Chex Mix is a seasonal temptation for me – I only make it from the day after Thanksgiving through the end of January. Once it’s around, I can’t resist it and end up eating so much I feel like a happy turtle flipped on its back, a little slow to move but thrilled nonetheless.
My go-to Chex Mix is the classic savory version with butter, garlic, onion, Worcestershire sauce and salt — that one really tests my willpower. But this Heath Bar Crunch variation is a very close second. It is dangerously good: sweet, salty and crunchy. I often find myself holding a handful and wondering when I grabbed it. Heath Bars aren’t fancy, but their toffee flavor is irresistible. They were my grandmother’s favorite candy, and she made Heath-like English toffee every Christmas to give as gifts, which is why Heath Bars always remind me of the holidays.
When I wanted to make a toffee-forward Chex Mix, I adapted the caramel coating from my grandmother’s Salted Caramel Corn recipe and poured it over a bowl piled with Rice Chex and salted thin pretzel sticks. I stirred gently to coat, spread the mixture on lined baking sheets, and baked it until the caramel crisped into a crunchy coating around the cereal and pretzels. As soon as it came out of the oven I sprinkled generous amounts of Heath Bit O’Brickle bits and miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips over the top.
WOWZA!
The first time I made this I misread the recipe and ended up with three enormous pans. We weren’t sure how we’d get through them, but we devoured them faster than expected — there was no sacrifice involved in taste-testing. The next batch I scaled correctly and perfected the proportions. The recipe below makes two half-sheet pans, a perfect size to enjoy yourself and still have extras for sharing or gifting. Put a bowl out at the Super Bowl and you likely won’t have any leftovers.
Heath Bar Crunch Chex Mix Cooking Notes:
- You can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate in mini or regular chip form, or larger chunks. Milk chocolate gives a classic Heath Bar taste, while semi-sweet or dark chocolate balances the toffee nicely. Choose your preference.
- Rice or Corn Chex both work well. Use one type or a mix of both.
- Give the mix a gentle stir as soon as it comes out of the oven to break up any large clumps and help everything cool evenly.
Heath Bar Crunch Chex Mix {Sweet & Salty}
Rebecca Lindamood
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 box rice or corn chex about 13 cups
- 1 pound bag salted thin pretzel sticks about 5-6 cups
- 1 cup Heath Bar Bit O’ Brickle bits
- 1 bag semi-sweet mini or milk chocolate chips or chunks 12 ounces
Instructions
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Line two half-sheet pans with Silpats, parchment paper, or nonstick foil. Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C).
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In a heavy medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, vanilla and salt over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda — it will foam up significantly; this is expected.
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Place the Rice or Corn Chex and pretzel sticks in a very large mixing bowl. Pour the hot caramel over the cereal and pretzels and stir gently but thoroughly so the mixture is evenly coated. Aim for an even distribution rather than perfection.
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Divide the coated mixture between the two prepared pans and spread it in an even layer. Bake for 1 hour, stirring well every 15 minutes. If the center remains quite damp, continue baking another 15–30 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. The mix is done when it is mostly dry but still slightly sticky.
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Immediately after removing from the oven, stir gently to separate pieces. While still warm, sprinkle the Heath Bit O’ Brickle evenly over the pans, followed by the chocolate chips, dividing them between the two pans. Allow to cool on the pans — you may hear cracking as it sets — then break into pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use if you need precise values.
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