Decorating for Halloween is less fun than it used to be! It has always been the first of the fall festivities that I have always enjoyed! I grew up next door to my cousins, Greg and Melissa. Most of the time, we went trick-or-treating together. And, usually, only to our grandparents and our aunts and uncles’ houses. And even though Halloween in Georgia is still warm, and we were sweating, dressed in cheap vinyl costumes with masks with holes and slits barely big enough to see and breathe through, we were having the time of our lives!
Then I became a parent, and oh, what fun I had dressing my kids up! Can you relate when I say I took something I loved and made it up into so much more? I decorated and had Halloween parties with hay rides, bobbing for apples, and bonfires. And, rather than cheap vinyl costumes, my kids had cute homemade costumes. I would spend weeks shopping and planning.
That is until the year I talked Savannah into being a snowman! She was in the second grade when I decided a snowman would be too cute! I bought the white sweatshirt and sweatpants, a top hat, and everything I needed to accomplish the look. I thought she was precious, but she did not! She hated the carrot nose most of all. But she also didn’t like the pipe or the hat, and it just happened to be one of the hottest Halloween nights in years. By the time we walked the neighborhood and returned home, we were all miserable, and I had learned a lesson. That the kids were much cuter when they were happy, too!
Now that we have grown children and no longer live in a neighborhood, Halloween is just another day. Traditions change whether we like it or not.
Occasionally, I still find myself in the kitchen making the treats I made for years. Pecan brittle is a candy that I associate with fall and Halloween. Caramel corn has always been a favorite, but I tried something different this year.
I call this Caramel Halloween Munch. It’s slightly different from the caramel corn as it’s made with Bugles and Chex cereal. I decided to add Chester’s Puff Corn as an experiment. I’m so glad I did! Added to this mixture, they remind me of Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets.
The Caramel Halloween Munch is sweet, crunchy, and delicious! For festive fun, I added some candy corn and Reece’s Pieces to the cooled mixture. This is sure to be a hit at your next fall party!
Caramel Halloween Munch
Ingredients
- 4 cups Bugles
- 2 cups Rice Chex cereal
- 3 cups Chester's Puff Corn
- 1 cup tiny pretzel twists optional
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To the pan, add Bugles, cereal, puff corn and pretzels, set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda.
- Pour the syrup over the Bugle mixture and using two wooden spoons, toss to coat all of the pieces well.
- Bake for 12 to15 minutes, stirring every 4 to 5 minutes. Watch very closely, it can burn fast!
