This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
Looking for an easy, fast treat for your Valentine? Red Hots Muddy Buddies are the perfect blend of spicy and sweet!
I’m Red Hot For You Valentine!
Oh Valentine, You Make Me Sizzle.
Valentine, You’re Spicy Sweet!
Okay, sorry. I couldn’t resist. I mean, it’s a Red Hots treat for Valentine’s Day, after all. Believe me, I had a lot more sayings. None of them entirely appropriate for a food blog, either. Ahem.
Have you seen all the muddy buddies (aka puppy chow) around blogland lately? I’ve been inspired! But, with all the inspiration, I had the hardest time coming up with a flavor to make. And then I had it: Red Hots! The ultimate Valentine candy! Well, at least, I remember them being Valentine Candy. Now, you know, they aren’t. And, I guess they aren’t very popular, because I had to go to three stores to find them. (FYI, Walmart and Walgreens carry them, in boxes, movie-theatre style.)
I’m not a huge Red Hots fan; they are too strong for me. So I wondered what would happen when I made these into muddy buddies. And I was very happy with the result!
These are so simple to make. First, you need to crush your Red Hots. I didn’t do this for my first batch and they didn’t melt very much. So, put them in a plastic bag and whack away with a glass. Just be sure to put the bag on a paper plate first – holes appear quickly and you don’t want to clean Red Hot dust out of your grout.
Then you simply melt candy melts and the red hots together with a bit of oil. Be sure to stir it often – the candy hardens quick. Spread the melted mixture over Chex mix, shake it in powdered sugar, and you’re done! Just be sure to pull out any Red Hots that didn’t melt all the way before serving – you don’t want anyone to break a tooth!
The sweetness of the vanilla candy cuts the cinnamon flavor quite a bit. You get a hint of cinnamon, and mingled with the sweetness, this is quite a tasty treat.
So you can serve it up to your Valentine and say, “I think you’re Red Hot!”
Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
Red Hots Muddy Buddies
Ingredients
- 4 ounces vanilla flavored almond bark or candy melts
- 3 1/2 cups Chex cereal
- 1/3 cup Red Hots crushed
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Place Chex in a large bowl. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Place powdered sugar in a large zip-top plastic bag.
- You can crush your Red Hots in a plastic bag. Place the bag on a paper plate and bash the bag with the bottom of a glass.
- Place candy melts, oil, and Red Hots in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for about 2 minutes, stirring well every 30 seconds. The Red Hots will stick to the side of the bowl so be sure to scrape it when you stir.
- Once candy has melted together (there will still be small pieces of Red Hots evident in the candy) pour it over the Chex and stir well. Pour the cereal in the plastic bag. Seal (be sure it’s sealed) and shake vigorously, to coat all the cereal with powdered sugar. Turn out onto cookie sheet and let cool. Pick out any whole Red Hots before serving. Those are too hard to chew!
Recipe Nutrition
Click here for my complete list of Valentine’s Day Recipes!
More snack ideas for your Valentine:
Sweets from Friends:
Nutella Almond Muddy Buddies by Something Swanky
Cookie Butter Muddy Buddies by Kristin’s kNook
Mocha Cappuccino Puppy Chow by Inside BrewCrew Life
Last Updated on May 15, 2020
You know I love these Dorothy. 🙂 I bet this would be good with Cinnamon flavored Chex cereal!
I know! I was scared to try it, in case it was too strong. But the flavor was muted, so I think that would be good!
Ha ha, no way I just made some rice krispy treats using red hots today! I guess it’s the season 🙂 These look so good. I Love muddy buddies, I could eat that whole bowl myself! Now I know what I’m going to do with my leftover red hots!
Oh, yum! I’m now in love with red hots in things…instead of by themselves!
Love Red Hots – right up my alley! I have yet to try Muddy Buddies or Puppy Chow….hmm?
You must try! The original version is also quite tasty (pb and chocolate!)
YUMMY! I want some now!!!
Thanks Diana!
Love this twist on the Muddy Buddies!
I want to believe you when you say they’re tasty. I really do. But when I see Red Hots used in desserts..I just can’t handle it. However, I think bloggers are super creative for coming up with desserts using Red Hots (of all the things!)
These are not strong at all – the flavor is so muted! I’m NOT a red hots fan, but I ate buckets of this! 🙂
OH my goodness…what a fun Muddy Buddy flavor! This is absolutely perfect for Valentines! I love how fun and creative this is! I’m not a huge fan of red hots unless it is in something like this and toned down!
Same here – and this did the trick! 🙂 Thanks Jocelyn!
This sounds insanely crazy delish!
Thanks Jamie!
Wow, I can honestly say I’ve never seen Red Hots Muddy Buddies before, way to get creative and think outside the box! This would make a fantastic treats for someone who loves cinnamon.
Thanks Anna! And they aren’t too strong at all! 🙂
These look so good Dorothy. I love how they’re quite spicy too. I can’t handle spicy things myself (I’m coming around to ‘warming’) LOL but the giant man-baby would love these.
Such a pity we don’t get the Chex or the Red Hots. Maybe I could just use something similar (wholewheat cereal) and throw in a Jalapeño, that’ll blow his socks off. 😀
Thanks Lisa! The cinnamon is definitely muted in these, perfect for me! My husband would probably put tapatio sauce (like tabasco) on them if I let him…
Featured In
Rate This Recipe