White Chocolate Popcorn & Pretzel Snack Mix

At the beginning of this month, one of my friends handed out a delicious popcorn, white chocolate, pretzel snack mix and I literally devoured it in about 2 minutes flat!  It was so good and I was so sad I didn't have more (so were my kids and husband).  I asked her how she made it and she listed off the ingredients and directions and I couldn't believe how easy it was!

I made some for my husband on Sunday night to take to work this week and hand out to his coworkers, but I made sure to make some extra for us.  I'm not even kidding when I say that you could throw this together in about 10 minutes.  It's perfect for parties, family get-togethers, neighbor gifts or just a late night snack.

Here's what you'll need:

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First, grab the biggest bowl you have.  (Or four of the biggest bowls you have...)  Pop the popcorn if you didn't buy pre-popped.  (I use this popcorn machine.)  Mix the cereal, pretzels, popcorn and M&Ms all together.  If you're making a really big batch, you can do what my friend did and spread out a clean plastic tablecloth on the counter or table and mix it together that way.

While I'm usually an advocate for measuring, there's no wrong way to put this treat together.  Just keep pouring and mixing until it has the right ratio for you.  I tried to put approximately the same amount of everything in each bowl.

Melt your almond bark in the microwave in a medium bowl, stirring every 30 seconds until it is completely melted and smooth.  (The almond bark I used was divided up into 12 squares and I had 4 bowls so I just melted 3 pieces for each bowl and it worked out great.)

Drizzle it over the top of your popcorn/cereal/pretzel/M&M mix and stir until well coated.  The almond bark cools relatively quickly so just keep stirring until it's cooled and starting to set.  If you want to add some sprinkles to make it a little more festive, do so before the almond bark sets.

Let everything sit for about an hour before you start portioning it out (if you're giving it away) or putting it into a bowl or container.  Your snack mix will be good for about 5 days or so from the time you make it.  After that, the popcorn starts to shrivel up a little and it just doesn't taste quite as fresh.  I mean, if it last the 5 days, then you're obviously crazy, but I won't judge... *wink*

One thing I love about this snack is that it's totally adaptable.  You could make it with chocolate almond bark instead.  Throw in some crushed peppermint pieces or Andes mint pieces instead of the M&Ms.  Use different colored sprinkles for holidays or seasons.  It's just so darn good, you'll be coming up with reasons to make it!

To give you an idea of how much I made, I used an entire 18 oz box of Chex, almost a whole 20 oz bag of pretzels, about 18-20 cups of popcorn and 1 package of M&Ms.  As I was scooping it into bag, I estimated that we probably made close to 40 cups of snack mix and I spent about $10.  Delicious and easy on the wallet!

My little helper wanted a picture with the popcorn

Also, aren't these the cutest popcorn boxes?  The same friend who gave me this recipe owns an awesome Etsy shop where she sells these boxes as well as tons of other cute packaging for holiday treats, parties, etc.  We used these same popcorn boxes when we did our budget friendly toddler Halloween party in October.  They are fun, inexpensive and add the perfect touch.  Go check out her store for all your party supplies and I promise you won't be disappointed.

White Chocolate Popcorn & Pretzel Snack Mix
makes about 40 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 18-oz box Rice Chex cereal
• 1 20-oz bag mini twist pretzels
• 1 pkg almond bark
• 18-20 c. unsalted popcorn (popped at home or from the store, such as Skinny Pop)
• 1 pkg M&Ms, or other small candy pieces
• sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl(s), or a table covered with a plastic tablecloth, pour cereal, pretzels, popcorn and M&Ms until you reach the desired ratio.
2. Melt almond bark in a medium bowl in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.
3. Drizzle almond bark over snack mix and stir together until coated.  If adding sprinkles, do it before the almond bark starts to set.
4. Let sit for about an hour until set before packaging or storing.
5. Store for up to 5 days.