Description
This Gluten-Free Christmas Chex Mix is a festive, crunchy snack blend perfect for holiday gatherings. Featuring a mix of Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Cheerios, gluten-free pretzels, salted peanuts, and colorful red and green M&Ms, all coated in a smooth, vanilla white chocolate almond bark coating. Garnished with additional M&Ms and optional festive sprinkles, it offers a delightful balance of sweet and salty flavors in easy-to-make clusters.
Ingredients
Scale
For The Christmas Chex Mix:
- 2 cups Rice Chex Cereal
- 2 cups Corn Chex Cereal
- 1 ½ cups Cheerios Cereal
- 2 ½ cups Gluten-Free Pretzels (such as Snyder’s Gluten-Free, twists preferred)
- 1 cup Salted Peanuts (just salted, not seasoned)
- 1 cup Red & Green M&Ms Candy (milk chocolate or peanut butter M&Ms)
- 16 oz Vanilla Almond Bark White Candy Melts or White Chocolate Chips
Optional To Decorate:
- 1-2 Tablespoons Red and Green Sprinkles (nonpareils or jimmies)
- Flaky Sea Salt
Instructions
- Prep Your Station: Spread out a few sheets of parchment paper on a cookie sheet or counter for stability and easy cleanup.
- Combine The Christmas Chex Mix Ingredients: Set aside half of the M&Ms for decoration later. In a large bowl, mix the rice Chex, corn Chex, Cheerios, gluten-free pretzels, half of the M&Ms, and salted peanuts.
- Melt The White Chocolate Coating: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the vanilla almond bark white candy melts in 20-30 second intervals, stirring thoroughly after each until smooth and lump-free. Alternatively, melt using a double boiler on the stovetop.
- Drizzle & Stir: Pour the melted white chocolate coating over the cereal mixture and quickly stir to evenly coat all ingredients. Work swiftly as the coating will start to harden.
- Spread Out, Sprinkle & Cool: Spread the coated mixture evenly over the prepared parchment paper. Immediately sprinkle the reserved M&Ms and optional sprinkles on top. Let the mixture cool completely to set and form clusters.
- Serve & Store: Once fully set, enjoy immediately or transfer the chex mix to an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to one week.
Notes
- Hold back a handful or two of M&Ms to add after coating to highlight the festive colors on top as well as inside.
- Adding sprinkles like nonpareils or jimmies enhances the festive appearance without affecting flavor.
- For extra decorative pretzels, dip ½ to ¾ cup of pretzels in melted almond bark, sprinkle with decoration, and allow to dry separately before stirring the remaining coating into the mix.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 140mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
