Valentine’s Day White Chocolate Chex Mix
Sweet, salty and perfect for sharing, Valentine’s Day White Chocolate Chex Mix is festive and simple to put together. Calling for just seven easy to find ingredients, this sweet chex mix recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes. Makes 12 servings.
If you’ve got kids and want to make something special for Valentine’s Day but don’t want to turn on the oven, have I got the recipe for you.
If you are in the market for an easy win Valentine’s Day snack or dessert recipe, this recipe is for you, too.
Not only is this sweet Chex Mix recipe excellent to share, but it’s also very easy to make for any type of holiday gathering, too. (It’s similar to Bunny Bait Easter Snack Mix, Christmas Chex Mix and St. Patrick’s Day Snack Mix recipes!)
I’ve seen variations of this recipe, which essentially is a sweet snack mix, referred to as Cupid Crunch.
Before we dive in, though, let’s be clear: This is not a recipe for puppy chow, which involves Chex cereal with peanut butter, melted chocolate and tossed in powdered sugar.
Why I love this recipe:
I’m a big sweet-salty food fan, so this Valentine’s Day Sweet and Salty Chex Mix recipe is right up my alley. It’s perfect for snacking, as well as gifting. All you’ve got to do is fill it in a festive (or not-so-festive) bag and share!
It combines two well-loved cereals with salted peanuts, pretzels, chocolate-coated candies, sprinkles AND white chocolate. I mean… what’s not to love?
You can also customize it to your tastebuds, and I talk about that at length below.
Other easy festive treats to make and share for Valentine’s Day: M&M’s Red Velvet Brownie Pops | Valentine’s Day Dessert Board | Dessert Nachos | M&M Sugar Cookies | Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels | Valentine’s Day Pink Oreos | Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Need Valentine’s food inspiration? Check out my Valentine’s Day Recipe Index for more ideas.
What you need to make this sweet snack mix recipe:
The Speckled Palate participates in affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Please refer to my disclosure page for more information about these affiliate programs.
- Large mixing bowl
- Sheet pan (with a rim so the ingredients don’t spill out!)
- Rubber spatula
In addition to those tools, you’re also going to need some ingredients:
- Chex Cereal—you can use rice, corn or any combination of the two. I used the Rice Chex in these photos.
- Cheerios—I grabbed the Limited Edition with Happy Heart Shapes because they felt appropriate for Valentine’s Day. You can also use Honey Nut Cheerios if those are more your jam.
- Mini pretzel twists
- Salted roasted peanuts
- Valentine’s Day M&M’s (or other colorful chocolate-coated candies)
- White chocolate melting chips—I like these better than white chocolate chips because they melt more easily. These Ghirardelli White Melting Wafers are my favorite.
- Valentine’s Day sprinkles
- Red velvet shortbread cookies—or another festive shortbread or heart-shaped cookie of your choosing
Substitutions for this Sweet Chex Mix recipe:
Because you can definitely make ‘em, here are a few thoughts on what swaps would still yield an awesome result.
- Chex: You can use a combination of Rice and Corn Chex or all of one variety. (I used all Rice Chex here.)
- Cheerios: You can substitute regular Cheerios for the Honey Nut variety in this recipe.
- Pretzels: You may use pretzel twists, as shown here, or rods!
- Sprinkles: Use your favorite! While this is a Valentine’s Day-themed Chex Mix recipe, you can change up the colors of the sprinkles and candies and make it for any holiday… or just because!
- Cookies: These add a little extra sweetness to our snack mix. Are they necessary? No. Are they cute? Yes. If you can find heart-shaped cookies that you love that aren’t red velvet, you can use those, too.
How to make Valentine’s Day Chex Mix
Gather your products and tools. This means finding an extra large mixing bowl, as well as getting out the boxes and bags of ingredients. I like to mix mine together on a large, rimmed baking sheet, so make sure you have one of those, too.
Mix the ingredients together. Do this in an extra large bowl because there is a lot of chex cereal, cheerios, pretzel twists, roasted peanuts and M&M’s to stir together.
Pour onto a rimmed baking sheet.
Melt the white chocolate chips. Do this in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat them on high power for 60 seconds. Give them a stir to help them finish melting and smooth out the chocolate.
Pro tip: White chocolate burns easily, so keep an eye on it. If any large chunks of white chocolate are remaining after you’ve melted for 60 seconds and stirred thoroughly, melt for another 15-second increment and stir until it’s smooth.
Drizzle on the white chocolate to the cereal mixture.
Sprinkle the holiday sprinkles onto the white chocolate. This will ensure they don’t fall off!
Stir to combine. Use a spoon, rubber spatula or clean hands to mix and toss the mixture to evenly distribute the white chocolate. Work quickly so that you can coat everything before the chocolate sets. Keep in mind that the white chocolate will be hot, so if you’re using your hands, proceed with caution.
