Chocolate peanut butter popcorn snack mix

The Oscars may have come and gone, but I've still got movies on the brain.  Well, not the movies, but the ultimate movie-watching snack mix!

My co-host, Julie, found this recipe and was saving it for weeks to debut at our shindig.  No offense, Jules, but this should've been made weeks ago for "testing" purposes :)

That giant bowl of snack mix didn't stand a chance with us and was polished off in a few hours.  We don't mess around, kids.

It contained all of the best munchie flavors in one convenient snack.  Salty crunch.  Warm cinnamon.  Sweet chocolate.  And nutty peanut butter.

OMG, the PB!  

At least for me, the melted peanut butter chips that found their way to every kernel and Cheerio made this mix a new favorite of mine.  With that little extra sweetness that comes with peanut butter baking chips, my hand couldn't stay out of this stuff.

Thank goodness we set up the buffet far away from the couches and viewing area.  Ten feet away, cough cough.  Felt far, anyway.

This is definitely make-again-as-soon-as-I-can recipe.  Whip up some for your next movie night, March Madness, or even a cool afternoon watching the Weather Channel.  It'd even make watching paint dry delicious.

One year ago: Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts
Two years ago: Traditional yeast doughnuts


Ultimate Movie-Viewing Snack Mix
(adapted slightly from Hungry Girl's recipe)
-serves 4-6

One little note: We may have increased the amount of peanut butter chips for good measure.  Go ahead and do the same.  You'll be glad you did.

1 standard-sized bag 94% fat-free butter-flavored microwave popcorn
4 Tablespoons peanut butter chips, chopped
1 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar (not packed)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups Chocolate Cheerios

Cook popcorn according to package directions.  Once popcorn is just cool enough to handle, measure 8 cups and place in a large microwave-safe bowl, discarding any unpopped kernels.

Evenly sprinkle crushed peanut butter chips, brown sugar, and cinnamon over the popcorn.  Microwave for 30 seconds, or until the crushed peanut butter chips have partially melted.  Gently but thoroughly mix contents of the bowl to evenly distribute the toppings.  Add chocolate cereal and mix well. Serve it up (or pack it into sealable bags) and enjoy!