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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!
Half Baked Harvest At Home
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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
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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Knowing most Half Baked Harvest recipes are quite sweet, I reduced both the sugar and the honey- the sweetness still overpowered the rest of the flavours.
Coating the crunchy ingredients with wet ones made them a bit soggy- more nuts would have helped to remedy that.
Hi Kathy! I am sorry these did not turn out as expected. If there is anything I can help with, please let me know! xTieghan
Hi. Can you use all rice Chex? Thanks
Hey Melanie,
Sure, that will work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These look amazing!!!! We have a peanut allergy in our family. How would you adjust the recipe to avoid peanut butter? Just leave it out or substitute with Almond butter? Trying to make sure I get the consistency right. Thank you for such delicious, fun ideas!!
Hey Lisa,
I would give almond butter a try! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
AMAZING!!! I used GF pretzels and just rice Chex because I am not a cereal person and would end up throwing out the rest of the boxes. I ran out of honey so subbed maple syrup. Wowwieeee these are unbelievable. Bringing some to my coworker tomorrow to share and know it’ll make for a happy Friday! My mom and sister want to make them now too 🙂
I am so happy you all have been loving this recipe! Thank you for trying these, Sarah!! xTieghan
I have been following you for quite awhile and never posted…although, I have made and loved many of your recipes. I really enjoy and look forward to your recipes. I did make these bars and decided to comment because these are so good and really so simple. Thanks again for what you do!
Thank you Sandy!! I am really happy this recipe turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
Wow these look amazing, I’m wondering if they would freeze well?
Hey Cassy,
I probably would not recommend freezing these. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made these and they were delicious but cut the honey in half because and they were absolutely sweet enough! A delicious Halloween treat!
Thank you Katie! xTieghan
Made these in a baking dish last night and they’re incredible! I will definitely make them again, but maybe use 1/2 or even 1/4 less chocolate. I used 3C like the recipe called for. While it coats the top of the bars nicely, it makes it really hard to eat/way too thick. My husband and I have been sawing off the chocolate just to get to the chex mix.
Hi Hannah! I am sorry about that! I hope these turn out better with less chocolate next time! xTieghan
We used dark chocolate chips and they are so yummy!
Thank you Sarah! xTieghan
Oh my!! These could be dangerous. But hey, I’m perfectly fine with dangerously good treats. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you Linger! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
These look so yummy, Tieghan! I cannot wait to make them this weekend. I also really identify with overthinking EVERYTHING. That tendency has definitely stunted me in many ways. I just picked up a book by another of my favorite bloggers — it’s called “Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life” by Anne Bogel and i highly recommend. I’ve already seen shifts in my life and I’m only halfway through! Check it out!
Haven’t tried these yet but they’re on my Christmas gift list. I can picture children saying but “Mom/Nana they have cereal”. My youngest Grand Daughter did something similar with a container of Cool Whip many years ago ?
Amazing! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Pixie! xTieghan
Good morning Tieghan,
I want to make these treats and as I was reading through the reviews I saw multiple times the mention of Karo syrup but it’s not listed in the ingredients.
Could it be that Karo syrup was an ingredient in a different recipe?
Thanks very much and have a great weekend!
Susan
Hey Susan,
I used karo syrup in the old version of this recipe. You can follow the recipe as is:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Just a question before I make these the pic makes them look like they’ve been made in small muffin cups yet the recipes says cut into bars? Is this and either or recipe thanks thanks for all your beautiful and delicious recipes!
Hey Cici,
As stated in step 1, you can use a 9×13 baking sheet or line 24 cupcake molds:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Looks like a perfect treat at Xmas, Tieghan! Question..is it 3-4 cups of chocolate chips, or 3/4 cups of chocolate chips?
Hey Colleen,
It is 3-4 cups of chocolate chips! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan