Valentine's Day Party Mix and Printables
/
Valentine’s Day Party Mix & Printables
The BEST version of this mix, if we do say so ourselves.. #trust ;)
Introducing - for the first time on That Cozy Life (which how is that possible?!) - CUPID’S CRUNCH aka ‘Love Pop’ according to Riley. Ha! This white chocolate popcorn chex mix is our favorite go-to party treat and can be adapted to every holiday/event/party you will ever host/attend. Big statement, I know. But Leprechaun Bait, anyone? How bout some Bunny Bait? Boo Bait? Reindeer Bait? Triceratops treats? The list goes on.. Just switch up the color of the m&m’s and the colored white chocolate drizzle at the end and you’ve got yourself (i.m.o) the best - and definitely prettiest - version of whatever it is you want to call it. I know there are few different versions of this online, but this method has become our tried + true, and trust me when I say I was very thorough in my recipe testing. ;)
First, please check out Evie learning from the best right here.. ha!!
My Riley girl requested to make this mix for her classmates for Valentine’s Day this year.. she is a lover of the homemade Valentine - as am I, for sure. A bit more work than store-bought, but it’s a tradition that we have stuck to every year (even before she was in school - see link and scroll to bottom) and I think the memories are more than worth the extra time. That being said, if you want to revisit with me when her classes are larger than 20 kiddos, I might have a different perspective on it. Ha! Anyways, I jumped on Pinterest and found some printables (linking them below) and she chose this sweet one from the ladies at the Lolly Jane blog. Apparently the ‘My heart pops for you’ one might have given some of the boys ‘the wrong idea,’ according to her. lol I grabbed some cello favor bags from Target ($2 for 20!) and some string from the dollar section and we got after it. (Sidenote: I could almost pat myself on the back for my bargain shopping success if I hadn’t then proceed to hit the home section before we left. Womp womp.) Moving on! We had such a sweet time making these together and, since it’s her first year in preschool, Everly was so excited to be joining in classmate Valentine’s for the first time. I melt. Pun totally intended.
And btw- Evie went with “My heart pops for you” and is apparently not at all concerned with giving any boy the wrong idea. Which is not surprising in the least considering the fact that she makes a regular habit of inviting her ‘boyfriends’ over for sleepovers and would like to ‘marry all of them at the same time.’ Ahaha. #trouble
TCL’s Favorite Popcorn Party Mix
With a handful of names (Cupid’s Bait in this case), this popcorn treat is a holiday-themed snack mix of m&m’s, pretzels, chex cereal, white chocolate and freshly popped popcorn.
INGREDIENTS
8 cups popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup unpopped),
12 oz Valentine’s day M&M's (divided)
1 1/2 cup pretzels; each piece broken in half
2 cups white candy melts
1 cup colorful candy melts
PREPARATION
Line a large baking sheet (18 x 13 or similar) with parchment paper, then set nearby.
Place popped popcorn in large mixing bowl, being sure to remove any unpopped kernels. Add chex and pretzels and stir to combine.
In a microwave-safe medium mixing bowl, heat the white candy melts per package instructions until smooth. Pour candy melts over the popcorn mixture, then use a spatula to quickly (but gently!) toss and stir until the candy melts have coated all of the ingredients. Be careful not to stir too long; you don’t want the candy melts to harden yet.
Add 8 oz. M&M’s to mixing bowl and combine. (We add them after so they don’t get completely coated with the white chocolate. Totally a visual thing, but trust!)
Transfer coated popcorn mixture to prepared baking sheet and spread out into an even layer. While candy melts are still wet, sprinkle with remaining M&M’s.
To add more color (optional) heat some colorful candy melts -we used pink, here- and drizzle them on top of the cupid’s bait. Let mixture dry completely (about 1 hour), then use your hands to gently break it apart into snack-sized pieces.
Can be stored at room temperature in sealed bags or a container for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
