This Salted Caramel Chocolate Chex Mix makes the perfect indulgent late night snack, and it is naturally gluten-free! (Dairy-free option too.)
Raise your hand if you love snacks.
Is your hand up? Good!
I am definitely a snacker. If you are too, you are in the right place! I often go for “snacky” foods instead of actual meals. Snacks are so much more fun and definitely more “munchable.”
To be honest, I snack All. Day. LONG.
That being said, I especially look forward relaxing with my hubby and watching tv in the evenings. It is the perfect time to snack.
What is better than putting your feet up, watching your favorite show, and eating a big bowl of popcorn?
I’ll tell you!
Putting your feet up, watching your favorite show, and eating a bowl of this Salted Caramel Chocolate Chex Mix.
In my opinion, late night snacks should be sweet, indulgent, and definitely have some chocolate. This Salted Caramel Chocolate Chex Mix satisfies all of those requirements.
It is also pretty easy to make.
Anyone in the gluten-free community is probably pretty familiar with Rice Chex™. One of the few breakfast cereals that is safe for those with celiac to eat (and one of my personal favorites.) It is a pantry staple across the nation.
What you might now have tried yet are these Nature Valley™ Nut Crisp Bars. I love that Nature Valley supports the Celiac Disease Foundation and created a granola bar that is not only safe to enjoy, but pretty darn tasty!
I hadn’t tried the Nature Valley Nut Crisp Bars until someone brought a few boxes to my local gluten-intolerance support group last month. I was given an extra box of bars to bring home to share with my kids and OMG I was floored with how good they are. The Nut Crisp Bars come in a dark chocolate almond and a salted caramel peanut and BOTH flavors are the perfect addition to the Salted Caramel Chocolate Chex Mix.
Just a few days after our gluten-intolerance support group I went to Albertson’s to get all my late-night snacking supplies and I just HAD to grab a few boxes of Nut Crisp Bars to add to my Salted Caramel Chocolate Chex Mix.
Not only are they a perfectly easy way to add some variety to this Salted Caramel Chocolate Chex Mix, they are also a great on-the-go snack or an I-forgot-to-eat-breakfast snack.
Now, on to the Salted Caramel Chocolate Chex Mix recipe!
You start with a basic salted caramel, which only takes a few minutes to make and you DON’T need a candy thermometer. I adapted my recipe from Something Swanky’s Easy Caramel Corn (Ashton is a popcorn snacking genius!)
Pour the caramel over some Rice Chex and stir to coat. Then bake for 10 minutes to achieve the perfect crunchy chew.
Once it cools break it up. Then chop up some Nature Valley Nut Crisp Bars and toss it all together.
Give it a healthy drizzle of melted chocolate. Because chocolate.
My hubby can’t have dairy right now, so I didn’t add the Nut Crisp Bars to half of the Salted Caramel Chex Mix (and I used dairy-free chocolate for the drizzle) so that I could still share it with him. You can swap in some of Nature Valley's Roasted Nut Crunch Bars or Simple Nut Bars to get the same crunchy nutty texture. I loved the extra crunch from the bars, he definitely missed out!
Armed with some indulgent late night snacks, we are all set for our Friday at-home “Netflix & Chill” date night!
And since it is technically cereal, you can get away with eating a handful with breakfast the next day, right?
That is... if you have a handful left. 😉
📖 Recipe

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chex Mix
This Salted Caramel Chocolate Chex Mix makes the perfect indulgent late night snack, and it is naturally gluten-free! (Dairy-free option too.)
Ingredients
- 6 cups Rice Chex™
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter (I used non-dairy)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt (coarse or flaky for sprinkling on top, finer for adding to the caramel.)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 Nature Valley™ Nut Crisp Bars (I used 2 Almond Dark Chocolate and 2 Salted Caramel Peanut)
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Measure the Rice Chex into a bowl and preheat your oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a saucepan combine the brown sugar, honey, and butter. Cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture begins to bubble.
- Set a timer and let it bubble for 4 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat immediately and stir in ½-3/4 teaspoon sea salt, the baking soda and vanilla extract.
- Pour the caramel over the Chex and stir to coat.
- Spread the cereal on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool and then break into pieces.
- Chop the Nature Valley Nut Crisp Bars into bite-sized pieces and then toss with the Chex.
- Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave and drizzle over the Salted Caramel Chex Mix. (I used a sandwich bag with a corner cut off to neatly drizzle.)
- Sprinkle with ¼ - ½ teaspoon coarse or flaky sea salt.
- Let the chocolate harden, and snack away!
Notes
If you are eating dairy free you'll have to skip the Nature Valley Nut Crisp Bars ☹️ but you can swap in some of Nature Valley's Roasted Nut Crunch Bars or Simple Nut Bars to get the same crunchy nutty texture.
Use a dairy free chocolate to drizzle your Salted Caramel Chocolate Chex Mix and a non-dairy butter in the caramel.
Nutrition Information
Yield 16 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 512Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 23mgSodium 589mgCarbohydrates 74gFiber 3gSugar 34gProtein 7g
All nutrition info is a guestimate and will vary depending on the ingredients you use.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Albertsons. The opinions and text are all mine.