This easy pretzel trail mix is made with butter toffee pretzels, Goldfish crackers, chocolate chips, and M&Ms. It's a festive snack mix that's perfect for snacking and sharing all season long.
If you've ever tried the enduringly popular Christmas cracker candy, made with toffee-coated saltine crackers and chocolate, you're already familiar with the flavor of this Christmas trail mix. Like my everyday nut-free trail mix, this holiday trail mix is doesn't contain nuts, and it's a great kid-friendly snack for noshing on at camp, offering at holiday parties, or packing up for a simple holiday gift for teachers and friends.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe is Great for Camping
- You can mix up the trail mix ahead of time, so you've got a snack packed and ready for your trip.
- This can be stored at room temperature, so it doesn't take up precious cooler space.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pretzels--I recommend using pretzel twists instead of sticks as they'll be easier to coat and arrange on your baking sheet without having them stick together.
- Goldfish crackers--These add extra crunch to the pretzel snack mix, but feel free to substitute another small soup cracker, like oyster crackers, if you prefer. Be sure to choose the plain ones, as the flavor of cheese crackers doesn't work well here.
- Corn syrup--The addition of a little corn syrup to your butter toffee helps to stop the sugar from crystallizing and will give you a smooth coating.
- Baking soda--The soda gives the toffee mixture plenty of bubbles which makes a light, airy toffee coating for your pretzels. Keep in mind that the addition of baking soda will make the toffee foam up, so use a medium-sized pot for making the toffee mixture.
- Chocolate chips--You can use your favorite types of chocolate chips here. I prefer semi-sweet to keep the holiday trail mix from being overly sweet, but feel free to use milk or even white chocolate chips, if you prefer it a little sweeter.
Important Steps
- Melt the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda.
- Place the pretzels in a large bowl coated with cooking spray. Pour the hot toffee over the pretzels and mix to evenly coat the pretzels.
- Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in a 225°F oven for 1 hour. Cool completely.
- Combine the butter toffee pretzels, chocolate chips, fish crackers, and M&Ms in a large bowl. Mix well.
FAQs
Spray your mixing bowl and your foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray. Once you dump the toffee-coated pretzels onto the baking sheet, use a fork or a wooden skewer to arrange them in a single layer. If you still end up with some overlapping and touching, you should be able to snap them apart after they've baked and cooled completely.
Definitely. If stored properly, this trail mix can be prepared up to 1 month before using.
Store your snack mix in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag at room temperature for up to 1 month.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- Be sure to spray your pretzel mixing bowl and baking sheet well with cooking spray to avoid having the toffee stick.
- Spread the pretzels in a single layer on the baking sheet. This will help the toffee set evenly and prevent the pretzels from sticking together. A fork works well for arranging them in a single layer. If any pretzels do stick together, simply break them apart after they've cooked completely.
- Give the pretzel snack mix a good stir before serving as the chocolate chips and M&Ms tend to sink to the bottom of the bowl.
More Camping Recipes You'll Love
Tried This Recipe?
If you've tried this recipe, please leave a comment below. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest for more great camping and grilling recipes.
Recipe
Butter Toffee Trail Mix
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 4 cups (200 g) pretzel twists
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter
- ½ cup (105 g) brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups (110 g) Goldfish crackers
- 1 cup (185 g) chocolate chips
- 1 cup red and green M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225°F (107°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
- Coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Add the pretzels to the bowl.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Heat, stirring frequently, until the butter melts and the mixture reaches a boil.
- As soon as the mixture boils, remove it from the heat, add the baking soda, and stir well. The mixture will foam up; this is normal. Pour the toffee over the pretzels and stir well to evenly coat the pretzels.
- Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Let the pretzels cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.
- In a large mixing bowl combined the cooled toffee pretzels, Goldfish crackers, chocolate chips, and M&Ms.
Notes
- Be liberal with the cooking spray--Be sure to spray your pretzel mixing bowl and baking sheet well with cooking spray to avoid having the toffee stick.
- Don't let the pretzels clump--Spread the pretzels in a single layer on the baking sheet. This will help the toffee set evenly and prevent the pretzels from sticking together. A fork works well for arranging them in a single layer. If any pretzels do stick together, simply break them apart after they've cooked completely.
- Stir before serving--Give the pretzel snack mix a good stir before serving as the chocolate chips and M&Ms tend to sink to the bottom of the bowl.
Leave a Reply