Copycat Snacky Clusters
- Nicole Collins
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Copycat Snacky Clusters- This salty sweet treat is my DIY version of a favorite snack from Trader Joes.
December 24, 2025 by Nicole Collins
Today, we’re making Copycat Snacky Clusters!
Welcome to 12 Days of Treats!
Every year, we do a themed 12 days of… series, and this year I had the idea to make a non-cookie cookie box, of sorts. So over the next few days, we’re going to make a variety of treats ranging in a variety of holiday inspired flavors in all different levels of difficulty. But let’s be honest, none of these treats are too terribly difficult. Some just require more patience than others.
We’re kicking things off with a salty sweet snack that’s my take on a popular treat from Trader Joes. They may not be the prettiest treats on the block, but they sure are yummy!
We’re going to start by mixing a blend of crushed potato chips, crushed fritos, and crushed pretzels into a bowl. We don’t want these to be fine crumbs…we want a little texture to the pieces. But, we don’t want large hunks either. Another important note is that we want to measure our ingredients after we crush them, not before.
Once they’re mixed together, we’re going to coat everything in some melted chocolate. We’ll talk about this a little more in the next recipe, but the goal is to temper the chocolate to somewhere between 89-90 degrees. This is the perfect temperature for chocolate so that it sets properly and has the ideal texture.
After everything is mixed together, it’s going to look like a gloopy, chocolatey mess. And that’s exactly what it should look like! I like to use a small cookie scoop to form the mixture into little mounds (it’s easier and cleaner that way). Then we’ll let the chocolate set, and that’s all there is to it!
Like I said before, these are not the most attractive treat. So here are some marketing tips for these. 1. You could finish them with sprinkles to add a pop of color. The TJ’s version does not do this, but it’s the holidays. Who’s going to be mad about extra sparkle? The other way to go here is 2. Call them some kind of reindeer poop. The kids will love that one! And let’s be honest, it’s not a stretch.
Regardless of their looks, these treats are so yummy. You have different layers of salty sweet thanks to the 3 different crunchy bits we added to the mix. They each bring something special to the table…savory, salty, nutty…mmmmm. Besides, we all know I live for salty sweet!
Ok, everyone! Next up, we’re making something colorful, magical, and oh so simple. So, stay tuned!
I hope you guys enjoy, and let’s eat!
Copycat Snacky Clusters
Serves: 25-27 Print
Ingredients:
1 cup crushed plain kettle chips
1 cup crushed fritos
1 cup crushed mini pretzels
1 bag (12 oz) milk chocolate chips
Directions:
Add chips, fritos, and pretzel crumbs to a mixing bowl. Toss to combine, and set aside.
Place chocolate chips in a glass bowl. Use a microwave to melt and temper chocolate. Start by microwaving for 30 seconds, stir, then microwave in 10-15 second intervals as needed, stirring well between each interval, until the chocolate is melted and the temperature reaches between 89-90 degrees. If the chocolate is warmer than 90 degrees, add a few extra chocolate chips, stir well, and check the temperature again. Repeat as necessary until the chocolate reaches the correct temperature.
Pour melted chocolate over the chip mixture, and mix well until completely coated.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Use a 2 tbsp cookie scoop to drop the mixture into mounds on the baking sheet. Pop in the freezer for 15 mins. Return to room temp before storing in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Recipe notes:
*Measure the chips, fritos, and pretzels AFTER crushing them.
*Melting the chocolate to the proper temperature is important for the texture of the candy. If the chocolate is too hot, you won’t get that smooth snap when biting into the chocolate. It will almost feel waxy.
*When tempering the chocolate, stir vigorously between each interval in the microwave, and start checking the temps far before you think you should. The chips might not look like they’re melting, but a hard and constant stir will have them melt right before your eyes. It’s an arm workout, but it’s necessary to keep your temp from getting too hot (which happens so quickly). If the chocolate is too warm, add in fresh chocolate chips and stir stir stir til that temp comes down.
*I use an infrared thermometer gun to check the temp on the chocolate.
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