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Looking for a last minute treat?

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This one is super easy and you can make it in a snap. It was really easy for me because a friend made and gave me some today. Now, it won’t win any beauty contests, but it will definitely win you some new friends. It’s deceptively delicious. Below is her recipe, amended from another friend’s recipe. But that’s what’s so great about it. Totally customizable. Feel free to change it up and add or substitute ingredients. Get creative and use whatever you want in your mix – Cheerios, Reese’s Pieces, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips etc. We all call this Christmas Crack because it is highly addictive. But for a more family friendly name, how about…

Christmas Crunch

Christmas Crunch

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 24 oz. pkg. white bark coating (we use Kroger candy coating)
  • 1 box of corn or rice chex
  • 1 large bag of mini pretzels
  • 1 large jar of salted dry roasted peanuts
  • 2 - 12oz. package of plain M&Ms (you can use holiday varieties at any time of year to make it holiday themed - Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc.)
  • You can really use any size packages you want. It depends on how much of each you want in your mix. Just have fun!

Instructions

  1. Cover a fairly large area of your counter space with wax paper and tape down.
  2. In a very large bowl, combine the chex, pretzels, peanuts and M&Ms. You might have to work in smaller batches if you can't fit everything in one very large bowl with room to mix. Dump the peanuts and M&Ms in last so they don't all sink to the bottom.
  3. In a smaller bowl, melt your bark coating in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth, stirring in between. Don't let it go for too long at once or it will scald and you will have to toss it out and start over.
  4. When the bark coating is melted, gently pour into the larger bowl and toss with the dry ingredients. You can adjust the amount of coating you use based on your preference. I usually stir a little bit in, toss, stir some more in, toss again, etc. to make sure everything gets a little bark coating on it so it will stick together.
  5. Working quickly, dump the mixture out on your wax paper and spread out in a thin layer to dry. Once it's dry, break it apart into pieces and store in an airtight container or divide into decorative cello bags to give away.
  6. Note: If you half your mix ingredients and bark coating, it will be a little easier to work with in two batches. Otherwise you will need a really large bowl and workspace to spread out on the counter.
Enjoy!

Here’s another easy treat that’s just as addictive.

Reindeer Chow

Reindeer Chow. Make some. You’ll be glad you did.

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88 comments on “Looking for a last minute treat?”

  1. I have tried it and it was good

  2. I just made this recipe and would have bought another 12 oz bag of white chocolate just to be safe since there wasn’t really enough to coat all of my mix. Hopefully when it’s dry it will stick together. I have a HUGE halloween candy bowl that made this easy to make in one batch. Thanks for the recipe!

  3. In Buffalo, NY Christmas Crunch is known as “White Trash”.

  4. I like to add in a cup of peanut butter to the almond bark. This stuff is addicting, as my holiday weight gain will attest to….LOL!

  5. We call it ” White Trash”… I like the name “Christmas Crunch” much better. we altered the recipe with adding a box of “Honey Comb” cereal and leaving out the nuts. Corn and rice chex,honey comb cerea,pretzels white chocolate.This version was much loved by family, friends and co-workers. Where it was requested that we make several more batches and for a Christmas Break roadtrip.

  6. i love to bake!

  7. We call it Reindeer Crack….corn and rice chex, cheerios, m&ms, peanuts, pretzels, white chocolate. Make it around all the holidays, just change the color of the m&ms to suit the day. I like the idea of using Reese’s pieces and one with craisins…yum.

  8. here ya go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  9. Hi!
    im so inspired by you,now im trying persistently baking and baking to upgrade my skill,heheh..btw,i never have a very red RVC..its always a bit of a brown-ish..can u help me with that?
    thanks

  10. br barbie

  11. I am wondering if there is something that I can use other than white bark coating mix?In the area that I live we can’t get the white bark coating mix.The recipe sounds so yummy though!

  12. I just found your site today and I am so unbelievably addicted now. Not only are your photos beautiful and your recipes inspiring, but your posts are hilarious. Gonna be passing you around! ;)

    I’ve had this at several birthday parties lately, so I had to try making it. I added peanut butter and used mini marshmallows instead of m&m’s. So good!

