Slow-Baked Buttery Party Snack Mix

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The jar-on-the-counter snack mix, done right: cereal squares, pretzels and nuts tossed in a warm Worcestershire butter glaze, then baked low and slow for an hour so every piece dries out crisp instead of going soggy. Deeply savoury, a little smoky, and it stays crunchy for two weeks.

Ingredients

• 3 cups rice cereal squares
• 3 cups corn cereal squares
• 2 cups wheat cereal squares
• 1 1/2 cups mini pretzel twists or sticks
• 1 cup salted mixed nuts (or peanuts and pecan halves)
• 1 cup rye or bagel chips, broken into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup oyster crackers (optional)

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 250°F (120°C) and set a rack in the middle. Low heat is the whole trick — it dries the mix out rather than browning the butter on the surface.
2. Combine both cereals, the pretzels, nuts, rye or bagel chips and oyster crackers in a large roasting pan (about 12 x 17 inches) or divide between two rimmed baking sheets. You want a shallow layer no more than about 1 1/2 inches deep so steam can escape.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the Worcestershire, brown sugar, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, black pepper and hot sauce until the sugar dissolves and the glaze looks smooth.
4. Drizzle about one third of the warm glaze over the dry mix and fold gently with a large flexible spatula, scooping from the bottom. Repeat with the remaining glaze in two more additions, tossing after each, so the seasoning coats evenly instead of soaking a few pieces.
5. Bake for 1 hour, pulling the pan out and stirring thoroughly every 15 minutes. Scrape the corners and edges each time — that is where pieces catch and over-darken.
6. Check at the 1-hour mark: a cereal square should snap cleanly and taste toasty and dry, with no soft centre. If it still feels tender, bake in 10-minute increments up to 20 minutes more.
7. Spread the hot mix in a single layer on parchment or a clean baking sheet and cool completely, 30 to 40 minutes. It crisps as it cools; tasting it hot will fool you into thinking it needs more time.
8. Transfer to jars or an airtight tub. It keeps at cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks — if it ever softens, refresh in a 250°F oven for 10 minutes and cool again.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

Char-Grilled Oysters with Garlic-Worcestershire Butter

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem