This Santa Hat Party Mix Recipe is exactly what you need for your upcoming Christmas party! Learn to make cute little edible santa hats and a delicious holiday snack mix!
Christmas Party Mix Recipe
This Santa Hat Party Mix is one of those recipes that ALWAYS gets oohs and ahhs when you bring it out for guests or give as gifts.
Yes it does take a little extra effort to make those sweet little Santa Hats, but it’s the holidays! It’s not rocket science here…you dip Bugles into red melting candy and then dip the bottom in white sprinkles, and place a mini marshmallow on top! They turn out SUPER cute, don’t you agree?
The snack mix itself is VERY easy…I’ve made a video and have lots of step by step pictures to show you how it’s done!
I found these yummy Bugles at the store. They’re called Caramel Bugles and they boast the sweet and salty.
You could certainly use the regular Bugles, too, but what I found was so great about the caramel bugles, besides being incredible delicious and addictive was that they are coated in a sweet glaze which makes them a bit thicker and less fragile than regular Bugles…so keep that in mind.
Here’s what you’ll need…
Bugles
Red Melting disks
Mini marshmallows
White sprinkles (I used nonpareils)
How to Make The Best Holiday Snack Mix
Melt the candy melts, along with a tablespoon of shortening (to help thin the melted candy), in 30 second intervals on half power in your microwave until melted.
Immediately start dipping.
Let them set up for 10 minutes or so on parchment or wax paper.
When they are set, remelt the red candy disk (if necessary) and dip just the bottoms (the large part of the Bugle) into the white sprinkles.
Then flip it over and dip the top in the melted candy and press a mini marshmallow on top.
And voila…Bugle Santa Hats!
If you want to use the hats as an addition to a mix here’s an idea for a sweet and salty mix that’s easy and yummy.
Feel free to play around with the additions and make it your own!
- 3 cups mini pretzels
- 1/2 cup craisins
- 1 cup salted dry roasted peanuts
- 2 cups Rice Chex
- 2 cups holiday colored M&M’s
- 8 oz. white chocolate for melting
- Spread all your ingredients, EXCEPT M&M’s, out on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.
Melt your white chocolate according to package directions and drizzle over the pretzel mix.
Transfer into a large bowl and coat mix with chocolate.
Return to baking sheet to allow to dry.
When chocolate is set, sprinkle M&M’s and Bugle Santa Hats over the mix.
Transfer to big bowl to serve.
Santa Hat Party Mix!
or put in jars to give to your friends…
…or use as a peace offering when your game night doesn’t go as planned 😉
Hope your December is off to a great start!
Santa Hat Party Mix Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: About 9 cups 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Santa Hat Party Mix Recipe is exactly what you need for your upcoming Christmas party! Learn to make cute little edible santa hats and a delicious holiday snack mix!
Ingredients
Scale
Santa Hats
- Bugles ( I used Caramel Bugles, as they were slightly sturdier)
- Red Melting disks
- Mini marshmallows
- White sprinkles (I used nonpareils)
Snack Mix
- 3 cups mini pretzels
- 1/2 cup craisins
- 1 cup salted dry roasted peanuts
- 2 cups Rice Chex
- 2 cups holiday colored M&M’s
- 8 oz. white chocolate for melting
- Return to baking sheet to allow to dry.
- When chocolate is set, sprinkle M&M’s and Bugle Santa Hats over the mix.
- Transfer to big bowl to serve.
Instructions
Santa Hats
- Melt the candy melts, along with a tablespoon of shortening (to help thin the melted candy), in 30 second intervals on half power in your microwave until melted.
- Immediately start dipping.
- Let them set up for 10 minutes or so on parchment or wax paper.
- When they are set, remelt the red candy disk (if necessary) and dip just the bottoms (the large part of the Bugle) into the white sprinkles.
- Then flip it over and dip the top in the melted candy and press a mini marshmallow on top.
- Let dry on wax paper.
- Spread all your ingredients, EXCEPT M&M’s, out on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.
- Melt your white chocolate according to package directions and drizzle over the pretzel mix.
- Transfer into a large bowl and coat mix with chocolate.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 1520
- Sugar: 153.9 g
- Sodium: 324.9 mg
- Fat: 83.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 183.7 g
- Protein: 24.6 g
- Cholesterol: 21.6 mg
Want To Save This Recipe?
Made this for holiday gifts for the coworkers. Turned out fabulous. Couldn’t find caramel bugles, so I just used the original ones. Had no problem with them breaking.
Awesome!!! Glad to hear they worked great!
I LOVE this idea. So creative! Question: Where do you get the mini marshmallows that you used on the bottom of Santa’s hat?
Those are actually white sprinkles on the bottom of the hat!
Hey Shelly, totally love this post! I’m addicted to white chocolate. 🙂 Thank you so much! 🙂
How far ahead can you make these? Do the bugles get soggy?
They don’t get soggy at all! You can make this up to a week ahead!
oh my gawd, you used Bugles!!!! brilliant!!! making these!! so excited!!
My daughter and I made these. I used Merckens red disks and added shortening as directed. It turned the hats an almost pink color. It also meant that I had to put in the fridge to set up. I like the way that it tastes, but next time I will add more cranberries. If I make this again, I will put the hats on some kind of rack so the chocolate drains off instead of pooling under the hat. Giving them tomorrow…expecting lots of oohs and ahhs!
I was just wondering exactly what kind of shortening did you use to loosen up the melts?
I used vegetable shortening, like Crisco!
If you weren’t already taken i think this comment might very well be a marriage proposal! But seriously this is such a creative idea! I think this would be so easy do variations of. ie white chocolate dyed with black food coloring for an all Hallow’s eve one or blue or green for a gnome hat one. I am def going to try this out. Thanks so much!
THESE ARE THE CUTEST AND TASTIEST CHRISTMAS TREATS EVER!!!
I made these to give away to family as gifts and I couldn’t stop tasting them! OMG!!! I used the regular Bugles and they worked just fine. Thanks so much for sharing!
I also made the crock pot candy (http://cookiesandcups.com/crock-pot-candy/) ….also very yummy and super duper easy to make! Keep up the great ideas!!! =)
This is a super cute and clever idea. Thanks for sharing!