Peanut Butter & Jelly Chex Mix

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a lunch-box classic for good reason — it’s sweet, salty, and comforting all at the same time. It can easily go beyond two slices of bread and into Chex Mix, making it a perfect after-school, in-between meetings, or really anytime snack. You just need some peanut butter and raisins to make it happen.

You’ll need a big batch of basic Chex Mix on hand before you can go and jazz it up. Luckily, churning some out couldn’t be easier — especially when you lean on your slow cooker. Simply combine Chex cereal, pretzels, bagel chips, and crackers with melted butter and seasonings. Let the mixture cook on low in a slow cooker for a few hours until it’s dry and toasty and you’ve got your classic Chex Mix.

While it’s hard to beat homemade Chex Mix, don’t hesitate to reach for the store-bought stuff in a pinch. In fact, adding a few ingredients to a bag of Chex Mix is the easiest way to make it taste so much closer to the from-scratch version.

Get the recipe: How To Make Slow-Cooker Chex Mix

1. From homemade: Follow the recipe for slow-cooker Chex Mix, but omit the Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder and replace them with 2 tablespoons melted peanut butter and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. You can also replace the bagel chips and crackers with butter cookie or graham cracker pieces. Once cool, stir in a few big handfuls of raisins.

2. From store-bought: Toss a bag of Honey Nut Chex Mix with a few generous handfuls each of peanut butter chips and raisins.

The beloved party mix is a classic for good reason, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be jazzed up. In fact, it’s a blank slate for flavorful additions and mix-ins. This series will show you just how easy it is to make Chex Mix — be it homemade or store-bought — all your own.