As a young child, every year I looked forward to Christmas. Yes, the presents and Santa Claus were extremely exciting, however, what hooked me was the food. There were brownies that were intensely sweet and fudgy, addictive hungarian horns, fun candies from Trader Joes, TONS of stocking goodies, and lastly, my favorite, this homemade salty snack mix that was so addicting that it got me excited for the following year’s Christmas.

Homemade snack mixes taste far better than store-bought. Don’t get me wrong, I had my store-bought days, and they were spectacular; but when it’s homemade there’s a new realm of flavor. Making such a snack at home grants you the freedom to customize the flavor and ingredients to not only your taste preferences but your dietary preferences too! Also, when it’s homemade, you can make it gluten-free! 😉

Anyways, please enjoy this recipe and share it will your loved ones. Write it down on a sheet of paper and save it for special occasions. Feel free to leave a comment if you also share this passionate love for snack mix!

SOme Notes: Recipe & Measurement

Like I mentioned this recipe is flexible. The ingredients can be swapped, the flavor can be adjusted through a different selection of spices, etc. However, to ensure a delicious result, I do recommend keeping the same measurements and proportions listed below. Keep similar measurements for the dry ingredients such as Chex, pretzels, and nuts. Not a fan of peanuts? Use almonds. Prefer chips over pretzels? Swap! Don’t care for vegan butter? Use regular! Or vegetable oil. You get the gist. Soy sauce adds an addicting umami flavor to this snack, but if it’s troublesome to find gluten-free soy sauce, simply use 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher Salt instead. Lastly, the butter. Yes, there’s lots of butter in this recipe. If you’re looking for a healthier take use 3/4 of a cup instead, mind you though it will turn out slightly dry. I recommend indulging!

Ingredients

• 3 Cups Corn Chex
• 3 Cups Rice Chex
• 2 Cups Mini Gluten-Free Pretzels
• 1.5 Cups Lightly Salted Peanuts
• 1 Cup Earth Balance
• 1 Tablespoon Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
• 2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Paprika
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin

*Preheat Oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

1.In a large bowl add your corn chex, rice chex, pretzels and peanuts. Gently toss everything.

2.Melt butter in an oven-safe bowl.

3.Make sure melted butter is warm, then add spices and soy sauce to the butter. Stir until spices dissolve into butter (clumps are not welcome).

 4.Pour half butter and spice mixture over the Chex, pretzels, and peanuts. Gently toss to coat everything. Stir the remaining butter mixture (the spices tend to fall to the bottom) and pour over the Chex, pretzels, and peanuts once again. Toss until every piece is coated.

5.Lay out the snack mixture onto a baking sheet. 

6.Bake in the oven for a total of 1 hour. Every 15 minutes, toss the mixture to ensure even toasting.

7.Serve to your favorite party guests and enjoy! If you take the whole bowl to the couch and consume it all in one sitting, I won’t judge you because I know, it’s THAT good! 🙂