Sweet & Spicy Snack Mix
Hello! I’m Susannah from Feast West, my blog where I write about food, drinks, travel and design. I’m thrilled to back at Pretty Providence with a new frugal recipe. Perhaps you remember my Tuscan White Bean and Tomato Soup from last month?
Even though Memorial Day doesn’t officially mark the start of summer on the calendar, it sure does in my head! Summertime is nigh, whether your calendar says so or not. ‘Tis the season for poolside mornings, afternoon hikes and firefly-studded evenings. I’m always on-the-go in the summer. Because of this, summer is definitely the season of small meals and snacks. I have developed a snack recipe that will get me through the heat of this summer: Sweet & Spicy Snack Mix.
I’m a huge fan of anything spicy, and this snack mix really packs the heat. It has two kinds of Chex cereal, Cheerios, Cheez-its and pretzels — all smothered in melted butter, hot sauce and spices, then baked — as well as some pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate morsels to offset the kick. You could sub in anything, really. Anything goes in snack mix! Cereal, baked snacks, nuts, wasabi peas… Feel free to get crazy.
I used Tabasco sauce and a mixture of sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, chipotle seasoning, chili powder, paprika and dried thyme — all of which I had in my cupboard. Chances are good you have similar spicy items in your pantry too, so improvise with what you have.
Think you’ve had one snack mix so you’ve had them all? Trust me when I say this Sweet & Spicy Snack Mix is one you’ll remember. Those spices will linger on your tongue for a while after each bite. One recipe makes a lot, so pack the mix into plastic bags or glass jars for an easy, grab-and-go snack, or serve it in one big bowl at a summer barbecue. I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to making (and eating!) this mix again and again this summer.
Print Sweet & Spicy Snack MixPrep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 24 servings
Sweet & Spicy Snack Mix is a delicious and easy grab-and-go snack for summertime.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice Chex cereal
- 2 cups corn Chex cereal
- 2 cups Cheerios cereal
- 2 cups Cheez-Its
- 2 cups pretzels
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce, plus more to taste
- 1/2 to 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 to 1 cup nuts, if desired
- 1 cup dark chocolate morsels
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a very large mixing bowl, stir together cereals, Cheez-its and pretzels.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, paprika and chili powders.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Stir in hot sauce. (I used Tabasco sauce.)
- Using a wooden spoon, stir butter mixture into the cereal mixture until the cereal is coated. Then, stir in the spice mixture until the cereal is coated.
- Spread the cereal onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Stir in pumpkin seeds, nuts and chocolate morsels. Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.
