This harvest hash chex mix is the PERFECT combination of sweet, salty and crunchy. I was a little nervous about the Bugles – I wasn’t sure how they’d fit in with the sweetness, but they taste amazing! My 6 year old has been picking out handfuls of the Bugles saying they’re the best part. She says next time I can leave out the Chex cereal. Ha! I actually think the Chex might be my favourite part though? Along with the Reese’s Pieces… really, the whole combination just works really well together.
It’s so perfect for this time of year – a little bit like comfort food. I’m FREEZING right now. I’m sitting in my office chair with my fluffy fleece housecoat on. It’s cold and it’s raining, but I’m munching on this delicious chex mix, and it’s making me so excited for fall weather! Leaves crunching under your feet. The gorgeous fall colours on the trees. Turtle necks! (I might be a little crazy on that one, but I LOVE when it gets cold enough that I can start wearing turtlenecks again! So cozy.). What can I say? I love this time of year!
I was inspired by the recipe over at The House of Hendrix – except she combined all the ingredients as a sort of trail mix without a sauce. I thought this was just calling out for some kind of sweet and buttery flavouring – a sweet Chex mix, rather than a savory one. And then baking the mixture added to the amazing crunch of the whole thing.
And surprisingly, baking it made the whole house smell delicious!
Check out our video for how to make Harvest Hash Chex Mix:
Check out our other Halloween treat recipes for even more inspiration:
Scarecrow Crunch Halloween Snack Mix
Halloween Harvest Hash Chex Mix
The full printable recipe is at the end of this post, but here’s what you’ll need:
If you find candy corn too sweet, feel free to leave it out. It tastes AMAZING with just the cereal, pretzels, bugles and Reese’s pieces. But of course, that’s not very much fun for Halloween!
Oh my word. That sauce. A mixture of brown sugar, butter and vanilla extract – it tasted amazing!
I tossed the Chex cereal, the Bugles and the pretzels with the sauce, and baked them as you’d bake regular Chex mix. It’s a big recipe. I had two cookie sheets full like in the photo below.
I’m not the biggest candy corn fan – it’s just soooooo sweet. But it made the Chex mix so pretty! Look at the gorgeous fall colours in there!!
Besides, my candy loving 4 year old ate up all the candy corn pieces from the mix. Funny how between the five of us, everyone had a different favourite.
Be prepared, this makes a big batch. It’s great for a party, or giving away in little treat bags! Or you can store it in an air tight container and you’ll have a yummy snack ready for you all week long.
Halloween Harvest Hash Chex Mix
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 3/4 cup Butter melted
- 3/4 cup Brown sugar packed
- 2 Tablespoons Vanilla extract
For the Mix:
- 1 box Rice Chex [365g 12 oz]
- 1 bag Bugles [213g 7 oz bag]
- 4 cups Pretzel twists
- 1 heaping cup Candy Corn
- 1 heaping cup Candy Corn Pumpkins
- 1 bag Reese's Pieces [230g 8oz]
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275°F.
- Melt the butter in the microwave in medium bowl or measuring cup.
- Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract and whisk well until combined and dissolved.
- In a VERY large bowl, add the Chex cereal, pretzels and Bugles.
- Pour the sauce over the cereal mixture and toss gently until evenly coated.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide mixture on the two baking sheets and spread in even layers.
- Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool. Then add it to a large bowl, along with the candy corn, pumpkins and Reese's Pieces. Toss to combine.
- Store in airtight container.
Notes
This Halloween harvest hash Chex mix is the PERFECT combination of sweet and salty. It tastes sooooooooo good!! And the colours are so beautiful for fall!
So many of you had the awesome idea of putting a cup of snack mix in a little baggy and tying it with an orange ribbon and I LOVE that idea! I made a similar recipe using caramel corn to make Scarecrow Crunch Snack Mix and here’s the little bag I made. These would be soooo cute to pass out as party favours at Halloween parties!
If you’re looking for more reasonably healthy fall snack ideas, check out our Apple and Caramel Fall Treats. These are so simple, but so pretty and they make a great alternative to candy at this time of year!
Want to make it with caramel corn instead? Check out our video for how to make Scarecrow Crunch Halloween Snack Mix and grab the easy recipe here:
Is 2 Tablespoons of vanilla correct ? Seems like a lot
The vanilla gives this the best flavor! I doubled the coating and thought it would be to much but it was perfect!
I thought the same thing!! I just mixed it up and it’s baking right now…and I’m getting an overwhelming bitter vanilla scent. I hope once it’s baked that bitterness goes away! I made this once before when I was out of vanilla, and cooked the mixture on the stove until it got kind of thick and bubbly, and it was DIVINE!!
I am going to make this for a fall craft show. I intend to use my Seal and Save and Dry Can it into quart and pint big mouth mason jars. Love it
Our grocery stores always have bugles so that wasn’t a problem, but I went to four different kinds of stores for the Reese’s pieces a d never found any. I did, however, find peanut butter M & M’s so they should be fine in this. I will be making it tomorrow. I wondered about freezing it. I make a similar mix minus the candy and it freezes beautifully.
Hello I am making this for my toddlers preschool Halloween party and just had 2 questions. Does the sauce remain sticky after baking and does it turn it a little chewy or keep the crunch? And those look like cheddar bugles but the recipe just says bugles..did you use plain or flavored? I feel like cheddar would be good except for the sweet sauce on them. Either way I adore this recipe and it looks gorgeous! Thank you!
Hi Kayla – I just used regular Bugles, not cheddar. And after the mix cooks, it stays crunchy. It’s been awhile since I’ve made it but I don’t remember it going chewy at all. We kept it in a air tight container for at least a week and it was great!
Thank you Debbie! I didn’t see your reply until now. Can’t wait to make it, it looks beautiful and tasty 😊
HELLO! I need to make this for a large party of about 100. This doesnt say serving size amount or how many serving it makes! Can anyone help me out!??
Hi Brooklyn – I haven’t made it for a large group of people myself, but another reader was kind enough to email me to tell me she made 3 batches of the recipe and ended up with 90 1 cup bags. Seems pretty reasonable to me, and should hopefully give you an idea of what to expect?
Made this today for a Halloween party I am going to. Followed the recipe…it turned out great!
I had to buy a new dishpan to mix it up in…my ginormous Tupperware bowl just wasn’t big enough lol.
This recipe is now a permanent part of my specialty recipes!!!!
I wish I could add a photo it turned out wonderful! I might add a little more stuff to make extra glaze, not quite double it. It smells and tastes wonderful! I added mini marshmallows to it as well to give it an extra flair for the preschool party I am taking it to tomorrow. I put them in individual Halloween snack bags and made just under 30 1cup bags. It should be a hit!
This was DELICIOUS!!! I knew that glaze was going to be awesome so I went ahead and doubled it. Lol. Added some salted peanuts because my family loves them, they all LOVED this recipe!!!
Very yummy! The kind of thing you could mindlessly eat handfuls of, haha. I doubled the sauce recipe and did half butter, half peanut butter. I also had a problem with burning… however I am not sure if it could be due to the colour of the baking sheets used?? My light coloured pan was fine, but the dark coloured pan burned badly after just minutes in the oven at 275.
Can you package this (airtight packaging) and mail it, or is it not a good idea because of the butter in it? It takes 1-2 days to reach its destination. I would like to send it to my daughter and son-in-law and grandkids. I have made it for them there, and they and my husband (and I) love it! I’m just going to make half a recipe. Thanks for your recipe!