Savory Party Mix Recipes

Super Bowl Sunday is just a few weeks away, and by now all of us have already given up on the gym membership (the one that we resolved to faithfully use.)

It's time for Chex party mix!

Party mix is a snack that can be eaten like (and is just as addictive as) popcorn—a combination of Chex cereals, mixed nuts, and pretzels seasoned with salt and spices and baked in the oven at low heat until all of the pieces are golden and savory.

Or, at least that is how the original Chex Party Mix was made. Today there are dozens of variations—some of them are salty, some are salty-sweet, and some are totally sweet and/or chocolaty.

According to Wikipedia:

"Chex cereal was introduced in 1937 by Ralston Purina. By 1952, recipes for "Chex party mix" appeared on boxes of Chex cereal. However, it was not until 1985 that pre-packaged products were introduced commercially by Ralston Purina and the trademarks registered to it. Chex party mix became popular as a holiday treat when purportedly in 1955, the wife of a Ralston executive in St. Louis served the snack at a holiday function. However, Chex party mix was not a unique idea: it was one of many popular "TV mixes"—snacks which could be consumed without interrupting television watching—which appeared in the 1950s with the introduction of television."

The original recipe was first published in the June 16, 1952, issue of Life magazine. The text is too small to read, so I'll give you the recipe below:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups Wheat Chex
• 2 cups Rice Chex
• 1/2 cup nuts
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Melt butter in a shallow pan. Stir in Worcestershire sauce. Add Chex cereals and nuts. Sprinkle with salts. Toss to coat. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Over the years the ingredients, proportions, and baking instructions have changed. Here is the current version:

Ingredients

• 3 cups Corn Chex cereal
• 3 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 3 cups Wheat Chex cereal
• 1 cup mixed nuts
• 1 cup bite-size pretzels
• 1 cup garlic-flavor bite-size bagel chips or regular-size bagel chips, broken into 1-inch pieces
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. In an ungreased large roasting pan, melt butter in the oven. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir in chex cereals, mixed nuts, pretzels, and bagel chips until coated. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
3. Spread on paper towels until cooled. Store in an airtight container.

The original recipe is easy and addictively tasty... and so very traditional. But why not explore some other flavor profiles? Here are a few ideas:

Ingredients

• 4 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 3 cups Wheat Chex cereal
• 3 cups Pepper-Jack flavored Cheez-Its
• 2 cups tiny pretzel twists
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons hot wing sauce
• 1 packet spicy ranch dressing mix (Hidden Valley)
• 1 teaspoon celery seed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. In large bowl, mix cereals, crackers and pretzels; set aside. In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in the hot sauce, ranch dressing mix, and celery seed until smooth. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.
3. Pour mixture onto a large baking sheet. Bake for 60 minutes stirring every 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven to a wire rack. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Ingredients

• 4 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 3 cups sesame stick snacks
• 3 cups chow mein noodles
• 2 cups cashews
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons hoisin
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional--omit if you don't like heat)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix cereals, snack crackers, and nuts; set aside. In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.
3. Pour mixture onto a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Bake for 60 minutes stirring every 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven to a wire rack. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Ingredients

• 5 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 3 cups Corn Chex cereal
• 4 cups shoestring potatoes
• 2 cups bite-size cheese crackers
• 1/4 cups bacon flavor bits or chips
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 package (1 oz.) ranch dressing and seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. In large bowl, mix cereals, potato sticks, snack crackers and bacon bits; set aside. In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.
3. Pour mixture onto a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Bake for 60 minutes stirring every 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven to a wire rack. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Ingredients

• 1 (7.5oz) bag regular Bugles
• 1 (7.5oz) bag Cheddar Bugles
• 1 (8oz) bag Pretzel Goldfish crackers
• 1 (16oz) box Cheez-It crackers
• 1 (16oz) can peanuts
• 1 (1oz) package taco seasoning
• 3/4 cup canola oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Combine all ingredients in an ungreased large roasting pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
4. Spread on paper towels until cooled. Store in an airtight container.

Here are some of the ingredients that could be combined to create a savory or sweet/savory party mix. Just remember that the total cereal/crackers/chips/nuts, etc., should equal 12 cups.

1. Rice Chex
2. Corn Chex
3. Wheat Chex
4. Cheerios
5. dry roasted peanuts
6. walnuts
7. pecans
8. cashews
9. pistachios
10. pumpkin seeds
11. sunflower seeds
12. oyster crackers
13. goldfish crackers
14. Cheetos
15. Cheez-It crackers
16. bagel crisps
17. pretzels
18. Bugles
19. Fritos
20. pita crisps
21. potato sticks
22. Triscuit mini crackers
23. popped popcorn
24. chow mein noodles
25. dried apples
26. raisins
27. dried cranberries
28. white raisins (dried currants)
29. bacon bits

I must confess that I am not thrilled about the Super Bowl this year (my team didn't make it to the final 4), but I'll be front and center to watch the advertisements, and then, of course, there is always the puppy bowl!

I hope you enjoy these recipes. And, if you create your own winning party mix combination, I would love to hear from you.