White Trash Recipe (Sweet Chex Mix)
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This Christmas White Trash Recipe is the perfect festive recipe to make this holiday season!
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for details.
What is White Trash?
White Trash Mix goes by a lot of different names. Some folks call it White Chocolate Chex Mix, Junk Mix, or White Chocolate Trail Mix…and if you’re going the holiday route it’s Christmas Trash. But basically, White Trash is a sweet white chocolate Chex Mix that uses up all the odds and ends sitting in the pantry, that would otherwise go in the trash. This recipe is not to be–not to be confused with Muddy Buddies, which is another sweet chex mix coated in powdered sugar. I have the perfect Christmas Puppy Chow recipe on the blog if you’re looking for another sweet chex mix recipe.
The beauty of this sweet Chex Mix recipe is that you can add anything to it:
- leftover cereal
- nuts
- dried fruits
- pretzels or chips
Use whatever is lying around! All the dry ingredients are eventually tossed in a white candy coating (or almond bark) and then topped with M&Ms to make this hodge podge of ingredients into a sweet and salty treat.
For this, I add some festive M&Ms and sprinkles to the recipe to make this the ultimate no-bake Christmas snack mix, but you can make this White Trash Snack Mix for any occasion. This sweet treat is addictively delicious and ready in minutes!
It’s the perfect snack mix for the holidays and a fun recipe to make with kids!
If you love this recipe, check out my other festive no bake desserts like Christmas Puppy Chow, Nutter Butter Reindeer, and Christmas Rice Krispie Treats.
How To Make White Trash
Made with a combination of Chex cereal, Cheerios, and mini pretzels tossed in a white chocolate candy coating. This is a simple recipe that everyone loves…and it’s highly addictive!
Ingredients For This Christmas Chex Mix Recipe:
- Chex Cereal. Any variety or flavor you like, I like chocolate Chex for this recipe, but you can use rice chex, corn chex, or wheat!
- Cheerios. Any flavor you want, I used plain Cheerios here, but flavors like Honey Nut, Peanut Butter, or Chocolate would be tasty variations!
- Mini pretzels. I use the Itty Bitty Mini pretzels by Snyders for the perfect bite sized pieces. But use whatever you have on hand!
- M&M candies. I used peanut M&Ms here because a lot of White Trash recipes call for peanuts AND M&Ms–so I just cut to the chase and combine the two. Depending on the season, coordinate the color of your M&Ms to match whatever holiday or occasion you’re making the Chex Mix for! For this recipe, I’m making “Christmas Trash”, so I used red and green candies.
- Sprinkles: 100% optional, but I love adding sprinkles to make this White Trash recipe extra festive.
- White melting wafers. I love the Ghirardelli melting wafers for this recipe. They taste just like white chocolate and melt beautifully. White almond bark and white chocolate chips work really well too.
Instructions:
Prep a sheet pan: Line a big cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside.
Mix: Combine the Chex cereal, Cheerios, and pretzels in a large bowl.
Melt: Add your white chocolate melts to a heatproof bowl and set it over a pan of barely simmering water. Heat and stir until the wafers or almond bark have completely melted and are smooth. Pour the melted candy coating over the cereal mixture and stir until the cereal and pretzels are completely coated. Spread the mixture out onto the prepared sheet pan
Top: Sprinkle the top of the White Trash mixture with the M&M candies and the sprinkles. Work quickly to do this while the candy coating is still wet. Let sit for 20 minutes to set.
Break it up: Once the candy coating has set, break the Chex mix into chunks and enjoy! You can also divide the chunks up into little bags to give away as gifts!
White Trash Chex Mix Variations
The beauty of this White Trash recipe is that anything goes. It’s just simply a sweet Chex Mix that utilizes all the odds and ends you have lying around in your pantry. Here are some fun variations to make this tasty snack for any occasion!
- Use any flavor of Chex cereal or a combination of a few flavors
- Swap the Chex for another cereal like Crispix or Golden Grahams
- Add potato chips with or instead of pretzels
- Stir in salted nuts, seeds, or peanuts
- Add raisins or any other dried fruit to the mix
- Swap the M&Ms for Reese’s Pieces
- Sprinkle on Marshmallows
Holiday Variations: I make an Easter version of this White Trash called Bunny Bait and in the summer I love to make a Red, White, and Blue 4th of July Snack Mix.
Storage
Store your White Trash in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
You can keep your snack mix in the fridge if you like chilled candy, but it is not required.
Can you Freeze this White Trash Recipe?
I don’t recommend it. Because this Chex Mix has a white chocolate candy coating, it’s preserved nicely and will last for up to a week at room temperature–even uncovered–so freezing is unnecessary.
Tips For The Best Christmas Chex Mix Recipe
- Add the M&Ms after the cereal and pretzels have been coated in the white chocolate coating. This will ensure the candy colors pop! This is great if you’re making holiday specific Chex mix.
- When adding the M&Ms and sprinkles to the Chex Mix, add while the candy coating is still wet. That way the M&Ms won’t fall off the snack mix when you’re breaking it into chunks.
- I like melting the almond bark or candy wafers over a double boiler vs the microwave. It melts smoother and is more pourable.
- If adding ingredients extra ingredients to the recipe like nuts, raisins, or chips, bump up the white chocolate candy coating by 2-4oz so that there will be enough melts to cover the extra ingredients.
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White Trash (White Chocolate Chex Mix)
Ingredients
- 2 cups Chex cereal
- 2 cups Cheerios
- 2 cups Itty Bitty mini pretzels
- 10 oz bag of peanut M&Ms
- 20 oz white chocolate melts or almond bark
- 2 tablespoons sprinkles
Instructions
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the Chex cereal, Cheerios, and pretzels.
- Add the white chocolate melts or almond bark to a heat proof bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water and heat until the candy has completely melted and is smooth.
- Remove the melted candy from the heat and pour over the cereal and pretzel mixture. Using a rubber spatula, toss until all the dry ingredients are evenly coated in the melts. Pour the mixture out onto the paper lined cookie sheet. Use your spatula to spread out the cereal into an even layer.
- Sprinkle on the M&Ms and sprinkles in an even layer, while the candy coating is still wet.
- Allow the White Trash to sit at room temperature until candy coating has set, about 20-30 minutes. You can also pop this in the fridge for 5-10 minutes for a quicker set.
- Once hardened, break it up into chunks and enjoy immediately or transfer the chunks into desired packaging to give as gifts!
- White trash can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
