Football Snack Mix

I’m going to say this from the very beginning… It’s possible that this football snack mix would taste somewhat ok if you used different team’s colors. But we don’t recommend trying it. It tastes best if they are green and gold.

Start by melting 6 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons of light corn syrup and 3/4 cup of brown sugar in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between. In my microwave, it takes about a minute and a half to become a smooth caramel sauce. (I use my Pyrex measuring cup, because it’s the easiest thing to pour out of later, but you can use any microwave safe dish.)

When it’s smooth, pour it over about 8 cups of Crispex in a microwaveable bowl and mix it well. Then put the entire mixture into the microwave for an additional 30 seconds. After, mix it again. (I have made it skipping this step, because I discovered not everyone has a microwaveable bowl that size – but it really does help get everything coated, so do it if you can).

Next, spread the coated Crispex out on a pan lined with parchment paper and let it cool.

While it is cooling, measure out your toppings. For this one, I used 1 cup mini peanut butter cups, 1/2 cup of broken pretzel sticks, 1/2 cup bite sized caramel pieces, and as many green and gold M&Ms as were in a medium sized bag.

[This part is definitely not an exact science. Since we recently learned my little one has a peanut allergy, the peanut butter cups are out in our house. Instead, I’ve cut Rolos in half and used them to get a similar chocolate and texture. You can swap as you see fit (or to accommodate what is in your pantry), but I recommend keeping something salty in the mix to offset the sweet.]

Spread all of your toppings EXCEPT THE M&Ms over the top of the Crispix evenly.

Finally, you want to melt a little more than 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips in the microwave, and drizzle the chocolate evenly over the mix. While the chocolate is still warm, add the M&Ms over the top. Then, melt the same amount of white chocolate chips, and drizzle evenly over the entire mixture.

Finally, put the pan in the fridge or freezer and allow the chocolate to set. Once it has hardened, fold the parchment paper gently from one side, breaking the mix into pieces.

Then it’s time for football! Go Pack Go!