Description
Valentines Day Snack Mix: Sweet and Salty treat with chocolate-covered pretzels, M&Ms, and festive sprinkles. Quick and irresistible!
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups (120g) Rice Chex or similar rice cereal
- 3 cups (90g) mini pretzels (heart-shaped if available)
- 2 cups (50g) popcorn, unflavored
- 1½ cups (270g) M&Ms in red, pink, and white Valentine’s colors
- 1 cup (175g) white chocolate chips for melting
- ½ cup (90g) red and pink candy melts
- ⅔ cup (80g) dried cranberries
- ½ cup (60g) conversation heart candies
- 3 tablespoons Valentine’s themed sprinkles
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil, divided (for thinning chocolate)
Instructions
- Step 1: Prepare Your Workspace Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, gently combine the Rice Chex cereal, mini pretzels, and popcorn. Take care not to crush the delicate cereal pieces as you mix. This creates your base mixture that will hold all the festive elements.
- Step 2: Melt the White Chocolate Place the white chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second intervals at 50% power, stirring thoroughly between each interval until completely melted and smooth. This gentle melting prevents the chocolate from seizing or burning. The chocolate should have a silky, pourable consistency that will coat the mix evenly.
- Step 3: Mix the Base Ingredients with Chocolate Pour about two-thirds of the melted white chocolate over your cereal mixture and fold gently with a silicone spatula until everything is lightly coated. The goal is to create just enough stickiness for the candies to adhere without creating heavy clumps or sogginess in the mix.
- Step 4: Add Valentine’s Candies Transfer the chocolate-coated mixture to your prepared baking sheet and spread it in an even layer. Sprinkle the Valentine’s M&Ms, dried cranberries, and conversation hearts evenly across the surface while the chocolate is still tacky. Gently press the larger pieces into the mixture to help them adhere.
- Step 5: Create Colorful Drizzles Melt the red and pink candy melts with the remaining teaspoon of coconut oil using the same interval method as the white chocolate. Transfer each color to a small zip-top bag, snip a tiny corner, and create festive drizzles across the entire mixture. Immediately add the Valentine’s sprinkles before the drizzle sets.
- Step 6: Set and Break Allow the Valentine’s Day Snack Mix to set completely, either at room temperature (about 1 hour) or in the refrigerator (20-30 minutes) for faster results. Once set, break the mix into bite-sized clusters. Your festive treat is now ready to serve or package for gifting!
Notes
Fresh ingredients will always yield the best flavor results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 260mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 5mg