Holiday Snack Mix

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Holiday Snack Mix makes a great snack or dessert for Christmas, parties, movie nights, gifting, and so much more. Chex cereal, salty pretzels, and peanuts get covered in white chocolate and then topped with festive sprinkles, candy and gingerbread cookies!

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holiday snack mix

Holiday Snack Mix aka Reindeer Chow has the perfect balance of sweet and salty snacks and can be customized with your favorite ingredients. This makes a perfect treat for gifting, serving at holiday parties, family movie night, classroom sweet treats, or whenever you need to serve a large crowd (this recipe makes a lot!).

Everyone will love the sweet and salty combo with the white chocolate coating that’s topped with all kinds of holiday goodies. This treats takes minimal effort, made with simple ingredients, is a no-bake dessert, and super quick to make. Both kids and adults will love everything about this Holiday Snack Mix.

Other snack mixes to try is my Bold Homemade Chex Mix, S’mores Snack Mix, Popcorn Mix, and Peanut Butter Muddy Buddies.

key ingredients

• Chex cereal: You can use either corn or rice Chex cereal as they both work great for this recipe.
• White chocolate candy coating, vanilla almond bark or vanilla candy melts: You could also use white chocolate chips but the candy coating gets extra melty and coats the cereal mixture really well for this snack mix.
• Pretzels: I like to use the regular mini pretzel twists but you can also use pretzel sticks, pretzel snaps, pretzel rounds, or any other shape. You could also use gluten-free pretzels to make this a gluten-free treat.
• Mini peanut butter cups: Adds a yummy peanut butter flavor to the mix.
• Peanuts: Adds crunch and a nutty flavor. We love using slightly roasted and salted peanuts to offset the sweet flavor. You could definitely use any of your favorite nuts in this mix.
• Mini marshmallows: Gives the snack mix a soft and chewy texture.
• M&Ms: Use any festive M&Ms that you wish, regular, peanut, mini, and flavored will all work great.
• Sprinkles: Adds color and makes this Christmas Snack Mix extra festive.
• Gingerbread cookies: My favorite addition 🙂 I found these mini gingerbread cookies at Target but you could find them at almost any grocery store during the holidays or make your own Gingerbread Cookies from scratch.

how to make holiday snack mix

Melt candy melts: In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt candy according to package directions or in 30 second intervals until candy is melted. Be sure not to over heat the candy otherwise it will become too thick and burn.

Add in the Chex cereal, pretzels, and peanuts: Mix cereal mixture to coat melted chocolate evenly.

Spread on baking sheet and add remaining toppings: Spoon the coated mixture in an even layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper. Immediately top with sprinkles, M&Ms, marshmallows, mini gingerbread cookies, and peanut butter cups across the mixture.

Cool snack mix: Let the mixture cool completely so the candy coating hardens or place in the refrigerator if you want to speed up the process. Once set, break apart to serve in a large serving bowl and enjoy! Store holiday snack mix in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 2 weeks.

add ins

• Reese’s pieces
• Wheat Chex cereal
• Teddy Grahams of any flavor
• Caramel chips
• Bugles
• Cheerios
• Raisins or dried cranberries
• Candy cane pieces
• Mini Oreos
• Popcorn
• Chocolate chips or any other chocolate candies

variations

• Chex cereal: Use a sweeter Chex mix flavor to make an extra sweet treat. Honey Nut Chex or Cinnamon Chex cereal make great options.
• Chocolate flavor: Instead of using white candy melts, swap it for a milk or dark chocolate coating.
• Add color: You can add food gel to the melted white chocolate to make the mix even more colorful. Red or green is perfect for the holiday season!
• Add a peppermint twist: Add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract to make this have a peppermint flavor.

tips

• Double the recipe: It’s easy to do if you want to make more for a party.
• Gifting: This is the perfect treat to gift to friends, neighbors, teachers, or anyone you want to give a sweet treat to. I love putting this mix in cute and festive treat bags, jars, holiday tins, or boxes throughout the season.
• Make for all holidays: Enjoy this treat all year round! Make it for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Halloween, Birthdays, and the 4th of July. Just swap the M&M candies and sprinkle colors.
• Add toppings immediately: Make sure to add the toppings of this snack mix immediately after you pour the chocolate coated mixture onto the baking sheet because the candy coating dries quickly.

leftovers & storage

This snack mix will last for up to 2 weeks when stored in an airtight container, jar or large ziplock plastic bag at room temperature. The kitchen counter is a perfect place to keep this dessert.

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This recipe was last updated November 19, 2024 to include additional photos and information. Originally posted September 4, 2019 By Kathryn Donangelo.