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These Snickerdoodle Peanut Butter Chocolate Chex Mix Bars might just be the easiest dessert bar that anyone can bake up. Chex cereal, tossed with salty pretzels, nuts, and sweet cinnamon sugar, toasted in the oven, then tossed with peanut butter. The mix is then pressed into bars or cups and topped with a thick layer of sweet chocolate. They’re fun to make and so DELICIOUS, and most importantly…everyone loves them! They’re the perfect sweet treat for your Thanksgiving dessert table, yet equally great for Christmas and holiday gifting too!
I’ve really been leaning into the recipes I love most lately. The cozy comfort foods, the sweet and easy desserts, and even sharing some homemade cheesy snacks. Whenever I get a little too busy, and a little too overwhelmed (as I have over the past few weeks), I tend to share out my very favorite recipes.
Why are they my favorite? Because I don’t overthink them. When time is an issue…and the daylight hours are very, very short, I go with my first instinct or my gut. Those who know me closely, know this is not the easiest thing for me to do. I’ve said it many times, but I’m a second guesser, always doubting myself. I’m trying to be better, but it can be difficult.
The point is, when I don’t have any time to second guess, I make better decisions.
Enter these sweet chocolate cinnamon bars – snickerdoodle bars! These have me way too excited for the upcoming holiday season…anything snickerdoodle makes me think Christmas. I’m holding back on Christmas talk for now, but I feel like it will be coming a bit earlier this year. I’m already way too excited.
As you’ve probably guessed, these bars are easy, but they’re also delicious and so fun.
Growing up Chex mix was our special Christmas Eve treat, and it was always made savory, never sweet. My mom’s Chex Mix is a holiday favorite and it would not be Christmas without it. We love it! But at some point, I discovered that sweet Chex mix was also a thing. Years back, I made a version of these bars and really fell in love with the salty, sweet combination.
They are DELICIOUS. The peanut butter combined with the sweet cinnamon…the classic flavor within a snickerdoodle cookie, is really the perfect pairing. The peanut butter creates the chewiest bar, but that cinnamon sugar and chocolate coating are what really seal the deal.
The quick and simple details.
First up, toss everything together. It’s a mix of Chex cereals, pretzels, and salted nuts, blended with butter and cinnamon sugar (the snickerdoodle component). Toast this mix up in the oven.
While that’s happening, melt together some peanut butter and honey. The honey is the sweetener and acts as a really nice “glue” to hold the bars together. Once the Chex mix is toasted, toss it with the peanut mixture, then spread everything out in a baking dish.
You can make these into bars or you can make cute little cups using paper cupcake liners. Bother versions are just as delicious, but the cups make for a nice handheld dessert!
Once you have your bars/cups assembled, top with a thick layer of chocolate and chill until set.
And that’s it. Simple…but yet not. There are so many deliciously sweet flavors throughout these bars….sweet cinnamon, nutty peanut butter, salty pretzels, and chocolate.
What would these bars be great for?
Honestly, they’re great for all occasions, but personally, I’m really excited to serve them over the holidays.
I already have plans to have them paced about on Thanksgiving Day for snacking. And I’m definitely including them in this year’s holiday cookie box. The options for these sweet treats are endless. If you’re looking for a quick and easy gift, these would be perfect to wrap up in a cute box. They’re certain to cheer up anyone’s day. And they’re a great gift to give friends and family that you might not be able to see over the holidays.
And then? Well, these also make for a pretty darn delicious Friday night dessert. I highly recommend making a double batch. A batch for tonight and a batch for a friend…or maybe just for the week ahead. Oh, and stopping with just one bar? Well, that’s almost impossible. Trust me, you’ll be making batch after batch of these easy bars – so good!
