Halloween Chex Mix

Halloween Chex Mix gets me through the whole month of October and I am not mad about it. Crunchy, buttery, sweet and salty, with warm pumpkin pie spice running through it and chocolate and candy stirred in at the end. You never get the same handful twice.

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email below and we’ll send the recipe straight to your inbox (and more recipes sent daily!)

Email Address *

Save

October runs on snacks at my house, between the parties and the movie nights and having people over. Halloween Chex Mix is what I make for all of it, because one batch fills a big bowl.

I take my time with the butter and brown sugar coating, and that is the whole reason this comes out seasoned all the way through. Pour it on all at once and a few pieces soak most of it up while the rest come out of the oven tasting like plain cereal.

I make a version of this mix all fall, and the candy is the part that changes with the month. My pumpkin spice snack mix is this one in oranges and browns, and my chex mix recipes roundup has the rest of them.

HALLOWEEN FAVORITE

The Bowl I Kept Going for the Grown-Ups on Halloween

The kids get candy all night on Halloween and the adults walking them around get nothing. So, I always had a big bowl of this out with a stack of plastic baggies next to it. Anybody heading back out with a group of kids got a bag filled up to take along. Halloween Chex Mix is still what I make for the grown-ups.

What I Put in the Bowl

• Honey nut Chex: This is the box I buy for it. That light crispness is what you are getting underneath all the coating and the candy.
• Caramel Bugles: These do not crunch like anything else in here, and they bring their own caramel sweetness with them. Every time I make this, people always comment about the Bugles and how they haven’t had those since they were a kid, and how they totally make the mix. Walmart and Target both carry them, and I see them most often in small gas station convenience stores. If you cannot find them anywhere, plain Bugles hold the shape and the crunch, and caramel corn, Cracker Jack or Crunch ‘n Munch lean sweeter, though I have not baked any of those into this one myself.
• Pretzels: They are the salty, savory piece in a mix that is otherwise mostly sweet, and they keep the whole thing from tasting like dessert.
• Pumpkin pie spice: This is what makes the whole bowl taste like fall instead of like a plain sweet snack mix. It goes into the melted butter along with the brown sugar and vanilla.
• The Halloween candy: I used a Ghoul’s Mix bag of M&M’s, because the colors are the whole Halloween part of this. With it goes a harvest candy mix of candy corn and candy pumpkins, plus a scoop of Reese’s Pieces. None of that is fixed though, so use whatever Halloween candy you already have in the house and keep the total amount about the same.

How to Make Halloween Chex Mix

Step 1: Toss the Base Together Put the cereal, pretzels and Bugles in the largest mixing bowl you own and toss them together. This is a big batch, and it is much easier to stir with room to spare.

Step 2: Coat It in Stages Stir the melted butter, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla together, then pour it over in small batches, stirring after each one. Keep going until every piece has coating on it.

Step 3: Bake It Low Spread the mix into an even layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 275 for 45 minutes. Stir it every 15 minutes so it toasts evenly.

Step 4: Cool It Completely Leave the mix on the baking sheet until there is no warmth left in it anywhere. Then add the M&M’s, the harvest candy and the Reese’s Pieces and stir them through.

Making It Ahead and Bagging It Up

Halloween Chex Mix holds up well enough to make days ahead of when you need it. Sealed in an airtight container at room temperature it keeps for up to two weeks, and you can freeze the cooled mix for up to two months.

Around Halloween I split it into little bags for lunchboxes and to hand out. I do the same thing at Christmas with my reindeer chow chex mix.

More Halloween Recipes

• Halloween Cake Pops
• Mummy Hot Dogs
• Halloween Witch Hat Cookies
• Witch Finger Cookies
• Halloween Sherbet Punch
• Halloween Spider Cookies

4.80 from 10 votes

Halloween Chex Mix

Author — Jennifer Fishkind

Serves — 10

Halloween Chex Mix is my big batch sweet and salty snack for October, crunchy with pretzels and Caramel Bugles and loaded with Halloween candy.

PrintRatePin Save Saved

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

For the Sauce

• ▢ ¼ cup butter melted
• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Chex Mix

• ▢ 4 cups honey nut Chex cereal
• ▢ 2 cups pretzels
• ▢ 1 6-oz bag Caramel Bugles Caramel Bugles
• ▢ 1 8-oz bag M&M’s Halloween colors – Gouhl’s Mix is what I used
• ▢ 1 cup harvest candy mix candy corn, candy pumpkins
• ▢ ½ cup Reese’s pieces

Instructions

 

• Mix the cereal, pretzels, and Bugles and in a large mixing bowl.
  4 cups honey nut Chex cereal, 2 cups pretzels, 1 6-oz bag Caramel Bugles
• In a separate bowl, stir together melted butter, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla and then pour over the dry mix.

  TIP: Stir in the brown sugar mix slowly in small batches. So add a little, stir a little. Add a little more, stir. Continue until it is all incorporated and mixed evenly in.
  ¼ cup butter, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, spread out the mixture into an even layer and bake at 275 for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Let cool on the baking sheet and when totally cool, mix in the candy pieces.
  1 8-oz bag M&M’s, 1 cup harvest candy mix, ½ cup Reese’s pieces

Jenn’s Notes

Tips:

• Add the butter and brown sugar mixture a little at a time and stir between each addition so the cereal, pretzels and Bugles all get coated evenly.
• Spread the mix in an even layer and stir it every 15 minutes while it bakes so it toasts evenly.
• Let the baked mixture cool completely before you add any candy. If it is still warm the chocolate melts and the candy pieces lose their shape.

Storage:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. You can freeze the cooled chex mix for up to 2 months.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 444mg | Potassium: 174mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 407IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 9mg

Tried This Recipe?

Mention @princesspinkygirl Or Tag #Princesspinkygirl