This Christmas Crack Chex Mix recipe is the perfect DIY holiday treat! The mix of sweet and salty with a hint of peppermint is so good.
Afterward, put it in a cute holiday tin and you have the perfect DIY Christmas Gift!
Holiday Chex Mix
If you haven’t noticed from some of my other holiday posts, I am a little obsessed with Peppermint. That flavor just SCREAMS “It’s the Holiday Season” to me!
So, I decided it was time to mash up two of my favorite things – Chex Mix and Peppermint. As a result, I got this way-too-addictive Chex Mix recipe I call Christmas Crack!
There is nothing more delicious to me than a sweet and salty mix. It is my downfall on my diet. Bad news for those of you with the same downfall because this Chex Mix Christmas Crack is just as the name suggests – highly addictive and absolutely no good for your diet.
Do you love chex mix? Be sure to check out this round up of the Ultimate Collection of Chex Mix Recipes!
This Chex Mix recipe makes a HUGE batch. If you grab some cute holiday tins, you can make some super cute gifts for friends and family.
Looking for some classic Chex Mix? How about Chex Mix made in the crock pot! This recipe is so easy and it will save you some oven space during your busy holiday cooking!
Want some more fun and delicious holiday snacks – try out my good friends Christmas Crunch Recipe! You will LOVE it!
Ingredients Needed to Make Christmas Crack Chex Mix
- Two boxes of Chex Cereal (use smaller sized boxes…i.e. 12 oz box)- pick TWO DIFFERENT flavors like Rice Chex Cereal and Corn Chex Cereal.
- 16 oz bag of Snyder’s Sourdough Pretzel Nibblers
- 7.5 oz bag of Bugles
- One package of Christmas mini M&Ms
- White Candy Melts – I used CandiQuik, because it melts amazing (you will need 1 -2 packages of the CandiQuik candy melts) or you could use candy melts too!
- One package of Starlight Peppermints
- Christmas Sprinkles
Substitutions & Additions
- Add some additional sweetness in by using Golden Grahams Cereal or Honey Nut Cheerios.
- Mix in some shredded cocounut and almonds.
- Peanut or cashews are also a delicious addition.
How to Make Christmas Chex Mix
As I mentioned, this recipe couldn’t be easier!
- First, grab 2 baking sheets and line them either with a silicone baking mat (my favorite thing ever) or parchment paper.
- Next, crush your peppermints in a zip lock bag – the more crushed the better! Go ahead and take your aggression out on these little suckers!
- Now, you need a really, really big bowl! You will want to mix the cereal, Bugles, and pretzels together.
- Then, melt the candy melts according to the directions on the package.
- Little by little, you will drizzle in the melted chocolate over the dry ingredients and immediately sprinkle the M&M’s, peppermints and sprinkles over the melted chocolate (so it sticks in the chocolate) and gently mix it up.
- Repeat this step until all of the dry ingredients is covered somewhat evenly with the chocolate and toppings.
- Divide the mixture in half and spread it out on the two cookie sheets.
- Let the candy set – if you are in a rush, you can put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
- Break it apart into smaller pieces and serve or store in an airtight container.
If you are looking for great DIY Christmas gifts to give out to friends, family and co-workers, then this Chex Mix recipe is perfect!
If you need some good Christmas Cookies for a cookie exchange, then we have those as well. Some of our favorites are our Peanut Butter Balls (no-bake and DE-LISH), Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies and our Melted Snowman Bark.