Looking for other easy desserts? Here are my favorites:
Swirled Chocolate Butterscotch Bars
Slice n’ Bake Salted Chocolate Butter Pecan Cookies
5 Ingredient Triple Decker Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Lastly, if you make these Snickerdoodle Peanut Butter Chocolate Chex Mix Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Snickerdoodle Peanut Butter Chocolate Chex Mix Bars
Servings: 24 bars
Calories Per Serving: 269 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Corn Chex
- 2 cups Rice Chex
- 2 cups bite size pretzels
- 1/2 cup mixed nuts
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup honey
- 3-4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper or line 24 cupcake molds with paper liners.2. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the butter and vanilla. Add the Chex cereals, pretzels, and nuts. Sprinkle over the sugar and cinnamon, then toss well to coat. Spread the mix in an even layer. Bake 15 minutes, tossing halfway through, until toasted. 3. Meanwhile, melt together the honey and peanut butter in a large pot over low heat, until melted smooth, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat. Stir in the toasted Chex mix, tossing to combine. Spread the mix out into the prepared pan. Alternately, you can spoon the mixture evenly among 24 cupcake molds lined with cupcake liners. 4. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave until melted. Pour the melted chocolate over the bars, spreading in an even layer. Chill 1 hour, until set. Top with salt, if desired. Let the bars sit at room temp 15-20 minutes before cutting, then cut into bars. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Can you put cupcake liners in the cupcake tins or will it stick to the paper?
Hmm, I am not sure. I think thy would stick a little, but I also think you would still be able to peel them away. Hope that helps!
I love this! It combines everything I love – chex, caramel and chocolate. genius:) These will definitely rock for Christmas day treats. Happy Holidays.
Thanks so much, Lisa!
Merry Christmas!
Soooooo your recipes are OMG and food photos are beautiful! I’ve already bookmarked potluck, Christmas, baking, teachers day treats recipes of yours What is Karo syrup and what could I sub in? YUM. Thanks. Lisa, Calgary, AB
Thank you, Lisa!! Do you not have Karo Syrup were you live?
I do not typically like to sub anything for the karo syrup, but you can sub in honey. The honey will not work as well for binding the ingredients together, but it should do the trick. Hope this helps and let me know if you have any more questions!
I made these last night to take to my cousins for Thanksgiving today. I started to make these in a mini-muffin pan but because I couldn’t find any really small pretzels, it didn’t work well. I moved the the mix to a 9×13 baking dish and although not as pretty as your pictures, it tasted wonderful! I’m not even a big fan of Snickers. Because of your the picture you posted on pinterest, I had to try these. I’ll be posting my pictures, a credit to you and a link to your site on http://www.whiteriverkitchen.com
SO happy you loved them, Angie!! Thanks!!
Hi Tiegham, I am going to use mini muffin pans, but I only have two. While they are chilling in the frige, will the remaining chex mixture get hard? Thanks!
Hey!
Since you only have two, I would put the remaining mix in an 8×8 inch baking dish and then just make the rest into bars. I do think the mixture will get kind of hard and not very easy to use if you let it sit too long. Hope this helps and I hope you love these! 🙂
These are a great snack to bring to holiday parties. Thanks for sharing! (and, hey, it’s never too late to talk about Christmas!)
Thanks so much, Tess!
These are to die for and came together in a snap. Can’t wait to share them! I made them ahead of time for a party tomorrow night. When should I take them out of the fridge? I’m worried they’re going to turn into teeth-breakers. Thank you!
Hey Marissa! So sorry my reply is SO late!! I would have taken them out about 30 minutes or so before the party, but I am sure whatever you dod was fine! Hopping everything went awesome with the bars!! Thanks for making them!
That’s exactly what I did. They came out perfect! Huge hit at the party. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my YUM!!!! They look absolutely heavenly!
Thank you, Erin!
Not only do these sound great, I love how you made them in mini muffin pans!
Thanks Carla! 🙂
For such a lover of candies as I am, these candies are really a shock. They contain everything I adore: caramel, chocolate and crisps. What can be better? I am already going to cook it today! I`m sure that it is tasty.
Thank you so much, Maria! I hope you loved these!
uh…….yum.
Thanks Julie!
These are adorable. And I think November snuck up on all of us! I love chex mix, and this is such an inventive way to enjoy it. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you!
Excuse me… how did you resist eating all of that ooey gooey chocolate and peanut butter sauce? Stuff looks like Crack.
Trust me, it was hard!! 🙂
I cannot wait to make these (well, I can – but only because I know if I make them right now I’ll eat them right now, so I’m going to force myself to wait a little bit so I can scoop them all up and take them somewhere with me) – yum, looking forward to it!
Ha! Thanks Rachel!
A combination of salty and sweet gets me every single time. Add chocolate and I’m drooling all over my shoes.
Thank you!
Thanks so much, Christy!