It’s Easter time! Ah, that favorite spring solstice holiday where everything is budding, young, and full of life! Red is getting old enough to understand the concept of holidays and celebrating in fun, different ways. Christmas was extra fun this past winter, and now that springtime is upon us, I’m giving him a chance to really “cook” up some snack mix in the kitchen and make fun little snack bags for his teachers. This inexpensive Bunny Bait Snack Mix is an Easter recipe that the whole family can enjoy. The way we made it is nut free, but substituting a cereal like Chex for the Cheerios (and checking on your pretzel ingredients) also renders it gluten-free!
When I asked Red to help me cook, he pulled up his step stool to the counter and eagerly looked for his first task. I put him in charge of holding the measuring cups and dumping our ingredients into the large mixing bowl, as well as stirring and adding sprinkles. (And dear God, he almost dumped the WHOLE container in… so unless you want a lot of sprinkles, supervise the dumping!)
After I microwaved our sugar and butter mix, he was allowed to stir it together and sweep it into our large bowl. Truthfully, most of the mixing and creation was in his hands; all I did was pour and heat!
By the time our Bunny Bait was complete (less than 25 minutes), I had one VERY proud preschooler that wanted to show off his creation. To help foster his love for cooking, I helped him make baggies for his school teachers and even the neighbors. Red also insisted that we take a snack break immediately after cooking to enjoy our snack. (Who am I to say no to a snack break?!)
When your Easter recipe cooking session is done, what you’re left with is this fabulous, pastel colored confection that isn’t too sweet and has the right amount of crunch. It’s shelf stable and travels really well, so if you’re headed out-of-town on an Easter trip, pack some along for when the munchies hit! It’s also a great “dessert” for small kids and even the adults. Enjoy, and don’t forget to leave a little bit of Bunny Bait out for the Easter Bunny!
Ingredients:
- 4 cups frosted cheerios
- 2 cups plain Cheerios
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1/4 cup pastel candy sprinkles
- 2 cups mini pretzel rods (or twists)
- 1 cup pastel Easter M&Ms
- 1/2 cup butterscotch chips (minis are good, too!)
- 1 cup small marshmallows
Directions:
- Place the frosted cheerios in a large mixing bowl.
- In a smaller, microwavable bowl, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup and butter. Microwave on high, stirring often until the sugar is melted. Mix well. Pour over the frosted cheerios to cover. Stir in the sprinkles. Spread on a large cookie sheet to cool and set.
- In the large bowl, combine all other ingredients and stir until combined. When your sugared cheerio mix has set, add to the candy/pretzel mix and stir to combine.
Serve your Bunny Bait right away, or store in an airtight container (Ziploc, tupperware, etc. This is to prevent the marshmallows from hardening!)
That looks so cute. It also looks tasty! My kids would love helping me make this.
So here I am getting ready to eat lunch and I am totally lured in by the Bunny Bait Snack Mix pictures and recipe. I don’t even have to go to the store! All the ingredients are here. Thanks for the fantastic suggestion. The cottontails outside will feel badly they don’t get any (I’m not sharing with them) so when the Easter Bunny drops by your house, don’t mention that I saw this post, okay?
What an adorable idea! And this looks so yummy. I love making snack mixes that I can take on the go
This looks super yummy!
You might want to amend your gluten free note to say something about the pretzels, too, just in case because those usually have gluten, too!
Love this idea! So cute!
Red is so sweet! Such a great kitchen helper for you. 🙂 This mix looks like a fun treat – I see myself chowing down on a bowl tomorrow! 🙂 I think I have almost all the ingredients…
This looks like a great snack mix. This would be perfect for game night.
Oh you should never say no to a snack break. That’s especially true when the snacker you have for company is as cute as the one you have here. 🙂
Yum! This looks great! My kids would love something like this I’m so sure! Looks so tasty!
What an adorable idea! I love the concept of Bunny Bait a cute spin on traditional trail mix just in time for Easter!
What a fun treat. Looks like your son enjoyed it.
My preschooler loves to help me cook. I bet she’d love to make this and eat it, too!
That looks super tasty! I love Frosted Cheerios anyhow! And I bet the Easter M&Ms are delicious too!
How cute! I know if I were a bunny I would want some of this!
This looks like quite a bit of fun to make. Kiddo was bad about sprinkles. Oh, who am I kidding. At 10 she still wants to dump in all the sprinkles!
I’m so excited to try this! I went to the store and got the ingredients so I can make it for my daughter’s school Easter party tomorrow. Thank you!