You can make Muddy Buddies ( we called it Puppy Chow when I was a kid) from Chex cereal. I haven’t had this stuff for ages, but it is so addictive and easy to make.
Then, there’s this amazing treat called Soda Cracker Crunch. It’s also easy to make, but does need quite a bit of time to cool before eating. I made these for Christmas gift baskets this year, and ended up keeping a lot of it because my kids went crazy over it. The recipe I linked to says to line the pan with foil, but in my experience parchment paper works much better. You also don’t have to grease the parchment paper and it still peels right off the finished candy. When I put the chocolate chips on top, I put it back into the oven for a few minutes. Just letting it sit on the hot pan, like this recipe says, will not melt them enough for you to spread the chocolate out. Finally, I leave out the nuts. You could top it with decorator sprinkles, or even mini M&M’s if you’re truly decadent. Anyway, the final “cookie” is the cracker sandwiched between crunchy toffee and chocolate. A great salty-sweet combination.
Now I feel, as a mom, that I should offer some kind of healthier idea. You can buy small bagels, pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings. Each of you makes mini pizzas with whatever you like best on them. Bake them at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet until the cheese is melted. My kids also like apple slices spread with peanut butter and a couple of Teddy Grahams stuck into the peanut butter.
This is really not healthy at all, but you can mix a jar of salsa con queso with a can of chili, heat it up, and serve it with tortilla chips.
Have fun!