A sweet and salty party mix made with Corn Chex’s, dry roasted peanuts, M&M’s, salted pretzels coated in a rich, creamy white chocolate. It’s simply out of this world delicious and perfect for the holidays!
White Chocolate Trash, Chex Christmas Mix, Christmas Crack, Santa Chow or Reindeer Food, whatever you want to call this snack-It’s absolutely DELICIOUS! I can definitely see how some call it “Christmas Crack” because it’s sooooo addicting! I literally couldn’t keep my hands out of the cookie jar!
So what is this irresistible munchie snack? It’s a sweet & salty mix made with chex cereal, salted pretzels, peanuts, and M&M’s chocolate candy-coated with white chocolate. And you won’t believe how easy it is to make!
The good news is that you don’t have to wait for Christmas to enjoy this snack. M&M’s make candies for most all the seasonal holidays so all you have to do is change the M&M’s and sprinkles to fit the holiday. Like for Easter, use the pastel color M&M’s and pastel color sprinkles.
There are a lot of different recipes out there, but in my opinion, I think this recipe is the very best that I have ever tasted. Here are my tips:
Tips on How to Make the Best White Chocolate Christmas Trash
- Use Corn Chex. I think Corn Chex is better than Rice Chex or Chripix in this recipe.
- Use dry (salted) roasted peanuts, not the cocktail peanuts.
- Use white chocolate chips rather than white chocolate bark. The white melting bark tends to taste waxy. Purchase the best grade of chocolate that you can. I use Ghirardelli white chocolate chips. I think it’s the best on the market. It’s a deliciously smooth tasting chocolate.
- Be sure to use the salted pretzels (small) You want that salty taste to go along with all the sweet candy!
- The holiday sprinkles add so much! Don’t forget those. If you have small children around, this is a great time for them to have some fun in the kitchen! Let them add the sprinkles to the mixture.
- Melt the chocolate very, very slowly. There are two ways to melt the chocolate, one in a bowl over warm water and another in the microwave in thirty-second intervals. I add a little bit of vegetable oil to the chocolate to keep it smooth and creamy and that is what you want. NOTE: If you melt the chocolate on too high of a heat or too fast, it will get too hard and you won’t be able to coat the mix. I made that mistake once. It was terrible. I don’t want that to happen to you.
- Be sure to store in an air-tight (Ziploc) freezer bag in the freezer. Yes, you heard me right. The FREEZER!! Storing it in the freezer keeps it nice and crispy. It won’t go stale. You can freeze the mix for up to two months. When ready to use, take it out of the freezer and it’s delicious eaten frozen! But, it will thaw out in just a matter of seconds. I’ll eat it either way!
- It’s a great gift to give. That’s why storing it in the freezer is just perfect. You can make it up weeks ahead of time and all you have to do is take it out of the freezer, pop it in a bag and you are good to go!
Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
PrintWhite Chocolate Christmas Trash
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 2 Minutes
- Total Time: 12 Minutes
- Yield: 12 to 15 Servings
Description
A sweet and salty party mix made with Corn Chex’s, dry roasted peanuts, M&M’s, salted pretzels coated in a rich creamy white chocolate. It’s simply out of this world delicious and perfect for the holidays!
Ingredients
- 6 cups Corn Chex Cereal
- 6 (cups small salted pretzels
- 1 (16-ounce) jar dry roasted peanuts
- 2 to 3 cups plain M&M’s
- 2 (12-ounce) bags of premium white chocolate chips
- 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- Holiday sprinkles
- Parchment paper or wax paper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the Corn Chex, pretzels, peanuts, and M&M’s.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and vegetable oil and heat at 30-second intervals. Stir with a wooden spoon after each interval. Repeat until chocolate is melted and smooth and creamy. (NOTE: Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Melt slowly)
- Once the chocolate is melted, pour the chocolate over the Corn Chex mixture. Very Gently stir the dry mixture with the melted chocolate until well coated.
- Spoon the mixture onto a parchment or waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with the holiday sprinkles.
- After the party mixture has cooled, break apart and store in airtight freezer bags in the freezer until ready to serve. The mix can be frozen for up to 4 weeks.
Notes
In this recipe, I prefer using Corn Chex not Rice Chex’s, Wheat Chex’s, or Wheat Crispix. Be sure to use salted dry roasted peanuts, not cocktail peanuts and salted pretzels for sure for that sweet & salty taste. Also, be sure to use good quality or premium white chocolate. Don’t use bark wax. Store this mix in the freezer. Believe me, you will thank me for this tip. Keeping it frozen prevents it from getting soggy. Once you take it out of the freezer, it will thaw in just a matter of seconds. Hey, I actually love to eat it straight from the freezer! Try it, you’ll like it that way too!