20 squares.

Puffed Wheat Squares
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61 comments on “Puffed Wheat Squares

  1. Valarie
    April 27, 2017 at 9:02 am

    OMG YES!!! These are my favourite treat to eat every!

    • Blue
      October 31, 2019 at 9:54 am

      These puffed wheat squares turned out to be in eatable. They were hard as rocks and just as dry

      • alien
        December 3, 2019 at 11:21 am

        you boiled it too long.

  2. Christy
    April 27, 2017 at 10:15 am

    Hey wondering what cereal would work well for my GF husband? Anything other than rice krispies please, if possible. Thanks! Love your posts!

    • Nikki
      April 27, 2017 at 1:47 pm

      I’ve used puffed rice, which come in a bag like the puffed wheat and are big like them. It worked fine. 🙂

    • Julie
      May 1, 2017 at 3:09 pm

      Really, any gluten-free cereal he likes can be turned into cereal squares – these or the marshmallow kind!

    • Ray
      September 3, 2017 at 6:33 pm

      I use puffed buckwheat. It’s gf and a has the same texture as puffed wheat!

      • Julie
        September 4, 2017 at 1:36 pm

        brilliant!! I’m going to seek some out and try it!

    • Rebecca
      June 30, 2018 at 1:50 pm

      Any puffed grain or cereal works fine in my experience!
      A health-kick in my home left behind puffed millet and rice- so i now make this recipe with a blend 🙂

    • Helper
      July 3, 2019 at 12:23 pm

      They are not rice crispy s but puffed wheat.

    • Kimberly
      August 8, 2019 at 11:30 pm

      Popcorn!

  3. Lori
    April 27, 2017 at 10:50 pm

    I TOTALLY grew up with puffed wheat squares! Way better than those over sweet rice crispie things…
    My only question is what do you do with the other 3/4 of the bag???

    • Julie
      May 1, 2017 at 3:08 pm

      Make more puffed wheat squares!!!

    • Carol
      May 1, 2019 at 1:19 pm

      Eat it like cereal or make lots and freezer

  4. Judy
    April 28, 2017 at 12:10 am

    Oh, thank you so much for this recipe and reminding me where I came from. I DID grow up on these and they are wonderful! Please do add the salted peanuts and – if you’re really feeling particularly madcap the day you make these squares – a handful of plump raisins. One of my farming aunts in Alberta used to add raisins and, I assure you, the extra chewiness will transport you. To Lori: you can actually eat wheat puffs as cereal but you have to keep bashing them down underneath the milk in your bowl, ’cause they float. Try mixing them with other heftier, cereals for breakfast.

    • Julie
      May 1, 2017 at 3:09 pm

      Ha! I’ve never actually eaten puffed wheat as a breakfast cereal! But I can see how they would totally float. Mine are ALL destined to be squares… 🙂

  5. Lesley
    April 28, 2017 at 9:25 am

    My dad told me you have to boil the syrup for three minutes, and he’s right… it makes the cake easy to bite but not too soft that it’s falling apart. Also, I boil the syrup in a huge pot, and after taking it off the heat, pour the cereal and peanuts into the syrup, so only one sticky pot to wash.

    • Julie
      May 1, 2017 at 3:08 pm

      Good tip! I don’t like instructing people to boil the syrup as it’s thick and can scorch easily or turn into dental work-compromising candy, but if you’re comfortable with it, awesome! And yes, if you have a big pot, go for it!

  6. esme
    April 28, 2017 at 9:22 pm

    !! I had totally forgotten all about these. (How did that happen?) I loved them when I was a kid I’m SO glad you reminded everyone about them., Julie. I think you should do nostalgia recipes more often. Who knows what else we’ve all forgotten? Thanks for bringing an old friend back!

