Cupid Crunch a sweet and salty Valentine's Day treat with pretzels, cereal, freeze-dried strawberries, and a drizzle of white chocolate.
Easy Valentine's Day Recipe
Cupid Crunch is a simple, no bake Valentine's Day treat.
This sweet and salty snack mix, coated in pink white chocolate, is a delightful sharable treat that's a perfect Valentine treat for kids and adults.
The inspiration for this Valentine's Day chex snack mix recipe comes from a family favorite we call "White Trash," a mix of white chocolate-covered cereal, pretzels, nuts, and whatever snacks we have on hand. It's a playful way to repurpose leftover cereals, snacks, and candies.
To give this classic a Valentine's twist, I colored the chocolate pink and added a touch of sweet tart strawberry flavor to ensure it meets Cupid's approval.
Looking for more Valentine's Day recipes that say "Be Mine"? Impress your special someone with my Fettucini Alfredo with Steak or whip up my Easy Heart Shaped Cake for a festive and delicious dessert that's easy to decorate special for your sweetie.
Ingredients
I like using up the ends of boxes of cereal and such in this recipe.
- Rice Chex - or any similar cereal such as Wheat Chex, Crispix, Corn Chex
- Cheerios - I used the Chocolate Strawberry Cheerios for a festive approach but original Cheerios work just fine or use all Chex cereal, if you prefer
- Pretzels - mini twists or sticks bring a salty balance to the snack mix
- Salted Peanuts - or any nuts you have on hand such as mixed nuts, walnuts, pecans, etc
- Freeze Dried Strawberries - brings a tart, fruity crunch to the mix
- White Chocolate Chips - white almond bark would also work
- Red Food Coloring - a few drops to make the mix a perfect Valentine's Day pink
- Valentines' Day Sprinkles - use any red, pink, or Valentine's shaped sprinkles for more holiday themed fun
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Combine the cereals, pretzels, nuts, and freeze-dried strawberries and toss together gently in a very large mixing bowl.
Melt the white chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl in a microwave by microwaving in 30-second increments. Stir vigorously after each 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn the white chocolate.
When white chocolate is melted, drop 3-4 drops of red food coloring in and stir well to combine. Working quickly, pour the pink chocolate into the cereal mixture and carefully stir well to coat everything completely.
Spread the mixture onto wax paper and sprinkle with holiday sprinkles.
Allow the chocolate to dry before breaking into chunks. Store in an airtight container.
Hint: Use any mix of cereals you want. Just ensure you have 9 cups of cereal so your proportion of chocolate to cereal is just right.
Substitutions
- Cereals - use any cereal mixture you like.
- Chocolate - use semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips if you prefer. Of course, there will be no need to add food coloring as it will be brown.
- Nuts - Any mixture of nuts can be tasty. Peanuts are my favorite nuts here but mixed nuts are delicious, too.
- Dried Fruits - Freeze-dried fruits are fun to use, but any dried fruit can work that you like. I enjoy dried cranberries in this.
- Gluten-Free Snack Mix - rice, corn, and oat cereals are typically gluten-free so this recipe easily accommodates.
- Candies - Add red and green candies to make this recipe fit any holiday
Variations
- Mummy Munch - create a Halloween Snack Mix by coloring the white chocolate orange or purple and add Halloween M&Ms or Reece's pieces and Halloween sprinkles
- Bunny Crunch - create an Easter Snack Mix with orange or yellow food coloring, pastel Easter M&Ms, and spring themed sprinkles
- Leprechaun Snack Mix - green or yellow colored chocolate and M&Ms in shades of green and yellow
- Game Day Snack Mix - snack mix in your team colors is a fun addition to the snack table or goodie bags for the team
- Reindeer Food or Elf Crunch - Festive red and green candies and chocolate along with festive sprinkles make the perfect Christmas snack mix to share with kids and adults.
Storage
This no bake snack mix recipe makes a big batch but it stores well for several weeks in an airtight container or zip top bag.
Top Tip: How to Serve Cupid Crunch Snack Mix
Serve Cupid Crunch in colorful goodie bags, holiday tins, or small jars with a holiday-themed fabric top or ribbons to make this snack mix a special Valentine's Day gift.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Cupid Crunch:
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Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Cupid Crunch
Ingredients
Method
- Combine the cereals, pretzels, nuts, and freeze-dried strawberries and toss together gently in a very large mixing bowl.6 cups Rice Chex, 3 cups Cheerios, 2 cups Pretzels, 2 cups Salted Peanuts, 1 cup Freeze Dried Strawberries
- Melt the white chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl in a microwave by microwaving in 30-second increments. Stir vigorously after each 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn the white chocolate.22-24 ounces White Chocolate Chips
- When white chocolate is melted, drop 3-4 drops of red food coloring in and stir well to combine. Working quickly, pour the pink chocolate into the cereal mixture and carefully stir well to coat everything completely.3-4 drops Liquid Red Food Coloring
- Spread the mixture onto wax paper and sprinkle with holiday sprinkles.2 Tablespoons Valentine's' Day Sprinkles
- Allow the chocolate to dry before breaking into chunks. Store in an airtight container.
Chuckie says
Love this valentines version of white trash snack mix!
Marissa says
This mix is the perfect combo of sweet and salty! I never would have thought to add the strawberries to a mix like this, but they really add a little extra something special to it!
Chuckie says
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 I agree, the strawberries are a sweet suprise!
Terry T says
Delicious and you get your daily fruit with strawberries!!!! 😀
Shelly Bottorff says
This recipe is a hit with everyone that's tried it! So easy and soooo good! I sometimes double the amount of freeze dried strawberries...which makes it even better!
Chuckie says
Nice!!!! Can you ever have too many strawberries? Thanks for your support and review!