Reindeer chow is a delicious sweet and salty holiday snack! Rice Chex, Cheerios, peanuts, pretzels, and M&Ms are coated in melted white chocolate; delicious!
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper; set aside.
In a very large bowl, mix together the Rice Chex, Cheerios, peanuts, pretzels and M&Ms.
In a medium bowl, melt the white chocolate and shortening in the microwave on 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds, until completely melted.
Pour the melted chocolate over the dry ingredients and quickly toss together until everything is pretty evenly coated in the white chocolate. Spread the mixture out on the prepared pan and refrigerate until it's set, about 20 minutes. Break up any chunks and store in tins or airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.
Notes
Rice Chex Cereal – Substitute another favorite, such as Corn Chex or Crispix.
Cheerios – Any “o” type of cereal will work here, or throw in more rice or corn chex.
Peanuts – You can substitute other types of nuts or omit them entirely. Feel free to add more of anything else!
Pretzel Sticks – You can also use mini twist pretzels, or break up any of your favorite pretzels.
Red and Green M&Ms – I love how festive these are! You can also use the mini M&M version, peanut or peanut butter M&Ms, or substitute your favorite chocolate candies – mini peanut butter cups, chocolate chips, mini Oreo cookies, Reese’s Pieces, etc.
White Chocolate – This creates a delicious coating that holds all of the ingredients together into big chunks. You can also use white chocolate melts, candy melts. or almond bark.
Vegetable Shortening – This helps to keep the melted white chocolate chips from getting clumpy; it thins out the melted chocolate so it can coat the ingredients evenly and easily. You can also use coconut oil. If you decide to use one of the melting products mentioned above, you do not need to use the vegetable shortening.
Storage Notes: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. You can pop it into the freezer for a super crunchy reindeer chow that tastes absolutely wonderful!