  13. We’ve always called Reindeer Chow “gravel”, growing up. I know the name does not make it sound that appealing, but my brother always though it resembled a bunch of rocks. Brothers, go figure. I love your website!!

  14. i also make this at christmas time but i dont make it with chocolate as my niece cant have it i make it with
    one box of chex
    about 3 cups of melted peanutbutter
    a cup of melted butter
    and 3 cups of icying sugar

  15. my 4 year old calls this “cereal candy.” we made a gluten free version with rice chex, m&ms, peanuts and reese’s puffs cereal. we might try it with gluten free pretzels.

  16. My mom and I make a version of this at holidays but I have always covered Chex and never pretzels, I have to switch it up next time. Thanks! Oh and we call it Muddy Buddy :P

  17. we make a similar christmas crunch –

    *1 cup chopped pecans {nice, softer nut than peanuts}
    *1 cup apple jacks
    *1 cup golden grahams
    *1 cup pretzels {i like the look of the square ones}
    *1 bag white choc. melts

  18. As kids we used to make something similar to this, but our version was plain popped popcorn, Rice Krispies, and salted peanuts all covered in the white almond bark. The cereal added just that tiny little “crackle” in there that was so perfect! I can’t wait to try this version!!

  19. Take caramels and cut them into fourths and add them into the mix before you coat…SO YUMMY!

  20. Did you happen to notice the ‘mckmama’ of mycharmingkids.net totally ripped off your cake balls then tried to pass them off as her own? Like they are her creation or something? She does give a link to your site, but then says that she adapted the recipe to make it her own which is a total lie she just steals yours. I hope you do not acknowledge her or her sad attempts to try and get into the baking blogging market just to get more hits on her blog. Its all so sad… hers look gross and she is just pathetic!

  21. I have also been making this for at least 10 years now. I just call it snack mix…EVERYBODY loves it and it is sooooo easy to make and take to a party as well. I use the small pretzel sticks and break them in half, they are easier to shovel in your mouth that way!

  22. We call i Whrite Trash and don’t use M&Ms but do use the Brach’s Caramel bits(found in the chocolate chip area) instead. SOOOOO YUMMY!

  23. Just bought all the ingredients today! Making it tonight! Have to eat it before the diet starts on l/l/10!

  24. Oh my…this is one of those treats that once you make, in about an hour it’s gone.
    But i gota say its worth it :)

  25. Dear Sugarella,
    I LOVE it when you post easy things. It makes my day… I need easy!
    Love,
    Big Easy in NE

  26. My aunt calls the first one Christmas Crack- and while it’s fitting, I think the puppy chow is much more crack-like!

  27. I just made a batch of the Christmas Crunch, but I’m calling it Bakerella Bark :) I subbed cashews for the peanuts, and tiny m&m’s from a tub, and added some craisins. It’s really yummy! Thank you for a great idea. It will make a nice addition to the cookie trays I’m handing out tomorrow.

  28. I first met this called White Chocolate Party Mix…made a few changes…some that you’ve adopted as well…the peanut butter candy pieces make a big difference! It’s a Christmas staple here, and we call it White Christmas Crunch! It’s addictive enough to be called crack…but I work at an elementary school….nuff said?? Merry Christmas!!

  29. I love that you call it Christmas Crack! I have a hairdresser friend who has this amazing product called Dust It, she calls it “crack in a bottle.” It all just makes me giggle! But I do agree, Christmas Crunch, Crack, Reindeer Droppings…whatever you want to call it, is soooo yummy and very addictive. Merry Christmas!

  30. This is awesome! I made some tonight. As it was cooling I drizzled a little chocolate almond bark on top just because everything is better with a little chocolate.

  31. Christmas Crunch???? we have made it for years but my daughter renamed it after the first time I made it……….we call it reindeer poop!!!!…..always memorable!!!……we make it at Easter with the pastel M & M’s and it’s bunny poop….ha, ha…..everyone always loves it!!!!

