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Santa's Crunch
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5 from 6 votes

Santa's Crunch

Wow Santa and all of his little elfs with Santa’s Crunch. It’s a no-bake treat that combines sweet and salty to produce a perfect edible Christmas gift. It just takes minutes to make, and is sure to put a jingle in all of your Christmas helpers' steps.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Candy, Christmas
Cuisine: American
Servings: 14 cups
Calories: 494kcal

Ingredients

Santa Hats

  • 1 cup Red Candy Melts
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 24 Bugles
  • 24 mini marshmallows
  • ½ cup Pearl sugar (See Note 1)

Santa's Crunch

  • 10 ounce package white candy melts
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 6 cups popped popcorn
  • 1 cup Cheerios
  • 1 cup Rice Chex
  • 2 cups square pretzels (See Note 2)
  • 1 cup unsalted peanuts (See Note 3)
  • 1 cup Christmas M&M's (See Note 4)
  • 24 Santa Hats

Instructions

Santa Hats

  • Melt candy melts in microwave safe bowl according to package directions. Add vegetable oil; stir to combine.
  • Holding Bugles by open end, dip into melted candy melts. Allow excess to drip off; place on parchment or wax paper to set. 
  • Open one end of mini marshmallow with small paring knife. Dip pointed end of Bugle in melted candy coating; press marshmallow on end. Allow to set. (See Note 5)
  • Dip open end of Bugle in melted candy coating; dip in Pearl sugar. Allow to set. 
  • Store in airtight container. Yield: 24 Santa Hats.

Santa's Crunch

  • Melt white candy melts in microwave according to package directions. Add vegetable oil; stir to combine.
  • Place popcorn in large bowl. Add Cheerios, Rice Chex, pretzels, and peanuts on top of popcorn.
  • Pour melted candy melts over popcorn ingredients; stir to thoroughly coat.
  • Dump onto piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle on M&M's and Santa Hats. Allow to set. 
  • Store in airtight container or package for gift giving. (See Note 6) 
  • Yield: 14 cups.

Notes

  1. Can also use white nonpareils or white jimmies.
  2. Can also use pretzel sticks or mini-pretzels.
  3. Can also use salted peanuts, toasted almonds or toasted pecans.
  4. I used dark chocolate Christmas M&M's. However, you can use whatever flavor of M&M's you like.
  5. May need to reheat the candy melts.
  6. The Santa's Crunch will stay fresh for a week if stored in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Calories: 494kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 186mg | Potassium: 253mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 3.8mg