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This sweet, salty, crunchy Cherry Almond Chex Mix only takes 20 minutes and both kids and adults will love it.
*Disclaimer: I was compensated to create this recipe on behalf of Cherry Marketing Institute. All opinions expressed are my own….as usual.
My friend, Karisa, lives in Arizona but used to live 5 minutes away from me :(. Her kids have already started school! Say whaaaa? It’s so interesting that every state starts school at different times of the year, based on the weather. Here in Oregon, we start after Labor Day. That’s how it was for me back home in Canada too, so anything different is a little odd. But then again, I’m not going to school so no biggie.
Are your kids in school yet? What state do you live in? This whole conversation is fascinating to me. Also, are you counting the days until your kids go BACK to school? My daughter most definitely is. “Can I go to school today? PLEEEEEEEASE?” Who’s kid are you? CLEARLY not mine.
And speaking of school, did you take a look at my list of 50 healthy and easy school lunch ideas? Since my daughter is suuuuper picky about her sandwiches, I’ve had to broaden my horizons and create lists that didn’t involve meat on bread. It’s quite the list, lemmetellyou.
In other news, I made some chex mix and it is divine and pretty much right in line with the back to school discussion! It is a semi-healthy semi-addicting kind of mix that everyone will love….at least everyone at my house loved it. The listed recipe makes a big batch and only takes a quick 20 minutes in the oven. Kids and adults will love the sweet, salty, crunchy, tart pieces that all work together in the different parts of this sweet treat. You’re basically gonna love it.
Here’s how to make it:
Start by measuring out your dry ingredients into a large bowl. Super simple items I usually have in my pantry…except for maybe the vanilla chex. But I do tend to have some kind of chex in my cupboards. Either way, get the vanilla chex. They add a little extra sweetness.
For the coating that is going to get baked onto these babies, melt and little butter and stir in a small amount of corn syrup.
Add in some vanilla and almond extract….because YUM.
And some cinnamon.
Stir this mixture together until everything is incorporated.
Drizzle over the top of your cereal and other goodies and give it a good toss to coat everything really well.
Spread it out onto a high sided baking sheet and bake 20 minutes or so. You want that sticky coating to harden.
Stir the mix, breaking apart any pieces that may have gotten stuck together and sprinkle over some dried tart cherries. This is Cherry Almond Chex Mix after all.
Last step to do is drizzle over some melted white chocolate. Not a necessary step, but if chocolate is involved, why wouldn’t you want to drizzle it? #dreamy
Once the chocolate dries, you can break it apart and snack away! This mix didn’t last 48 hours at my house because little hands kept finding their way back into the bowl. Rascals!
It’s a great thing to have on hand for back to school season which is upon us REAL soon.
Try it today 🙂 It’s sweet, crunchy, salty and addicting! Mmm…
Cherry Almond Chex Mix
Ingredients
- 6 cups vanilla chex cereal
- 1 cup plain cheerios
- 1 1/2 cup pretzels
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2/3 cup dried tart cherries
- 2 oz white chocolate melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In large bowl, stir chex, cheerios, pretzels and almonds together to incorporate.
- In a separate smaller bowl, melt butter, then stir in corn syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and almond extract. Drizzle butter mixture over the mixture of cereals and toss to coat evenly. Spread over prepared baking sheet in one even layer and bake 20 minutes, stirring once half way though. Remove from oven and break apart any pieces that may have stuck together. Cool completely.
- Sprinkle tart cherries over mix and drizzle with white chocolate let chocolate set until hardened, then break apart and store in air tight container for up to 2 weeks.
I made this for work, absolutely amazing! A new favorite for sure. I did make a change, I couldn’t find the Vanilla Chex mix so I used Honey Nut Chex, it worked! Thank you for a new go to for work, family and parties.
Great recipe! Other flavors that could be used: dried blueberries, Craisins, chocolate covered raisins, dried diced apple or any other dried fruit that is appealing. Nut choices: pecan or walnut pieces, macadamia, sunflower kernels, pepitas, etc. White or dark chocolate chips, seasonal M&M’s, Reeses pieces, butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips, etc. Could have a lot of fun with this! Package in quart or pint mason jars, add seasonal fabric to lids & tie with raffia, satin ribbon, yarn, curly ribbon, etc. These would make nice Xmas gifts for co-workers, friends or when you can’t think of something for a gift for a man.
I can’t believe some kids are already in school! I grew up in Canada, and we never went back until the 2nd week of September!
Either way, this snack mix will be making it’s way to my face ASAP. Love those cherries! Pinned!