  32. thanks you are so awesome, just made some but didnt have a lot of the items I just used cheerios, pretzels, chocolate chips and pecans and turned out yummy i made some with white bark and some with chocolate i call them reindeer food and reindeer droppings lol thank you i want to try a lot of the things on here they are truly amazing =) merry xmas and happy new year!!

  33. Looks delish!! I’ll be making some Christmas Crunch tomorrow.

  34. The first recipe is one I make all the time, but we call it “white trash”. Your’s sounds more politically correct! LOL

  35. I love this stuff too! I always make it and give as gifts.

    Merry Christmas Bakerella!

  36. i just made a big batch of the christmas crack after braving walmart to get the ingredients. omg, what a nuthouse! i got a two thumbs up from my boyfriend and his friend, so i think it will be a big hit with all of the people i’m giving it out to this christmas. thanks for the easy last minute treats!

  37. I love the sweet and salty combination!

  38. I just bought the stuff to make “reindeer” aka puppy chow this morning.

    I just threw together some cookie doughs for sugar cookies, peanut butter blossom cookies, and cherry chocolate chip cookies. you would be proud i think :)

  39. To melt chocolate in the microwave, I usually put it on the defrost setting. This keeps it from burning so easily. Less mistakes means less waste!!

  40. ok what the heck is bark coating and candy coating?
    is there a reason you wouldn’t use real chocolate? The only chocolate bark I know is the that are mixed with fruits and/or nuts, spread out onto a sheet ot cool and then broken up. It looks like tree bark.

  41. I also call it White Trash and I use Captain Crunch instead of Corn Chex…because it needs just a little more sugar. Merry Christmas everyone!

  42. i’ve been making ‘PuppyChow’ for years and it’s always a hit! one year i skipped it and was all but banished from the family! Happy Christmas to everyone and Blessings for a wonderful New Year!

  43. I call it White Chocolate Gorp. I use Quaker Oat Squares, cherrios, graham cereal, cashews, and mini m&ms. It is addictive.

  44. Reindeer chow is my favorite, we call it puppy chow.

  45. They’re selling the reindeer chow (Muddy Buddies) at Costco now….it’s not the same as homemade…doesn’t seem to have the same peanut butter to chocolate ratio.

  46. you taught me something today that makes me laugh. why oh why did i never think to tape down my wax paper before

  47. Great idea for a cookie exchange. We don’t just make cookies in our exchange it can be anything from bars to cakes, to mini loafs. This will go on my list for next year’s exchange.
    Thanks for such great ideas.

  48. Everything you do looks fabulous!!! Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a blessed and Happy New Year. HO! HO! HO! Paulette

  49. that is so yummmmy and looks sooooo cute

  50. They both look yummy!
    PS….Did you get a new camera?

  51. My suite mates and I (in college) make “reindeer chow” all the time and we call it “Crack” because it’s white, powdery, and SO addicting!! We make big batches at a time and it’s gone in minutes! College kids and “crack” = fun times =P

  52. Looks and sounds like fun… what a treat. Happy Holidays.

  53. My version has Honeycomb cereal and Cherios too. I put the M& Ms in after I spread it out to keep most the M & M colors showing. It works for every holiday – just change M & M colors! I made some for all my daughter’s teachers this holiday.

  54. I have to make sure we never have any Christmas Mix (the first one) sitting out on the counter or else it’s gone by lunch. The Reindeer Chow has always been called puppy chow for me. Reindeer Chow sounds so much nicer.

  55. I want to make some holiday-themed cake pops, but I’m not sure where to buy lollipop sticks. Where might I find them? Also, let me make sure I have the steps down right…

    1) Make the cake mix
    2) Shape into small balls
    3) Put balls in freezer (for half hour or so?)
    4) Stick sticks into balls, dip into melted chocolate
    5) Bake?

    Or do you freeze, bake, dip?
    When do you put the sticks in?
    Ahhhh

  56. I was introduced to Christmas Crack last year. My fave combo is graham cracker cereal instead of chex, cashews instead of peanuts and then marshmallows just for fun.

