Halloween Spiced Chex Mix With Candy Corn

This Halloween Spiced Chex Mix With Candy Corn is made with corn Chex cereal, pretzels, bugles, pecans, candy corn, Reese's Pieces and drizzled with a brown sugar spiced glaze! It's the perfect sweet crunchy snack for this harvest season! Plus, it's made in the microwave so it's easy, perfect for kids and quick to whip up!

I'm a sucker for a good snack mix. Especially at parties. No matter if it's a salty trail mix or a sweet Chex mix, they are great for munching on while waiting for food like this caramel corn recipe I have.

And as a host, I can't help but appreciate how portable snack mixes are and best of all, they don't require reheating or refrigeration! Score!

For this Halloween inspired Chex mix, I chose to add sweet and salty flavors. They, in my opinion, make for the best snacks and are so addicting.

You get salt from the pretzels and bugles and you get sweet from the brown sugar glaze and of course, the candy corn and chocolate! The fall colors are beautiful too.

Don't forget to check out my Pumpkin Shaped Cheese Ball and my other sweet party snacks!

The Pumpkin Spiced Glaze

To make this super festive and ideal for Halloween AND autumn, I added pumpkin pie spice to my glaze. This is completely optional but I think, it's a must if you are serving this mix in the fall.

The glaze is made without corn syrup too which is a win in my eyes because I despise the stuff.

The pumpkin pie spice add a ton of flavor without adding calories or fat. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you can simply use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Here is a recipe to make your own.

How To Microwave Your Mix

I love that I don't need to turn on my oven to make this trail mix. All you need is a LARGE microwave proof bowl and 5 minutes.

The idea is to mix together the dry ingredients first. Then, mix together your brown sugar spiced glaze and drizzle it all over your salty snacks. Kids can help make this it's that easy.

Gently toss everything together and microwave on high until the sugar melts and forms a crust when cooled.

It's important to add your Reese's Pieces LAST and when the Chex mix is fully cooled. If you don't the residual heat will melt your Reese's Pieces and it will look messy. If you don't mind that, then add them in whenever you want!

If you're looking for another fun kids recipe, try making a DIY Halloween Milkshake Bar!

Halloween Inspired Mix-Ins

I used candy corn and Reese's Pieces in this recipe because in my opinion, they scream Halloween and are easy to find.

So if you're having a Halloween party, stick with just orange and black (dark brown) candies and nix the yellow. You can also add ghost or witches hat candies.

If you want to make it more Thanksgiving friendly, add in yellow and some cornucopia candies.

Reese's Pieces are peanut butter flavored so if you don't want that flavor in your mix, then I suggest using fall colored M&M's instead so you have a chocolate flavor! OR you can leave them out entirely.

The candy corn is a must (even if you despise the stuff). Personally I am not a huge fan but if you are serving it at a party or potluck, it adds a festive flair that will let guests know that the mix is sweet at first glance. Plus, kids love picking them out!

If you want to kick it up a notch on the festive scale, add those Halloween candy pumpkins too! I personally think they are too clunky but again, it is all about presentation so maybe a few here and there won't hurt.

Substitutions

This is your party mix so feel free to add in whatever you like! Here are some other suggestions if you want to add other ingredients to your mix:

• Mix up your flavored Chex cereals- They have cinnamon, wheat, honey and chocolate Chex.
• Add in different types/shapes of pretzels- They have waffle pretzels, sticks, balls, twists, etc.
• Add nuts for added crunch- Peanuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts and pecans would be delicious,
• Add dried fruit- Craisins, raisins, and cherries are fun and festive.
• Chocolate - Add white, dark or peanut butter chocolate chips.

✔ Expert Tips

1. Don't use a spoon to mix! Trust me. It will smash all your Chex cereal together (which is very delicate) and look sloppy. Instead, use your HANDS initially! They are the best tools and you can be gentle.
2. Watch your mix! Don't forget about it in the microwave. It WILL burn so heat in intervals to make sure!
3. Pick out the broken pieces. This is a great task for the little ones but is completely optional. Again, it is purely for aesthetics.
4. Package it in bags! When fully cooled, add to a plastic bag and package it for treat bags or gifts!
5. Use nonstick paper - Parchment paper, wax paper or a silicone mat so your mix doesn't stick.

Just remember that Chex mixes are totally flexible! If you don't want your mix super sweet, you can always use less sugar. The most important thing is that you have fun and enjoy the party!

FAQ's

Other Halloween snacks you might like:

Easy Halloween Phyllo Ghosts

Spooky Chocolate Pretzel Spiders (No Bake)

Easy Halloween Phyllo Ghosts

Easy Pumpkin Pie Crust Rolls