Storage
Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
More Easy Holiday Desserts
- Christmas Tree Pretzel Sticks
- M&M Pretzel Hugs
- The Best Christmas Cookies Round-Up
- Peppermint Oreo Popcorn Bark
- Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups
- Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
- Chocolate Dipped Meringue Cookies {Meringue Kisses}
- Hot Chocolate Bombs
- DIY Peppermint Candy Bowls
- Christmas Tree Brownie Cups
- Reindeer Pretzel Rods
- Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies
Christmas Crack Chex Mix
Ingredients
- 2 12 ounce boxes Chex Cereal – pick TWO DIFFERENT flavors
- 1 16 ounce bag Snyder’s Sourdough Pretzel Nibblers
- 1 7.5 ounce bag Bugles
- 1 bag Christmas mini M&Ms
- White Candy Melts – I used CandiQuik
- 1 bag Starlight Peppermints
- Christmas Sprinkles
Instructions
- Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat
- In a ziplock bag, crush approx. 30 peppermints (I used the flat side of a meat tenderizer) to crush them very finely
- In a VERY large bowl combine Chex Cereal, Bugles and pretzels
- Melt the candy melts according to the instructions on the package
- In small increments, drizzle the candy melts over the dry mixture and immediately sprinkle the M&Ms, crushed peppermint and sprinkles on the candy (so it sticks to the candy).
- Mix gently with a spoon until all ingredients are evenly coated.
- Repeat this step until all of the melted candy is mixed in with the dry mixture.
- Divide the mixture in half and spread in even layers on the baking sheets.
- Let the candy set (if you are in a rush, you can put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes until it sets)
- Break apart and serve – you can store in a airtight container
Nutrition Info
Can you let me know how many cups (or any measurement) of the “packages” used. I’m in Canada and we don’t have the same packages, but I was able to find everything in the bulk store.
I used 12 ounce packages of the cereal.
I did this using a box of the Crispix cereal because it is both rice Chex and corn Chex together. Recipe and white chocolate coverage was perfect.
Jennifer,
I read your directions and you DID say use the smaller (12 oz.) boxes of cereal and you also said it would take 1-2 of the Candi Melts. Your directions were perfect, some people just don’t read correctly. Thank You for the recipe.
Anonymous
Didn’t work for me. Turned out more like a chex mix than a break apart bark. Either too much cereal or not enough chocolate.
It still tastes very good, just not a bark.
I think there is something off with the cereal quantity. I used 2 boxes and had to use 5 bars of baking chocolate and I still could have used more for coverage. Maybe my store only sells the larger boxes but mine def does not look like the pic above and it covered 3 cookie sheets easily. If you make this find the smallest boxes of cereal as I think the normal boxes I buy for my family make way too much for the others quantities provided. Unfortunately I am not thrilled with the end product.
I am so sorry – yes, I believe I did use the smaller boxes of cereal. I will adjust the recipe above to indicate so. I am so sorry that it did not work out well for you. 🙁
I assumed measurements for the Chex cereals and white chocolate since none was provided, I used the whole boxes of both Chex cereals plus one package of the CandiQuik. My mix when done didn’t seem to have the white chocolate coverage like your photo. Should I have used 2 packages of white chocolate?
Hi Carrie – I used the entire boxes of cereal and one pack of the chocolate and mine covered fine.
I used 2 12 oz boxes of cereal as well, plus the other stuff and make me wasn’t covered either. Also, I didn’t have to worry about letting it get hard do I could crack them in pieces, there wasn’t enough chocolate to cover my mixture. Are you sure it shouldn’t have been 12 oz of the Chex cereal total?
I am sorry it didn’t work for you – it worked fine for me, but I would mix it in slowly (pour a little, mix a little, pour a little, mix a little). However, I will update the directions to use more chocolate (or less cereal)
Can I use the white chocolate chips instead or the candy melts?
You sure can Lori
I made this today (Thursday) for a party on Sunday. Can I put this in the refrigerator. I’m storing them in freezer bags. Thank you.
I needed to ask if it would still be good after three days? Thanks.
Hi Bethany – I would just keep them in an airtight container, but I don’t think you need to refrigerate or freeze – don’t want them to get soggy
I can see how this would be addictive. It has the sweet and salty that I love – yum! I hope you don’t mind that I’ve included this in a round-up for this year’s best homemade food gifts.
Looks delicious. how long can it be stored?
In an airtight container, for sure a couple of days!
I would definitely munch on this all day! Gorgeous colors and looks delicious!
I love you girl!