  57. This is one of my favorites to make only I use white chocolate chips with chex, cheerios, pretzels, m&m’s, and peanuts. I made 3 batches so far this year.

  58. how crazy is it that I bought the stuff to make this today before I read your blog?? I saw the recipe some where else and decided I had to make it. Can’t wait to try it!!

  59. Both of these sound delicious and I actually have everything in the house to make them! Thanks for the idea. Just what I need. ;)

    Merry Christmas!

  60. I make the Christmas Crunch/White Trash too, but once I put it on the wax paper, I drizzle it with some melted chocolate chips….. adds a little color, and a little more chocolate!

    Merry Xmas, Bakerella!

  61. I just made a ton of reindeer chow and my family decided they would rather call it Snowman Poop! Haha, They loved it!

  62. Yummy!!! I’m making the Reindeer Chow to take to all of our Christmas Eve/Christmas Day festivities. Thanks for all of these fabulous recipes! :)

  63. Yummy. I can’t say my White Trash or Puppy Chow ever looked this elegant.

  64. Oh, man. This should be called Christmas Crack.

  65. Reindeer chow is the BEST. We grew up calling it “puppy chow”. I don’t allow myself to make it very often, it can be quite deadly. Mmm.

  66. I love Reindeer Chow (also call it Puppy Chow here), but have never tried Christmas Crunch. It sounds delicious, if only I didn’t have so much on my plate right now.

  67. LOL we call it White Trash too…it’s so, so darn good!

  68. We used to always put out carrot sticks and celery for the reindeer, so I’ve never made reindeer chow before. Also, I am pretty much banned from any more baking, my family can’t take much more.

  69. oooooh! that all looks good!! and easy is always a plus.

  70. ooh i think I saw that on that show …that’s not on anymore.. john and kate plus eight? I think they called in monkey munch! The kids loved it when I made it! Delicious!

  71. Me ha pasrecido muy buena idea.
    Mil gracias!!!!!!

  72. Thanks for the shout out! Hmm…. I might have to go make another batch!

  73. We make this too! It has always been called White Trash in our neck of the woods. And we call the peanut butter mix “puppy chow” instead of reindeer chow!

  74. Hey I’ve made this before! But I call it white bark. IT’s the yummiest and once you start eating it, you’ll never stop! So be warned…

    Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!

  75. I just made some like this this past weekend, but used pretzels, peanuts, and Golden Grahams. It is yummy! So quick and makes a ton!

  76. Wow that looks so yummy! A great idea for a last minute Christmas treat! I am doing my baking tonight….late I know!

  77. Yummo! I’ll have to try this once the whole family arrives, otherwise I’ll end up eating it all myself!

  78. Christmas Crunch has always been called White Chocolate Party Mix at our house. We replace the peanuts with craisins though as my son can’t have the nuts and we actually prefer it with the craisins. It’s surely addictive! Happy Holidays!

  79. My neighbor and I also call it White Trash..and here I thought we were being original! LOL. Our version also has Cheerios in it. It is extremely addictive and we have to limit how much we make each year. Every once in a while, we’ll have Christmas in July and make it b/c we start craving it again by then.

  80. If only I had a large area of counter space…my counters are literally divided into four one foot squares by the sink and stove.
    The kitchen table will work, I’m sure. We never use it.
    I do love me some Chow, though.

  81. I have made this before with a slight difference in the ingredients and it was called White Chocolate Trash.
    It is the best trash I have eaten!!

  82. I totally have to try that!

  83. fabulous! These are some of my favorite treats.

  84. Yum…I have to try this sometime. I’ve heard its delish :)

    Ooooh…do I really get to be number three in comments today :)

  85. I like calling it Christmas Crack…that stuff is so addictive!

  86. We call that first mix White Trash (although Christmas Crunch sounds much nicer!) and I make many batches of it every Christmas. It’s loved by everyone! I love the polka dot bucket.

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