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These Christmas Bugles are the perfect no-bake holiday treat, combining crunchy Bugles corn snacks with colorful candy coatings and festive decorations. Each Bugle is transformed into an edible Santa hat, cute elf hat or charming Christmas tree with candy melts, sprinkles and a touch of imagination. They’re salty, sweet, crunchy and lots of fun to make, especially with kids.
Christmas Bugles are crunchy corn chips dipped in colorful candy melts, decorated with sprinkles and transformed into edible Santa hats, elf hats and mini trees.
Also try Santa hat cocktails, Santa cupcakes, Christmas cakesicles, Santa hat cupcakes, and Nutter Butter reindeer cookies.
Why You’ll Love It
Fun and festive: Bright colors and cute designs make these perfect holiday treats.
Easy prep: No baking required – just dip, decorate and let them set.
Kid-friendly: Kids can help dip and add sprinkles, making it a family project.
Sweet and salty combo: The mix of crunchy Bugles and candy coating is so good.
Bugle Santa Hats and Christamas Trees Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Bugles corn snacks: These have the perfect cone shape for hats and trees, plus their salty crunch pairs well with the sweet candy coating. If you can’t find Bugles, any cone-shaped corn snack will work.
Red candy melts: For Santa hats and festive holiday coloring. No need to temper, and it sets up quickly. I like to use a small amount of refined coconut oil to help thin the melted candy, making it easier to dip and coat the Bugles.
Green candy melts: Used for elf hats and Bugle Christmas trees.
White candy melts: Add trim, accents and “pom-poms” on hats.
Refined coconut oil: Helps thin the candy melts if they’re too thick.
Holiday sprinkles: Provide color, texture and a festive finish.
Star sprinkles: Tiny edible toppers for the Bugle trees.
How to Make Christmas Bugle Bites
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prep trays: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Melt candy: Melt red, green or white candy melts in a microwave safe bowl, adding a little coconut oil if too thick.
Dip Bugles: Coat Bugles in red or green for hats, or fully in green for trees, letting excess chocolate drip off.
Add trim and accents: Use white candy for hat brims, pom-poms and tree snow.
Decorate: Add sprinkles and star toppers while coating is still soft.
Set and finish: Let the coated Bugles cool and harden completely before trimming excess candy.
Substitutions and Variations
Different base: If you can’t find Bugles, try other cone-shaped corn snacks. You could try flavored Bugles, such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bugles. I wouldn’t recommend the ranch flavor ones to pair with the candy coating though! Stick to original, caramel or another sweet flavor.
Candy coating: Melted chocolate (white chocolate works as melting chocolate) or almond bark can replace candy melts, although candy melts set faster.
Gluten-free: Use another gluten-free corn snack.
Sprinkles: Using holiday nonpareils or sprinkles adds color, texture and a festive holiday season finish. Any small, colorful nonpareils or sprinkles will work or you could try a mini marshmallow decoration. Stars make the candy Christmas trees pop.
Serving Suggestions
With other festive snacks: Anything from Christmas deviled eggs to brie and cranberry bites would pair well.
Give as a gift: Package them in treat bags for holiday gifting.
Pair with sweet treats: Enjoy reindeer Rolo pretzels and melted snowman cookie bark with them. Or perhaps some hot chocolate cupcakes.
With a festive cocktail: Pour yourself one of these sweet eggnog drinks.
How to Store Bugle Christmas Trees and Santa Hats
Store: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Humidity will make your tree and Santa hat Bugles lose their crunch, so keep somewhere cool and dry.
Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing these easy Christmas treats.
Top Tips
Work in batches: Dip a few Bugles at a time so the candy coating doesn’t set too quickly.
Thin the coating: Add a little coconut oil to keep candy smooth and easy to dip.
Let layers set: Allow each color layer to harden before dipping again for neat lines.
Use parchment: Prevents sticking and makes cleanup simple.
Trim edges: Neaten up excess dried candy once set for a polished look.
Christmas Bugles FAQs
Yes, they can be made a few days in advance and still stay crunchy.
Use a yellow sprinkle or a dab of yellow candy coating instead, or use mini marshmallows.
Christmas Bugles Recipe
Christmas Bugles
Ingredients
- 6 Cups Bugles, or similar corn snacks
- 1 ½ Cups candy melts, red
- 2 Cups candy melts, green
- 1 ½ Cups candy melts, white
- coconut oil, refined, optional
- sprinkles, holiday themed
- edible gold, or yellow star sprinkles, small
Instructions
Melt Red Candy Melts
- Melt the red candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second bursts, stirring after each burst, until melted and smooth.
- If the candy melts seem too thick, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of refined coconut oil or vegetable shortening until blended and smooth. Add just a little of the coconut oil at a time so it doesn’t get too runny.
Melt Green Candy Melts
- Repeat the same process in a separate bowl for the green candy melts.
Dip the Bugles
- Working with a few Bugles at a time, dip them into the red candy for Santa hats, or the green candy for elf hats.
- Let the excess drip off, then place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet to dry. You can remelt the candy melts if necessary.
Melt the White Candy Melts
- Once set, melt the white candy melts using the same method as in step 2.
Add Sprinkles and Decorations
- Carefully dip or drizzle the base edge of the hat in white candy to make the trim on the hats.
- Immediately add holiday sprinkles before the white coating hardens.
- Dip or drizzle the pointed tip of each Bugle hat into the white melts to create the “pom-pom” on top of the hat.
Make the Christmas Tree Bugles
- Then, to make the Bugle Christmas trees, use the same bowl of melted green candy from the elf hats to completely dip each Bugle, covering it from tip to base.
- If the coating has started to thicken, warm it in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds and stir until smooth again.
- Gently shake off any excess coating, then place the coated Bugles on the prepared baking sheet.
Add Decorations
- Before the coating sets, decorate the Bugle trees with colorful sprinkles to look like ornaments, and press a small star sprinkle on the tip for the tree topper. Place on the baking sheet to harden.
Trim and Serve
- Once the candy coating has fully set, trim off any excess dried candy to make the treats neat. Then, serve and enjoy, or keep in an airtight container until serving.
Notes
Thin the coating: Add a little coconut oil to keep candy smooth and easy to dip.
Let layers set: Allow each color layer to harden before dipping again for neat lines.
Use parchment: Prevents sticking and makes cleanup simple.
Trim edges: Neaten up excess dried candy once set for a polished look.
Nutrition
Christmas bugles are a salty-sweet holiday treat that’s as fun to make as it is to eat. With Bugles as the base, candy melts for color and sprinkles for festive decoration, these little edible Bugle elf hats, cute Santa hats and decorated Christmas trees add cheer to any holiday spread. The best part is they don’t require baking, so they’re quick to assemble. Get the kids involved in making these Christmas treats and enjoy the process of creating holiday magic one crunchy bite at a time.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
