Sweet and Salty Rainbow Snack Mix

This shop to create Sweet & Salty Rainbow Snack Mix has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CerealAnytime #CollectiveBias

My kids and I have a couple of things in common when it comes to food. We love bright colors and we love sweet & salty mixes. Since the girls have been asking for something new to snack on and we have some road trips on the agenda I thought it was time to create something new. This is how Sweet & Salty Rainbow Snack Mix was created.

Walking around Walmart I was trying to decide what to add into the mix. Rainbow popcorn was a must, as were salty snacks such as pretzels and crackers. Cruising down the cereal aisle, I found exactly what I needed. Fruity Pebbles. Not just any Fruity Pebbles, Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles!

I can’t believe Fruity Pebbles have been around since 1970! They’ve always been a family favorite of mine, and it’s the preferred cereal to use for marshmallow treats in our household as well. Not only do I love the flavor, but I love that there isn’t high fructose corn syrup in it. The bright colors are an added bonus.

Sweet & Salty Rainbow Snack Mix

There are a few steps to creating this snack mix. The first thing I had to do was figure out how to incorporate the Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles. I decided to use them as marshmallow treats, only instead of turning them into treat bars, I turned them into mini treat balls! For this first step I decided to separate the marshmallows out of the Fruity Pebbles so I could add them into the snack mix later.

This really didn’t take as long as I thought it would. My husband had the same suspicions as I did about being time consuming so he abandoned me, fearing I’d ask for his assistance. He was just as surprised as I was when I told him the task was complete.

Marshmallow Treats

Next I made Fruity Pebble treat balls. First melt two tablespoons of butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Then add in six cups of marshmallows to the butter and melt them in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each microwave session. Don’t over cook the marshmallows or it will affect the texture of the finished treats. Once marshmallows are melted mix in six cups of Fruity Pebbles. Let them cool momentarily, then form into bite sized mini treat balls. Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet to set for about fifteen minutes.

Tip: Wet your hands with a little water to keep the marshmallow treats from sticking to them while forming the mini balls. Rewet your hands as needed until all treat balls are formed.

Snack Mix

While you’re waiting for the treat balls to set start combining the other snack mix ingredients in a large bowl. I had two cups each of pretzels, cheese crackers, rainbow popcorn, and white popcorn. One cup each of dried cranberries and dried pineapple. Then I added in the marshmallows from the Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles. Mix everything together until combined.

When the treat balls are set spread the rest of the snack mix over the top of them on the baking sheet. I’ll be honest, I had to use two baking sheets for the treat balls, but I only did this next step over one of those baking sheets. I left the other treat balls separate to add in the mix at the end.

Rainbow Drizzle

In case you weren’t already having fun, here’s the fun part. Now we’re going to melt down different colored candy melting chips and drizzle it over the snack mix. This adds in a little extra flavor and a little extra rainbow color to the mix. Follow the melting instructions on your candy melts package.

When I drizzled these over the snack mix I found that using a butter knife worked better than a spoon. I also decided to do each color in it’s own section. If you feel like just drizzling the colors over the entire thing in random patterns, go for it! This is your snack mix, have fun with it.

When the candy melt drizzle is set go ahead and break your snack mix up again, place it in a bowl and add in the remaining Fruity Pebbles treat balls.

Serve it all up in bright, fun bowls and enjoy!

Sweet and Salty Rainbow Snack Mix

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Ingredients

  

For the Fruity Pebbles Treat Balls

• 2 tbsp butter
• 6 cups miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles marshmallows reserved

For the Snack Mix

• 2 cups pretzels
• 2 cups cheese crackers
• 2 cups rainbow popcorn
• 2 cups white popcorn
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup dried pineapple
• Reserved marshmallows from Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles
• Various colors of candy melting chips

Instructions

 

For Fruity Pebbles Treats

• Melt butter in a large microwave safe bowl.
• Add in marshmallows and melt them in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring well between each interval until marshmallows are melted. Don't over cook marshmallows.
• Stir in Fruity Pebbles until well coated with melted marshmallows.
• Form into bite sized balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and leave to set for about 15 minutes.

For Snack Mix

• Combine pretzels, crackers, both kinds of popcorn, dried fruit and reserved marshmallows in a large bowl.
• When Fruity Pebbles Treats are set, spread the snack mix over the top of the treat balls on the baking sheet.
• Melt each of the candy melt colors in a separate bowl according to package directions, then drizzle over the snack mix.
• When candy melt drizzle is set, break up the snack mix and place into a large bowl.
• Enjoy!

What are you going to make with Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below.