Strawberry Cheesecake Chex Mix

At work, we celebrate birthdays by bringing in treats to share. Earlier this week, we were celebrating a young woman's birthday. I had some Chex, so I decided that I would make a Chex mix to share with the group. She is a girly girl, so when I came across the Pink Powder Puff Crunch, it sounded like the perfect Chex mix for her birthday. Only, I seemed to be short on the ingredients. So, I did what I do...I improvised. I had only a small pack of strawberry gelatin, but I also had a small pack of cheesecake pudding - I decided that strawberry and cheesecake are flavors that work together, so off I went to make some dessert Chex mix. I also didn't want it to be just Chex, so I added in some white chocolate chips and some red sugar crystals for a little extra pink sparkle.


Strawberry Cheesecake Chex Mix

9 c Rice Chex
1 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 c butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 box strawberry-flavored gelatin
1 box cheesecake flavored instant pudding mix
1 c white chocolate chips
2 tbsp red sugar crystals

Measure cereal into large bowl.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and butter uncovered on High 1 minute. Stir; microwave 15 to 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.

In 2-gallon large food-storage plastic bag, mix powdered sugar, gelatin, pudding and red sugar crystals. Add cereal mixture. Seal bag and shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper; cool about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Disclaimer

Honey Spice Cereal Mix

When it comes to cereal snack mix, caramel corn and snack bars, I have a tendency to view cereals as interchangeable. So, when I found myself with a box of Corn Pops that someone brought upstairs but no one was choosing for breakfast, it didn't phase me a bit on where to look for a recipe - I simply headed over to the collection of recipes on Chex.com. Now understandably, some recipes will work better with some cereals than others, so I read through several before coming across one that I thought would be just about right. I found this recipe for Hot Buttered Yum Chex Mix and then did a bit of my own thing.

Honey Spice Cereal Mix
6 c cereal (I used Corn Pops)
1/4 c butter or margarine
1/4 c packed brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 c miniature marshmallows
1 c white chocolate chips

Place cereal in large microwavable bowl.

In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter, brown sugar and honey uncovered on High 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until mixture is bubbly. Stir in spices. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 3 minutes, stirring and scraping bowl after every minute.

Cool about 20 minutes. Stir in marshmallows and chips. Store in airtight container.

It was such a hit that we quickly ran out and I am making a second batch...this time with butterscotch chips - it's what I have on hand!

Disclaimer