Chop & Brew Homemade Snack Mix
by Chip Walton

The homemade snack mix is inspired by a recipe that has been passed down through my family for several generations. My family calls it “straw” or “straw mix.” I’m not sure why, but it’s what I’ve been calling it my whole life. The original recipe (see Classic Family Holiday Straw Mix below) is absolutely addictive and delicious, but — for better or worse — it’s very salty. The version I’ve created removes or replaces a lot of the original salty elements for a snack mix that is still very spicy with a wonderful crunch, a decent amount of salt still – and completely worthy of obsession. It’s a wonderful mix for sharing or giving during the holidays, or for other large family gatherings or game day throwdowns. Check out our Chop & Brew episode where we make a batch of straw mix. 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
• 12 ounce box Cheerios
• 12 ounce box Rice Chex
• 14 ounce box Wheat Chex
• 16 ounce bag pretzel sticks, snaps, bits, etc.
• 11 ounces cashews, roasted but not salted
• 16 ounces peanuts, roasted but not salted

Instructions

In saucepan over low heat, melt butter completely then add vegetable oil.

Add garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and Worchestershire sauce, stirring well with whisk or spoon after each addition. Remove from heat.

Into electric roaster pan (or roaster pan for oven) pour boxes of Cheerios, Rice Chex, Wheat Chex, pretzels, cashews and peanuts. Stir well to incorporate dry ingredients.

Pour spice oil mixture over dry ingredients, whisking mixture well as you pour and stopping a few times to stir the wet and dry ingredients together. This will help ensure that all your spices don’t end up on a limited amount of the cereal/pretzels/nuts.

Set electric roaster to 200°F and cover with lid. Alternatively, you can cook this mixture in a conventional oven at 200°F, but leave the lid off.

Regardless of how you’re cooking it, you’re going to let it go for about 2 hours, stirring the mixture well every 15-20 minutes to make sure everything gets affecting by the spice mixture. Add additional seasoning as needed to taste, but be careful not to overdo it. While cooking it can sometimes be difficult to get a full read on the spice level, only to find out after cooling that it was way too much of one spice or another.

When two hours is up remove the roaster pan from heating element or remove roaster pan from oven. Let cool for a few hours or overnight at a room temperature. The mixture will become more crispy as it cool. Don’t force it to cool by putting in a fridge or outdoors during winter months because it may build up moisture.

Store in airtight containers or package in baggies or containers to share with friends and family. My mother says it also freezes well for a week or so, but I wouldn’t know; it never lasts that long at our house.

* * * * * 

Classic Family Holiday Straw Mix

This is the version of the recipe that I know from my childhood. I love but, man, is it salty. If you like salty snacks, this is for you! Ingredients and method here listed here as handed down to me by my mother.

Cheerios – try for medium box but it’s hard to find that size. I usually end up with large, but may not use all. Use as filler with the other two cereals.

• 1 medium Wheat Chex
• 1 medium Rice Chex
• 1 bag pretzel sticks + 1 bag pretzel bits (or just 2 bags of sticks)
• Salted nuts/peanuts
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
• 2 1/2 Tbsp garlic salt
• 3 Tbsp seasoned salt – like Lawry’s
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

For a big electric roaster, used about 60 ounces of nuts – mixed nuts and peanuts – and 1 1/2 the recipe of oil and seasonings. If you do it in the oven with a small tin roaster you won’t need that much – just one recipe of coating.

Mix all cereals, nuts, pretzels in larger roaster. Mix seasonings into oil and melted butter. Drizzle coating mix over cereal. Keep stirring as you go so all the seasonings don’t go to the bottom of bowl or cup it’s in and come out in one spot on the straw. 

[Ed. Note: My Aunt Leanne says, “I mix the dry stuff — Lowry’s, garlic salt and chili powder — and sprinkle that on. Then I pour the oil/butter over.” Either way you go about it, make sure the wet and dry ingredients are well incorporated.]

Mix very well. Bake uncovered in oven or covered in electric roaster. 1 1/2 to 2 hours at 200 degrees. Stir well every 15 minutes.

Cool thoroughly. Store in airtight container.