When the holidays roll around a lot of people think of Chex Mix as one of the staple holiday snacks. Growing up we didn’t have it until it started appearing on the shelves in packages. It was a long time before I realized you could make this yourself. Maybe that’s strange to some, but the snack wasn’t a staple at our parties. We’re a more chip ‘n dip kind of folk.
I have to say, that I love the taste of Worcestershire sauce! It is that flavor that drew me in and kept me coming back for more snack mix. It’s spicy, salty, and so potent. Right up my alley! I prefer the original flavor of snack mix for this very reason. I’m not really into the other flavors and variations of the snack mix. Call me a Chex Mix purist.
I decided to create my own recipe and of course it has a heavy Worcestershire base to it. Lea & Perrins happens to be my favorite Worcestershire sauce and when Foodbuzz offered us the opportunity to get a free bottle of it for using in holiday recipes, I jumped at the chance.
The one downside to Lea & Perrins is that they use HFCS in their sauce. I’ve looked for HFCS free Worcestershire sauces and have not had much luck finding any. I don’t really care for vegan sauces as they rely heavily on cloves to get that spicy effect and it just isn’t the same. Therefore I have stuck with Lea & Perrins.
Please take out the HFCS Lea & Perrins! A lot of people would be really happy!
I also like a spicy kick to my Chex Mix and since Scott loves spicy things, this works out well. This recipe is super easy to make and you can have it ready in no time!
Andrea’s Spicy Chex Mix
- 4C Pretzel Sticks
- 4C Wheat Chex
- 3C Corn Chex
- 1/2C Light Olive Oil
- 1/2C Buffalo Sauce (not hot sauce, but actual Buffalo style sauce)
- 1/4C Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4C Honey
- 1TBSP Garlic Powder
- 3tsp Season Salt
- 2 1/2tsp Onion Powder
Preheat oven to 350 and line a very large baking sheet with foil. Spay with nonstick spray and set aside. In the largest mixing bowl you have, combine the pretzels, Wheat Chex, and Corn Chex. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients to make the sauce. Pour mixture over the Chex and pretzel mixture, combine well. Put this mixture onto the cookie sheet and into the oven. Allow to bake for about 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes, stirring the mixture every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve and enjoy!
Crunchy, salty, and spicy. In other words, delicious!
If you prefer, you can use a vegan Worcestershire sauce to make this a vegan snack mix. If you want to reduce some of the oil and add in butter, that’s totally up to you. I personally just prefer oil over butter in recipes like this.
This is just a base, you are free to add in nuts or other snack bits of your choosing. Perhaps sprinkling a little ranch dressing mix (dry kind) after pulling it out of the oven might be a clever idea.
Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Foodbuzz sent me a coupon for a free bottle of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce to use in a recipe. This recipe is entirely my own.
Ah! This does remind me of home and growing up. nice recipe, Andrea!
I am going to have to try that recipe. Sounds so good !! Thanks for sharing it.
Seriously manufacturers need to get rid of the HFCS. Hopefully the foodblogging community will have an influence on that. Also hopefully they make a vegetarian/vegan friendly version as I think they use anchovies as one of their ingredients. :-(
Chex Mix will always remind me of Christmas. The smell is the best part and I really only like to eat it warm, straight out of the oven. This recipe sounds awesome.
This is the perfect snack for munchin’ when watching a movie or a game on TV…love it!
Happy Holidays.
Love that first picture, Andrea!
Jay and my dad would love this recipe – thanks for sharing, girlie.
AMEN to the Worschestire sauce love! Have you tried it in tomato soup or on top of cottage cheese? Lurve…
I am so with you on recreating some of the stuff that is so conveniently packaged for us. It is way more fun. I love this recipe.