    • Julie
      May 1, 2017 at 3:03 pm

      I know, right? So glad to facilitate the reunion! 🙂

  7. James
    June 16, 2017 at 1:37 am

    I now use a candy thermometer when I cook the syrup. I have found cooking it to between 215°F and 220°F results in a square that is neither to soft and loose or too hard to be chewy.

    • Julie
      June 16, 2017 at 9:49 am

      Excellent tip! thanks!

    • Lisa
      November 18, 2017 at 5:24 pm

      Nope nope nope – this produced waaaay too hard of a square. What a mess and waste. Rather just bring to a boil and have it fall apart than be rock hard and impossible to cut.

      • Julie
        November 18, 2017 at 9:35 pm

        Sorry it didn’t work out for you! I just bring it to a boil to melt the mixture – any longer and they’ll get harder.

  8. Sharon
    June 30, 2017 at 5:04 pm

    I bet they would be great with Cheerios. And now real Cheerios (General Mills) are GF. ?

    • Julie
      July 2, 2017 at 8:52 pm

      Are they? Yes, you can pretty much make cereal bars with any kind of cereal.. I’ve made these with Corn Pops and they’re fab!

    • Lynn Scott
      February 19, 2020 at 1:20 pm

      I have an old recipe for these that calls for a half cup of butter instead of a quarter cup. They don’t get hard or dry. I just bring them to a good rolling boil, then add vanilla. I also use Roger’s golden syrup instead of corn syrup.

      • Julie
        February 27, 2020 at 3:01 pm

        I use Rogers too! And yes, the extra butter would help…

  9. Zachary
    September 2, 2017 at 5:31 pm

    Great but messy

  10. Anonymous
    September 6, 2017 at 1:41 pm

    Hard not to eat the pan!!!! I try to make only one pan for home and one for work…….I get it in both places but the more I share, the less I over indulge on lol

  11. Sure
    October 30, 2017 at 6:01 pm

    Which corn syrup do you use

    • Julie
      October 31, 2017 at 1:37 pm

      Golden corn syrup, generally.

  12. Donna
    January 21, 2018 at 9:33 am

    Even though my puff wheat taste great. They are falling apart when cutting. How can I fix it?

    • Julie
      January 23, 2018 at 9:56 am

      Hmm… not sure if you can at this point! Maybe use a little less puffed wheat next time?

    • Nicole
      May 23, 2018 at 9:01 pm

      I would say not boiled long enough. If you have a candy thermometer 235-240F is soft ball stage and should be right. Less than 235* will crumble more than 240* will be hard as a rock.

  13. Melveena R
    January 22, 2018 at 6:39 pm

    Made these tonight! Didn’t have brown sugar so I used golden yellow sugar #nomnomnom

  14. Ruby Martin
    February 3, 2018 at 1:12 am

    So yummy I’m on my third pan in one month I think I’m addicted I ate a whole pan in a day half lol .. I used to eat these when i was younger and i been craving them so bad now i can’t stop eating and making them lol but next round I want try the corn balls lol

  15. Gail
    March 16, 2018 at 9:06 pm

    Very prairie indeed!
    Cheap, cheerful, YUMMY and fun. I lost my recipe from Saskatchewan and used first one that popped up on Google. What a mistake. Who knew something so easy and basic could turn out an epic failure? After the fact I found your recipe Julie and it’s PERFECT!

  16. Lindsay
    May 20, 2018 at 6:17 pm

    Made these and was very disappointed with them. I was careful not to boil to long and measured ingredients exactly and still ended up with a rock hard tasteless clump

  17. Linda
    August 30, 2018 at 3:12 pm

    Wish I had read the comments. Totally over boiled the syrup. They are tasty but filling-removing hard.

    • Julie
      August 31, 2018 at 9:39 pm

      Oh no, sorry to hear it!

  18. Cathy
    September 23, 2018 at 5:10 am

    We grew up calling my dad the “puffed wheat monster” because he could eat a whole pan of these in one sitting! Haven’t had this since I moved away from Canada. Just made this and waiting patiently for it to cool. Thanks for this recipe and this piece of home!

