Chocolate Chips: Creates luxurious drizzle that binds mix and adds decadent chocolate layer.
Candy Melts: Offers versatile coating option with potential color variations for festive presentation.
Equipment for Making Your Own Fall Mix at Home
Large Mixing Bowl: Perfect for combining all your delicious ingredients with plenty of room to stir.
Wooden Spoon or Spatula: Essential for gently mixing the snack mix without crushing the delicate components.
Microwave-Safe Bowl: Needed if melting chocolate chips or candy melts for drizzling.
Spoon or Drizzling Utensil: Great for creating beautiful chocolate swirls over the snack mix.
Airtight Container: Keeps your fall snack mix fresh and crunchy for later enjoyment.
Putting Together a Cozy Fall Snack Mix
Toss Together Ingredients Grab a spacious bowl and start mixing your favorite fall snacks into one delightful blend. Combine the crunchy Cheerios, salty pretzels, sweet candy corn, colorful M&Ms, rich peanuts, and buttery caramel popcorn.
Create Delicious Mixture Gently fold all the ingredients until they're perfectly distributed, ensuring every handful will be a flavor explosion.
Add Chocolate Drizzle (Optional) Melt some chocolate chips or candy melts, then gracefully pour them over the snack mix, creating beautiful swirls that add extra indulgence.
Let Chocolate Set If you've added the chocolate topping, allow it to cool and harden completely. This step transforms your mix from good to absolutely irresistible.
Serve and Enjoy Scoop your fall snack mix into a serving bowl or pack it into individual containers. Perfect for movie nights, game days, or just satisfying those seasonal cravings.
Seasonal Add-Ins and Cinnamon Tips
Sprinkle a dash of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon for a warm, autumnal flavor that elevates the entire snack mix.
Prepare the mix up to a week in advance and store in an airtight container at room temperature to save time during busy fall gatherings.
Replace peanuts with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for a nut-free version that's safe for those with nut allergies.
Use gluten-free pretzels and Cheerios to make this snack mix completely gluten-free without compromising on taste or texture.
Let children help mix ingredients or choose their favorite add-ins to make this a fun family cooking activity that creates sweet memories.
Present Your Fall Snack Mix in Jars or Bowls
Festive Gathering Centerpiece: Serve this colorful snack mix in a large clear glass bowl at Halloween parties or autumn gatherings, creating an eye-catching display that guests can easily share.
Movie Night Companion: Portion the mix into individual paper cones or small mason jars for a portable snack perfect during family movie marathons or cozy weekend watching sessions.
Gift-Worthy Treat: Package the snack mix in decorative cellophane bags tied with rustic autumn ribbons, making delightful homemade gifts for teachers, neighbors, or workplace colleagues during fall season.
Kids' Lunchbox Surprise: Add a small portion of this sweet and salty mix into children's lunchboxes as a special seasonal treat that breaks up typical lunch monotony.
Keep This Fall Mix Fresh Until the Holidays
Store this delightful treat in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Refrigerate the mix if using chocolate drizzle to help it maintain its crisp texture and prevent melting.
Make larger quantities ahead of time and portion into individual grab-and-go bags for quick snacking during busy autumn days.
Keep mix away from direct sunlight and humid areas to maintain the crunchiness of pretzels and popcorn, ensuring each bite stays perfectly delicious.
Irresistible “easy fall snack mix” brings autumn’s warmth to your kitchen with a delightful blend of sweet and salty flavors. Crunchy pecans, maple-glazed pretzels, and chocolate chips create a nostalgic treat perfect for cozy afternoons you’ll savor with friends and family.
Ingredients
Scale
1 ½ cups candy corn
1 ½ cups fall-colored M&Ms (peanut or regular)
2 cups Honey Nut Cheerios or similar cereal
2 cups mini pretzels
1 cup roasted peanuts (salted or unsalted)
1 cup caramel popcorn
½ cup chocolate chips or candy melts (optional, for drizzle)
Instructions
Mixing Base: Gather a spacious mixing vessel and combine the Cheerios, pretzels, candy corn, M&Ms, peanuts, and caramel popcorn, ensuring an even distribution of all components for a balanced flavor profile.
Chocolate Enhancement: If desired, gently melt chocolate chips or candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring at 30-second intervals until smooth and glossy, then artfully drizzle the liquid chocolate over the snack mix using a spoon or piping bag.
Setting and Storing: Allow the chocolate drizzle to solidify at room temperature for approximately 15-20 minutes, creating a delicate coating that adds a luxurious finish. Once set, transfer the festive fall snack mix to an airtight container, preserving its crunch and preventing moisture absorption, ensuring optimal freshness for your seasonal treat.
Notes
Mix ingredients just before serving to maintain crispness of pretzels and Cheerios.
Melt chocolate at low heat and use a spoon or piping bag for even, delicate coating.
Substitute peanuts with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for nut-free version, ensuring inclusive snacking.
Keep mix in cool, dry place in sealed container to preserve freshness and prevent ingredient clumping.
Classical & Contemporary Cooking Techniques, Global Cuisine Appreciation, Nutrition & Menu Engineering, Sustainable Cooking Practices, Farm-to-Table Cuisine
Education
Southwestern Oregon Community College
Program: Culinary Arts, Associate of Applied Science
Focus: Emphasis on mastering core culinary competencies, like safety and sanitation, hot, cold, and pastry techniques, while cultivating appreciation of global cuisines and developing operational skills in nutrition, menu design, costing, purchasing, and supervisory management.
Michael grew up in Oregon, where he learned early that food tastes better when it’s fresh, local, and made with care.
After earning his degree from the Southwestern Oregon Community College, he focused his career on teaching others how to cook with the seasons, reduce food waste, and reconnect with what’s on their plate.
Michael keeps his cooking simple, sustainable, and full of flavor. His favorite part of the process? Watching people realize how easy and satisfying it can be to cook a single great meal from scratch.
Michael Thompson
Founder & Culinary Director
Expertise
Classical & Contemporary Cooking Techniques, Global Cuisine Appreciation, Nutrition & Menu Engineering, Sustainable Cooking Practices, Farm-to-Table Cuisine
Education
Southwestern Oregon Community College
Michael grew up in Oregon, where he learned early that food tastes better when it’s fresh, local, and made with care.
After earning his degree from the Southwestern Oregon Community College, he focused his career on teaching others how to cook with the seasons, reduce food waste, and reconnect with what’s on their plate.
Michael keeps his cooking simple, sustainable, and full of flavor. His favorite part of the process? Watching people realize how easy and satisfying it can be to cook a single great meal from scratch.