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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
that is a perfect flavor for the Red Hot Love Day! =) Thanks for linking at Show Me Your Plaid Monday’s!
Thanks Chandra!
I hated red hots when I was little but now I love them. And this puppy chow is perfect for Valentines Day. If only for the sole reason to say “I think your red hot”
I know, right?? Thanks Nicole!
I definitely remember red hots being a valentines day candy, but now that you mention it– I haven’t seen any yet this year! I tried to buy snow caps last week, too, and had to go ALL OVER to find them! *rant over* I love red hots and puppy chow, so this sounds like an epic combo 🙂
I remember my mom buying bagsful and eating them. Weird! Thanks Kelly!
My kiddos will go crazy for this!
Mine sure did! Thanks so much!
Oh my word. I haven’t had Red Hots in yearrrrrrs! Love this!
Neither had I! I need to bake with them more. 🙂 Thanks Karly!
What a great idea for a snack! We had a machine in culinary school that would coat anything in chocolate, white or dark and I loved making up toppings. Your technique makes it look easy, XOXO
I want one of those machines! LOL 🙂
mmm I love the taste of red hots now as an adult. This would be fabulous!
My husband loves red hots but I’m not a huge fan. . .I think I could get into eating them in this, though!
I’m not a huge fan of them straight either, but these were really good! 🙂 Thanks Jessica!
LOL I used to love red hots, we had contests to see who could put the most in their mouth at one time. Now in this version, it would probably taste way better.
It totally does! We had those competitions too – with fireballs. *shudder*
Yum! Love the contrast with the red hots!
Thanks Michelle!
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