A snack mix of corn and rice squares with cheese crackers and a mix of pecans, cashews and peanuts, tossed with a spicy seasoned butter and slow baked.
Spicy Party Mix
Everyone makes these cereal-based snack mixes all year round because they are a great snack for parties, movie nights or just anytime, but for some reason they became a holiday favorite too. I think a lot of folks bag it up and gift it and frankly, once you start doing that, it will be expected every year!
What I call the original original 1952 advertised recipe was simply 2 cups each of wheat and rice Chex cereals, 1/2 cup nuts, butter, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and garlic salt. That's it! Even that original has evolved over the years and isn't the same original as is on the current Chex website.
I won't go into it here again, but you can read up a bit on that Chexistory at this link.
Just a quick reminder.... if you aren't interested in the chit chat, info, photos, tips and such on a blog, as always, you'll find the complete recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Since that original version, there have been so many variations, from savory to sweet, that it's impossible to know how many, but one thing is for certain. Although I do favor the savory versions over the sweeter, I haven't met a party mix that I didn't like!
This version was going around Facebook a few years back as "Boudreaux's Hot And Spicy Party Trash." I'm not really sure where it originated because unfortunately Facebook is notorious for posting other people's work without crediting the original source. The one circulating called for 2 tablespoons of a Creole seasoning and 1 tablespoon of cayenne! Mercy.
Well, if you like your snack mix on fire, go for it!
I knew that I couldn't deal with that level of spicy, so I reduced mine to half of that and it was still too spicy for me. The next time 2 teaspoons was plenty of heat but I say you know your own heat level, so you do you!
Of course I made my own changes in the recipe elsewhere as well. Here's what you'll need to make my Spicy Party Mix (increase as needed):
- 2-1/2 cups corn squares cereal (like Chex)
- 2-1/2 cups rice squares cereal
- 2 cups cheese crackers (like Cheez-Its)
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1-1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon Creole or Cajun seasoning, to taste
Here's how to make it!
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Now. Some folks just do these mixes in the microwave. I'm not against that, in fact, I've tried it! But, honestly I prefer the dry, toasty texture from the oven.
Add cereals, crackers and nuts to 9 x 13-inch baking dish; toss.
Add cereals, crackers and nuts to 9 x 13-inch baking dish; toss.
Melt butter.
Combine the seasonings.
Add seasonings to melted butter along with Worcestershire and hot sauce and whisk in.
Now.
Worcestershire is another ingredient that some people like quite a lot in these mixes, but I'm not one of those folks. That same original recipe called for 3 tablespoons and while I like the flavor Worcestershire adds, I also find it to be very heavy and strong, so I kept my amount a bit more conservative. Again, do to your own personal taste!
Pour mixture over snack mix and toss until everything is well coated.
Transfer to oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and place pan on a rack to cool, stirring several more times as it's cooling. Once completely cooled, transfer to a lidded storage container.
For more of my favorite snacks and munchies, check out this collection on my Pinterest page!
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