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With the holiday season just around the corner it’s time to start planning some tasty snacks to bring to parities or just to have on hand. One fun recipe we can’t rave about enough is our Santa Claus Trail Mix! It combines sweet, salty, and a few sweet surprises that is sure to be a huge hit this Christmas season! All the classics plus some delicious homemade granola and red velvet cookies. That you can even enjoy on the side if you wish! Check out how to create this salty-sweet treat below.
Festive Santa Claus Trail Mix
What says Christmas time more than a bowl of trail mix WITH Red velvet cookies! You can prepare this ahead of time, which is always a win! Pull it out when guests show up or package it up in cute Christmas themed containers and give as gifts! You can easily substitute out things with items you prefer, but we highly recommend you keep the delicious homemade cookies in it. It’s a sweet treat everyone – old and young will really enjoy. If you don’t feel you have time to make your own cookies, no worries you can easily sub in store bought ones as well! Whatever you decide to do we know this recipe will be a huge hit! Check out how to create this Festive Santa Claus trail mix below! Happy Holidays!
Santa Claus Trail Mix Recipe
- Yield: 8 – 12 servings
- Prep Time: 45 min
- Bake Time: 32 min
- Total Time: 1 hour and 17 minutes
Ingredients:
Granola Ingredients
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 5 cups oats
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Red Velvet Cookies:
- 2 sticks unsalted sweet cream butter, cold sliced
- 1 ½ C granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp super red food coloring
- ¼ C unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 C cake flour
- 1 ¾ C all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ C mini chocolate chips
Extras:
- M&Ms, red and green
- Crushed Candy Canes
- Chocolate Chips
- Mini Marshmallows
Instructions
Granola
- Preheat the oven 325 degrees
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl add the honey, oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon.
- Whisk to combine.
- Add the oats, cranberries, and pecans.
- Mix to combine.
- Pour the oat mixture on the prepared baking pan.
- Evenly spread the mixture on the baking pan.
- Bake for 16 minutes.
- Set to the side.
- Allow to cool to room temp.
- Break the granola up into large chunks.
Red Velvet Cookies
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter and sugar.
- Using a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium for 3 minutes. .
- The butter/sugar mixture will appear light in color and fluffy.
- Add one egg at a time, beating directly after adding.
- After adding each egg, vanilla, and red food coloring, in the mixture.
- Mix on low speed until combined.
- In a large bowl add both types of flour, cocoa, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt, whisk to combine.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture while the mixer is on low speed.
- Continue beating the mixture until a soft dough is made.
- With the mixer on low beat in the mini chocolate chips, on low until combined.
- Place the dough in the refrigerator, covered, until chilled for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 410 degrees.
- Place the dough on a well floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a ½ inch thickness.
- With a small sized circle cookie cutter, cut out 24 circles and place on a baking parchment covered baking pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown on the top.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely
Putting it together
- In a large bowl add all of the ingredients and toss to combine.
Santa Claus Trail Mix
Get festive this season with this ultimate trail mix snack! Packed full of festive goodies!
Ingredients
Granola
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 5 cups oats
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Red Velvet Cookies
- 2 sticks unsalted sweet cream butter, cold sliced
- 1 ½ C granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp super red food coloring
- ¼ C unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 C cake flour
- 1 ¾ C all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ C mini chocolate chips
Extras
- M&Ms, red and green
- Crushed Candy Canes
- Chocolate Chips
- Mini Marshmallows
Instructions
Granola:
- Preheat the oven 325 degrees
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl add the honey, oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon.
- Whisk to combine.
- Add the oats, cranberries, and pecans.
- Mix to combine.
- Pour the oat mixture on the prepared baking pan.
- Evenly spread the mixture on the baking pan.
- Bake for 16 minutes.
- Set to the side.
- Allow to cool to room temp.
- Break the granola up into large chunks.
Red Velvet Cookies:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter and sugar.
- Using a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium for 3 minutes.
- The butter/sugar mixture will appear light in color and fluffy.
- Add one egg at a time, beating directly after adding.
- After adding each egg, vanilla, and red food coloring, in the mixture.
- Mix on low speed until combined.
- In a large bowl add both types of flour, cocoa, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt, whisk to combine.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture while the mixer is on low speed.
- Continue beating the mixture until a soft dough is made.
- With the mixer on low beat in the mini chocolate chips, on low until combined.
- Place the dough in the refrigerator, covered, until chilled for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 410 degrees.
- Place the dough on a well floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a ½ inch thickness.
- With a small sized circle cookie cutter, cut out 24 circles and place on a baking parchment-covered baking pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown on the top.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Putting It Together
- In a large bowl add all of the ingredients and toss to combine
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