This Halloween Monster Mix is everything you want in a tasty treat that is ready in under 30 minutes. A little salty, a lot of sweet, a lot of crunch, and a little chewy. A perfect snack for a party or to have on the counter to munch on all day long.
This sweet and salty Halloween Monster Mix is perfect to fill party goody bags or feel free to even leave it out on the counter in a giant bowl to munch on all day long. But if you are going that route, you better make a few batches, because it is going to go fast!
The combination of candy corn, pretzels, chocolate chips, popcorn, marshmallows, peanuts, and yummy sprinkles makes this Halloween snack irresistible. You can even let everyone join in and get their hands messy in helping make this no-bake tasty treat.
Love all things fall treats?! Be sure to check out our Gourmet Homemade Caramel Apples, Twix Caramel Popcorn, and Halloween Sugar Cookie Bars.
Why We Love This Snack Mix
- It’s quick and easy! You can whip up a batch just before having friends show up to watch a favorite Halloween movie.
- Snack mixes are endlessly customizeable. Got mini reese’s peanut butter cups or chocolate covered raisins you can throw in? Go for it! You can seriously add any kind of candy you want, just try to keep a balance of salty and sweet for best results.
- This is a cute and festive recipe without actually requiring technical baking or decorating skills. Plus, it’s more just spooky-sweet, not spooky-scary, so it’s perfect for all ages.
What You’ll Need
- Pretzels: Mini pretzels are perfect for this bite-size snack.
- Popped popcorn: You can pop your own or go ahead and buy what is already popped. There are so many options in the stores these days.
- Peanuts: I prefer roasted and salted peanuts.
- Corn syrup: This will be mixed with butter and brown sugar to make a caramel coating that ties the snack mix together.
- Candy corn: I know these are divisive (personally, I love them!) but can you really have a fall snack mix without it?
How to Make This Recipe
- Mix together the pretzels, popcorn, peanuts, and marshmallows in a bowl or on your prepared tray.
- Make syrup mixture. In a small saucepan melt the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar together. Bring the mixture to a boil, and let it boil for 3 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and immediately pour evenly over the popcorn mixture, mix quickly to coat. Don’t worry if you don’t coat everything you will get another chance.
- Put in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, take the mixture out and carefully mix everything around. Put back into the over for another 10 minutes, take the mixture out again and toss one more time, then let sit to cool.
- Break apart into bite size chunks and toss in a serving bowl with the remaining ingredients.
- Serve immediately or put in an airtight container and store in a cool place.
Recipe FAQ’s
It does not make a difference, both will serve the same purpose for this recipe.
The mixture will harden once it is baked for the time noted in the recipe card. If you prefer a gooier mixture, you could skip baking which is why dries out the sauce and causes things to harden up a bit more.
Expert Tips
- Storage: If you have any leftovers you can store them in an airtight container and in a cool place.
- Mix it up! Feel free to use any kind of snack mix treat that you like! You could add in cookie pieces, candy bar pieces, M&M’s, chips, cereal, etc.
More Halloween Treats You’ll Love
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Monster Cookies
- Healthy Halloween Snacks
- Chocolate Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Decorate Your Own Cupcake Board
- Halloween Marshmallow Pops
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Halloween Monster Mix
Ingredients
- 3 cups mini pretzels
- 5 cups popped popcorn
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 cup roasted salted peanuts
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup salted butter
- ⅓ cup corn syrup
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup Reese's Pieces
- ½ cup candy corn
- 2 Tablespoons candy eyes
- 2 Tablespoons orange sprinkles
- 2 Tablespoons black sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and spraying with oil.
- Mix together the pretzels, popcorn, peanuts, and marshmallows in a bowl or on your prepared tray.3 cups mini pretzels, 5 cups popped popcorn, 3 cups mini marshmallows, 1 cup roasted salted peanuts
- In a small saucepan melt the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar together.1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup salted butter, ⅓ cup corn syrup
- Bring the mixture to a boil, and let boil for 3 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and immediately pour evenly over the popcorn mixture, mix quickly to coat. Don’t worry if you don’t coat everything you will get another chance.
- Put in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, take the mixture out and carefully mix everything around. Put back into the over for another 10 minutes, take the mixture out again and toss one more time, then let sit to cool.
- Once cool, break apart into bite size chunks and toss in a serving bowl with the remaining ingredients.½ cup dark chocolate chips, ½ cup Reese's Pieces, ½ cup candy corn, 2 Tablespoons candy eyes, 2 Tablespoons orange sprinkles, 2 Tablespoons black sprinkles
- Serve immediately or put in an airtight container and store in a cool place.
What a fun treat! I love all the textures and flavors in each bite. Keeps me coming back for more, and probably more than I should! lol
What could you substitute for corn syrup?
Hi! You could substitute maple syrup, honey, agave, or golden syrup as a start. I will be honest I have only ever used corn syrup so it would be a little testing to see which syrup works best but I think it is perfectly possible to substitute for a different syrup in the recipe!
How long does this last in an airtight container ?
Hmmm I would say a couple of days to a week depending on how it is stored and also if you live somewhere humid it will not last as long. It will start to get stale.
What are the items that look like eyes in your mix?
Hi! They are candy eyes. Craft stores and most grocery stores should have them in the baking aisle. Or you can order them online. There are lots of different eye sizes so just pick the size you want!