Caramel Apple Chex Mix

We are big Chex fans in this family.  My husband and daughter love the "purple" Chex cereal aka Vanilla Chex.  It's delicious and plenty sugary.  My son loves the "orange" or "green" Chex cereal and alternates between the two; orange is cinnamon and green is apple cinnamon.  I prefer the "blue" Chex aka the Rice Chex cereal b/c I'm not much of a sugar cereal kind of gal,    

I love that the cereals are gluten free, and the rest of the family loves that they are sweet and delicious.

Ever since my Denver days I have been a big fan of Chex Mix, and this Caramel Apple Chex Mix is up there with my favorites.  

My kiddos thought it was so good they grabbed it and ate it  with milk for their "cereal" for the day.  Don't worry, I fully realize that was a bit of a mom fail coming down the stairs to my two oldest (4 and 3) each with a bowl of Chex Mix for breakfast.  Therefore, I made sure they got a double serving of green smoothie.

A good Chex mix is pretty hard to beat, and this Caramel Apple is up there w my other favorites include this Parmesan Chex Mix and Birthday Cake Muddy Buddies.  However, we can't forget the classic Chocolate Peanut Butter Muddy Buddies/puppy chow.  Ahhhh, there are so many good ones!

Even with other delicious Chex mix recipes out there, you will definitely want to make this Caramel Apple Chex Mix.  It's delicious, tasty, easy and simple to make (with kids even), and with a couple easy adjustments it's totally gluten free.  Plus, caramel and apple just screams Fall; it'd make a great snack this Labor Day weekend, or any time really.  

Caramel Apple Chex Mix
Recipe: Alohamora  
Active Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6-7 cups

Ingredients: 
4 c. Apple Cinnamon Chex (you can substitute Apple Cinnamon Cheerios)
2 c. Rice Chex
1 c. Teddy Grahams (you can substitute roasted unsalted peanuts for a gf option)
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp cinnamon, ground
1/2 tsp ginger, ground
3/4 c. Kroger's Salted Caramel Baking Chips
or
3/4 c. Caramel Nibs

Directions: 

1. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set aside.  
2. In a large bowl, a glass microwaveable bowl is ideal, mix the Chex and Teddy Grahams together.  I like to use the Snack Saks Teddy Grahams b/c they are smaller but either works.  I prefer to use the Apple Cinnamon Chex over the Apple Cinnamon Cheerios b/c the apple flavor is a tad stronger.  However, either is delicious and Cheerios can be a bit easier to find.  Both of those cereals are gluten free.  Though, I have found Apple Cinnamon Chex at various stores; some stores have them and some don't. Winco always has them here in Arizona.
3. Melt the butter in a small microwaveable bowl, or glass Pyrex measuring cup.  Add the sugar, honey and spices to the butter and stir to combine everything.
4. Place the butter sugar mixture in the microwave and heat on high for about a minute or until it starts to boil.  It usually takes 45 seconds to 1 minute.   
5. Pour the butter mixture over the cereal mixture and stir to combine everything until all the cereal is coated.  
6. In a microwaveable bowl (not a colored plastic one b/c that can affect the cooking of the Chex Mix) microwave the Chex mixture for 1 minute on high.  If you are using Cheerios cook it at 70% power for 1 minute. Remove the Chex mix and stir it well. Microwave it for another minute, and then take it out and stir.  Repeat that 2 more times for a total of 4 minutes cooking.  
7. When you've removed the Chex mix from the microwave add the caramel (chips or nibs) and stir to combine everything.  The chips make for a richer and sweeter mix, but the nibs give you that chewy caramel deliciousness.  While stirring the caramel into the Chex mix you should see it begin to melt.  
8. Pour the well stirred Chex Mix onto the prepared pan and lay it out as flat as possible.  
9. Enjoy the Caramel Apple Chex Mix warm or cool!  It's delicious either way. 
10. Store leftovers in a sealed container on the counter. 

Happy Caramel Apple Chex Mix eating!