Katie’s Caramel Crunch

This highly-customizable recipe makes a delicious snack mix. It can work for any holiday or event. Just adjust the added candies to fit the color scheme. The recipe came from the Kellogg’s site (original here), and is very close to a recipe I used to make for Halloween. Still can’t find that recipe, but this one is a great substitute. Katie’s Caramel Crunch is the third of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 6 cups Kellogg’s® Crispix® cereal
  • 3 cups popped popcorn
  • 2 cups small square pretzels
  • 1 cup cocktail peanuts (optional)
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 250°F.
  2. In 17 x 11 x 2-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray, combine Kellogg’s® Crispix® cereal, popcorn, pretzels and peanuts (if desired). Set aside.
  3. In heavy 3-quart saucepan combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup.
  4. Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly.
  5. Reduce heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
  6. Remove from heat.
  7. Stir in vanilla and baking soda. This mixture will foam up, so be sure you don’t let it boil over!
  8. Immediately pour over cereal mixture.
  9. Stir until evenly coated.
  10. Bake at 250°F about 1 hour or until deep golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes.
  11. Spread on wax paper. Separate clumps.
  12. Cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Variations

  • My version of this recipe is a little different. Instead of moving the mix to wax paper, stir it in the pan to ensure it is broken up properly. Allow it to cool a bit and add seasonal candies (like candy corn and pumpkins, holiday M&M’s, etc.). The mix needs to be cool enough that the candy will not melt.
  • I recommend buying a bag of prepopped popcorn on the chips aisle at your grocery store for this recipe. You can pop your own, but then you have to sort through the bowl to remove any unpopped kernels or burned pieces. If you buy the prepopped stuff at the store, you save a lot of time and don’t have to worry about missing a kernel.
  • Change the cereal mix to your liking. You can use 6 cups of whatever you like. Obviously 3 cups of Rice Chex and 3 cups of Corn Chex would be the same as 6 cups of Crispix. It’s highly adaptable though. You can use whatever cereal mix you like. I’d just stay away from anything fruity or “candy” like (e.g. Chocolate).
  • I am not savvy about gluten-free recipes, but I am told this recipe can be easily adjusted for a gluten-free snack mix.

Time Required: 1½ hours

Servings: 24

Muddy Buddies

We first encountered this chocolatey snack mix at Girl Scout camp, many years ago. These days you can buy a bag of Chex-branded Muddy Buddies in the store, but it’s not quite the same as making it yourself. Since it’s a Girl Scout camp recipe, it’s kid-friendly. Expect a fun, chocolatey mess and giggles! Muddy Buddies is the second of my 25 Appetizers of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 9 cups Rice Chex, Crispix, or Rice Krispies
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar

Directions

  1. Melt together the chocolate chips, peanut butter and vanilla over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid sticking.
  2. Add cereal and mix until well coated.
  3. Add powdered sugar and mix until coated.

Maple-Glazed Snack Mix

From the Taste of Home website (original online), this sweet snack mix is a nice alternative to the more traditional (and savory) Chex party mix we usually have around the holidays. The recipe makes 7½ cups.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Corn Chex
  • 2 cups Rice Chex
  • 2 cups Honey-Nut Cheerios
  • 1 cup miniature pretzels
  • 1/2 cup pecan halves, coarsely chopped
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the cereals, pretzels and pecans.
  2. In a small microwave-safe dish, combine maple syrup and butter.
  3. Cover and microwave on high for 45 seconds or until butter is melted.
  4. Stir in vanilla.
  5. Pour over cereal mixture and toss to coat.
  6. Transfer to a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray.
  7. Bake at 250° for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
  8. Cool on a wire rack.
  9. Store in an airtight container.

Variations

  • Vary the ingredients to your taste, using different cereals or nuts. Apple Cinnamon Cheerios might make a nice substitute, for instance, and peanuts or walnuts could easily stand in for the pecans.