Let it sit. This snack mix needs to hang out for at least 15 minutes so the chocolate can finish setting and cool completely. Trust me.
Break it up. If there are any large chunks, break them apart using your hands.
Add the cookies. We sprinkled them intermittently into our mix and stirred very gently to combine.
Serve! And enjoy!
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
This Valentine’s Chex Mix would be an excellent snack item to serve at any gathering the Valentine’s season. (Hello, Valentine’s Day parties at school or your home!)
You don’t really need an occasion to make this goodness, though.
Here are some things you can do if you want to serve these to a crowd:
- Make the snack mix in advance. The beauty in this is it can be stored for up to four days at room temperature, so you can make it a day or two in advance, then set it out for guests without needing to sweat.
- Involve your kids. My girls LOVED helping out with this recipe, and I bet yours will, too! Measuring, mixing, combining, decorating and serving are all fun activities for them. Prepare to get a little messy, and have fun with it!
- Serve it in a big bowl… or package it up individually for guests! You could put it in a small bakery box or even an individual to-go baggies.
- Swap out colors for different festivities. Wouldn’t this salty and sweet Chex Mix recipe be fun with rainbow colors to celebrate a birthday?
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. I’ve included them in the recipe card below because there are a lot of substitutions you can make.
No. This snack mix recipe does not need to be refrigerated.
Make sure to spread yours out on a baking sheet (or between two if you don’t have a large sheet) to ensure the surface area for them to cool and crisp up. If they’re left in a bowl, they could become soggy just because the white chocolate can’t firm up.
The best tricks and tips for homemade snack mix
- Want those sprinkles to stick? Evenly sprinkle on the sprinkles as soon as you are done drizzling on the white chocolate. This will ensure that the sprinkles stick to the chocolate. Otherwise, the white chocolate will start to set, and the sprinkles will fall off.
- How to mix in the melted chocolate. The easiest way to mix the melted white chocolate into the mixture is on a large tray or baking sheet. You quickly and evenly distribute the melted chocolate before it starts to set.
- Make it with kids. This is a super kid-friendly recipe, from the measuring and stirring to the actual melting of the white chocolate. Keep an eye on your kid(s) as they do this and give them age-appropriate tasks!
- How to store: Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
Valentine’s Day White Chocolate Chex Mix
Ingredients
- 6 cups Chex Cereal
- 3 cups Cheerios
- 2 cups mini pretzel twists
- 1 cup salted roasted peanuts
- 10 oz. Valentine’s Day M&M’s
- 20 oz. white chocolate melting chips
- 4 tablespoons Valentine’s Day sprinkles
- 7 oz. red velvet shortbread cookies
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
- Toss together the chex cereal, cheerios, pretzel twists, peanuts and Valentine’s Day M&M’s in an extra large mixing bowl.
- Pour the mix onto a large rimmed baking sheet.
- Melt the white chocolate melting chips. Place the chips in a microwave safe-bowl and heat on high power for 60 seconds. Stir well to finish melting and smoothing out the chocolate. (If any large chunks remain, melt for another 15 seconds and stir, stir, stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Keep an eye on it because white chocolate burns easily.)
- Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the cereal mixture immediately.
- Sprinkle the sprinkles on top of the white chocolate to ensure they stick properly.
- Use a spoon, rubber spatula or clean hands to mix and toss the mixture to evenly distribute the white chocolate before it sets. Work quickly because the chocolate sets up faster than you might imagine.
- Let the mixture rest for 15-30 minutes so that the white chocolate can finish cooling and setting.
- Use your hands to break up any large chunks of the mixture.
- Add the cookies into the mixture, placing them sporadically throughout. You can stir gently to combine, but keep in mind that the cookies can and will crumble if you're too rough with them.
- Transfer to a large serving bowl, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
•Chex Mix: You can use a combination of rice and corn or all one variety. These photos show all Rice Chex.
•Cheerios: You can substitute regular Cheerios for the Honey Nut variety in this recipe.
•Pretzels: You may use pretzel twists, as shown here, or rods!
•Cookies: These add a little extra sweetness to our snack mix. Are they necessary? No. Are they cute? Yes. If you can find heart-shaped cookies that you love that aren’t red velvet, you can use those, too. Other tips and tricks:
●Evenly sprinkle on the sprinkles the moment you are done drizzling on the white chocolate so that it sticks to the chocolate. Otherwise, the chocolate will start to set and the sprinkles will fall off.
●The easiest way to mix the melted white chocolate into the mixture is on a large tray or baking sheet. You quickly and evenly distribute the melted chocolate before it starts to set.
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
Easy, fun, definitely make the red velvet shortbread!
Such a fun mix, love, love, love! Making this for neighbor goodies and definitely making those red velvet cookies!
SO glad you enjoyed this mix! I hope your neighbors and friends enjoyed this yesterday 🙂