Chex Cereal, the Cadillac of Snack Ingredients

I never thought I would have a recipe box dedicated to one ingredient, but I am becoming dangerously close to having just that with my Chex Party Mixes. They are so versatile, and you can make them in large quantities for nursery school snacks, birthday parties, and adult get togethers. The almighty Chex cereal (and its distant cousins– Crispix and Golden Grahams) are the perfect base for sweet or salty snacking.

The neighborhood card sharks met in our backyard office Saturday night, and I made Tijuana Tidbits. This is the newest member of my Chex Party Mix recipe box. Watch out, it has a kick!

Do you have any Chex Party Mix combos I can add to my arsenal? I have many sweet Chex recipes like the Dinosaur Chex Mix, but I am looking for some more savory combinations.

Ingredients

• 4 c. Fritos original corn chips
• 4 c. Crispix cereal
• 1 bag microwave popcorn (remove “old maids”)
• 1 8-oz can mixed nuts
• 1 c. cashew nuts
• 1/2 c. light corn syrup
• 1/2 c. margarine, not butter
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1/3 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. cayenne pepper

Directions

• Heat oven to 250 degrees.
• Combine chips, cereal, popcorn, and nuts in a large bowl and mix gently.
• Combine corn syrup, margarine, brown sugar, chili powder, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Heat to boiling and pour over Frito mixture. Stir until coated.
• Pour coated mixture onto a roasting pan (sprayed with Pam). Bake 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven and turn onto waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container.