  19. Janine mathers
    December 3, 2018 at 7:01 pm

    I have also used Sugar crisp in this recipe but then you don’t need as much syrup. Still very yummy and chewy!

    • Julie
      December 6, 2018 at 11:00 pm

      Ooh brilliant! Only problem is not eating the Sugar Crisp first… 🙂

  20. Mikey
    March 9, 2019 at 8:19 pm

    OMG… I just made a batch of these & their Amazing…. I almost ate the whole pan by myself ?

    • Julie
      March 13, 2019 at 4:13 pm

      This is the danger of puffed wheat squares!!

  21. Christy L Turner
    June 4, 2019 at 2:02 pm

    Love your recipes, love your chocolates! Thank you for this!

  22. Karen Loren
    July 28, 2019 at 11:25 am

    An absolute childhood throwback, so yummy. Loved your recipe and the tip to spray the bowl with non-stick spray, makes combining the puffed wheat and syrup so much easier. Thanks for the great recipe, they turned out perfect!

    • Julie
      July 28, 2019 at 2:08 pm

      Love them.. glad you do too!

  23. Amber Brechin
    November 29, 2019 at 2:23 pm

    I made these today and zero issues were had! I boil mine on a lower temp. Just till the sugar is dissolved. No problem with them being too hard or falling apart. I press mine into the pan with the back of a metal spoon. I also don’t use the bowl method. Puffed wheat right into the big pot. (it keeps the base warm to mix easier). If there are issues with it being too hard substitute margarine for butter. I used to and never had a problem. I lost my old recipe and yours worked perfect! Thanks!

  24. Susan Jack
    December 3, 2019 at 12:20 pm

    I hate commenting on recipes if I make a change, but the following happened to me. I was in the process of measuring out all of my ingredients when I realized that I had half the corn syrup required so I substituted maple syrup for the other half. They turned out wonderful although a little over sweet from my substitution, but they set perfectly and should be gone by days end.

    • Julie
      December 5, 2019 at 6:35 am

      Brilliant idea!

  25. Anonymous
    December 13, 2020 at 11:30 am

    Could you use maple syrup?

    • Julie
      December 14, 2020 at 10:18 am

      You probably could, but pure maple syrup is far runnier than corn syrup or golden syrup… I might use less?

  26. Diane
    April 25, 2021 at 5:11 pm

    I’m concerned about the sweetness? Is it really sweet or just nice. Hard to describe but I don’t like sweet all that much. Comment please. This does sound yummy.
    Thanks so much, Diane

    • Julie
      April 27, 2021 at 3:21 pm

      I think it’s nice and not too sweet! It’s all subjective, I suppose!

  27. Kim
    May 26, 2021 at 7:27 am

    I followed Julie’s recipe exactly as written and the result was a batch of perfectly chewy and chocolatey puffed wheat squares. I don’t know why I hesitated thinking they were finicky. The recipe couldn’t be easier! ?

    • Julie
      May 28, 2021 at 1:37 pm

      Oh yay! so glad to hear!!

  28. Anonymous
    April 3, 2022 at 9:33 am

    I was skeptic about making these after reading all of the comments… I did and they turned out really well. Slightly chewy, not as sweet as I was expecting and tasty! I accidentally forgot to put vanilla and salt in there as I’m wan to do, but tasty all the same. Thanks! I’ll make these again with the rest of the gigantic bag of puffed wheat I have left!

  29. Kyle and Jennell
    February 1, 2023 at 6:24 pm

    Sitting, enjoying a perfect square of puffed wheat square following the recipe from Cookies I Have Loved. Texture is great and the cocoa in this version comes through so well. Wondering if you’ve ever heard of another name for these besides Puffed Wheat Square? I haven’t, but I’m proposing to my family that moving forward we refer to them as Punky Brewsters! Thoughts?

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