A blend of cereal, pretzels, and peanuts in a savory, spicy barbecue spice blend. It's an awesome snack mix for watching the game, movie night, Netflix bingeing, or any munchy time!
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This Spicy Barbecue Snack Mix was created with my daughter in mind when she was away at college. We wanted to keep her supplied with snacks, both savory and sweet to help get through long nights of studying and work. And maybe some long nights of hanging out with friends, too.
Not only is this a great snack mix to include in a college care package, it's a delicious one to have for home-based snacking! It's a savory and spicy blend of Corn Chex cereal with pretzels and peanuts.
The spice mixture includes a hefty dose of vinegar-based barbecue sauce. The one I used is a Heinz variety that our family loves.
Why you'll love this recipe
This mix is a cinch to throw together right before you need it. It only needs 30 minutes to bake after the crunchy stuff and spicy sauce get thrown together.
This snack mix stores well... assuming, of course, that the whole tasty batch doesn't get eaten in one sitting! And it ships well, too: so send a batch to your college kids, your nephews and nieces, or as part of your holiday gifts.
🔪 How to make this snack mix
Step 1: Crush some pretzels
Use a potato masher or the bottom of a heavy glass to lightly crush some mini pretzel twists.
Step 2: Add more crunchy things
Stir in Corn Chex cereal and salted peanuts.
Step 3: Add the sauce
Whisk together vinegar-style barbecue sauce, melted butter, and spices to make the sauce. Pour the sauce over the cereal-pretzel mixture and stir everything together.
Step 4: Bake!
Spread the snack mix on a baking sheet and bake it for about 30 minutes, stirring it several times. Remove it from the oven and let the mixture cool.
Step 5: Enjoy
Stir a little more seasoning into the cooled snack mix. Pour it into a serving bowl, and dig in!
Notes:
- I like using Corn Chex in this mix, but if you prefer a blend of Chexes feel free to mix a couple together.
- This recipe calls for a vinegar-style barbecue sauce, which may also be labeled as Carolina-style. Heinz makes one and there are small brand varieties available, too.
- Want to make your own vinegar-based barbecue sauce? Here are recipes to try from The SpruceEats.
The recipe for Spicy Barbecue Snack Mix is below. Still hungry? Here are more delish things to snack on!
💬 Leave a comment below and tell me: what do you think of this snack mix?
Spicy Barbecue Snack Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups salted mini pretzel twists
- 4 cups Corn Chex cereal
- 1 cup dry roasted, salted peanuts
- ½ cup Heinz Carolina Vinegar Style BBQ Sauce, or other vinegar-style barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted melted
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder, divided divided
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided divided
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Pour the pretzel twists into a large bowl. Use a potato masher or the bottom of a glass to slightly crush and break them.
- Add in the Chex cereal and peanuts, and toss to combine the three.
- Whisk together the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, melted butter, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, ½ teaspoon of salt and the pepper in a separate, small bowl.
- Pour this over the pretzel-cereal mixture, and toss to coat everything with the sauce.
- Spread the cereal mixture evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes, stirring the mixture every 10 minutes.
- Remove the sheet from the oven and allow the mix to cool to room temperature.
- Pour the snack mix into a serving bowl or resealable container. Add in the remaining ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of salt and the chili powder. Stir to combine these spices with the mix.
- The mix can be served or stored in the resealable container for up to 5 days.
Tell me what you think - comment below!