Ghoulish Halloween Snack Mix

Will you trick or treat with this sweet and salty Halloween Snack Mix? Fill your cauldron with salty popcorn with Oreo bites, mini marshmallows, crunchy caramel M&Ms and googly eyes and prepare for the little ghoulies and ghosties to come knocking!

Forget Easter and Christmas, Halloween is officially the candy-holiday of the year (well it is in my book). You can take your chocolate eggs and candy canes, and I'll raise you bags and bags of sweet treats and sugary delights. I really don't think there's a time of year when we associate sweets and candy with a celebration more than Halloween. Over the years in the UK, Halloween has gone from just a party for the kids to a full blown month of mayhem, with trick or treating, pumpkin carving and house decorations being a case of the bigger the better. 

I've always said that I'm not really a fan of Halloween, but I guess that's not strictly true. I am, so long as it's 'nice' and not scary. You won't find me going to a Fright Night, although English Mum's recent trip to Universal Studios did look good fun, and I'm not going to curl up under a blanket and watch movies that will keep me sleeping with the lights on until Christmas. What you will find is me digging out Hocus Pocus, sticking my own hand in the trick or treat bowl, and just generally doing Halloween but cute.

Search the blog for Halloween and you'll be met with ghostie cupcakes, gingerdead men and Jack Skellington pops... the Halloween cuteness even spills over into my baking. So, have I convinced you that Halloween is the candy-holiday of the year? If you need a little more evidence, then keep reading...

Even in our little village, there's plenty of trick or treaters out and about on Halloween, but they're the ones usually accompanied by Mum or Dad, so it's always nice to have something to offer them. Rather than the usual panic-brought from the supermarket mini packets of candy, chocolate or sweets, I do like to make my own Halloween Snack Mix instead. And if we're bypassed by the trick or treaters, then it certainly makes a a fun alternative dish take to a Halloween bash or power through movie night on the sofa, curled up with the lights on!

The best thing about this spookalicious Halloween Snack Mix is that it is so quick and there's no definitive recipe that you must follow. In fact, that a look in the cupboard and see what you've got, half empty bags of candy, bags of popcorn, rice krispie treats, cereals etc, anything can go. Just chuck it all in a big bowl and stir together. Getting a good balance of snack, cereal and candy is down to you and how much crunchy you like with your squishy, or salt to sugar.

For this Halloween Snack Mix, I used a salted popcorn as a base to start from; I'll admit that I made my own as I'd corn kernels in the cupboard. The Oreo Joy Fills I'd seen when I was shopping and thought they'd be great in a snack mix. To be honest, they are really disappointing on their own, but mixed together they do work. That all aside, the one thing I really wanted to add into the Halloween Snack Mix was pretzels! The crunchy salty kings of the snack world, but guess what? I forgot... I'm so annoyed at myself as I think you could switch the salted popcorn for a cinnamon spice popcorn and have the crunchy, salty crystals from the pretzels to really give you a sweet and salty contrast of flavours.

Pimp you Halloween Snack Mix

Just because I've mixed together the ingredients I did, doesn't mean you have to too. They are a pretty cracking blend if I do say so myself, but why not try:

• Switching out the Crunchy Caramel M&Ms for Candy Corn or Pumpkin Pie M&Ms, if you can grab them before they disappear until next year
• Instead of the Oreo Joy Fills, how about taking a tip from the States and use Cinnamon Chex or I have seen that Aldi do their own version
• You could make your own icing eyes, I use the ready-made ones, or you might fancy something gummy instead, how about wriggly worms

But like I said, this Halloween Snack mix can be anything you want it to be, the options are endless, my options and suggestions might set your mind off on a flavour path that takes you down some weird and twisted combination that could be amazing! So amazing in fact that you don't want to share it with those little ghosties and ghoulies that knock your door on Halloween night shouting 'trick or treat', and if that happens I'd urge you to keep it to yourself and curl up with a 'nice' spooky movie and enjoy, because in my experience when it's that good I can never replicate it again.

What other delights are you putting out for your trick or treaters this Halloween? Drop me a comment and star rating below to let me know what you're munching on and what you're chucking into a mixing bowl for a Halloween snack.

Print

pin halloween snack mix for later