Sweet and Spicy Nut Mix

I have long been a fan of snack mix; the regular ol’ seasoned mix, sweet and salty and even the variety that has a drizzle of chocolate.  I’m not prejudice, I like them all.  My favorite part of any snack mix is those little overly-seasoned pieces.  I will pick through an entire bag of snack mix and search for those little pieces of seasoned goodness.

So what’s your favorite part of snack mix?  The nuts, cereal, pretzels, pieces of rye toast?  Or, are you like me, and like the overly-seasoned pieces?

I’m addicted to all the deliciousness so much that I’ve been wanting to make my own for so long, but for some reason or another just haven’t gotten around to it…until now.  And it couldn’t be better timing since Father’s Day is right around the corner.  What better snack to give dad than a big bowl full of sweet and spicy mix filled with a variety of nuts, pretzels and rice cereal.

It’s the perfect mix of sweet and salty with a hint of spice.  It’s a subtle spice that hits you kind of in the back throat but then is quickly cut by the sweet brown sugar.  I love this mix of nuts and spices; it came out exactly like I had hoped for.  A little salty, sweet, spicy and a hint of stickiness; which if you think about it it’s kind of like our family.  A little nutty, a hint of spice, a lot of sweet and a little sticky because of all the fun messy chaos we have! 

So make this mix for your special guy and tell him he’s the nut that holds the family together!

Sweet and Spicy Nut Mix

Ingredient:


1/2 Cup almonds
1/2 Cup dry roasted peanuts, unsalted
1/2 Cup walnuts
1/2 Cup pecans
2 1/2 Cups Chex rice cereal
3/4 Cup mini pretzel rods
3 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp Worcestershire
1-2 Tsp hot sauce, more or less depending on spice preference
2 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tsp salt
1/8 Tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 Tsp chili powder
1/4 Tsp cumin

Directions:


Preheat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl combine almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, cereal and pretzel rods.  Toss to combine and set aside.

Place butter in a microwave safe bowl and place in the microwave, heat in to melt.  Once the butter is completely melted add the Worcestershire, hot sauce, brown sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, chili powder and cumin and stir to combine.  Taste, adjust seasonings if needed.

Slowly pour the butter mixture over the nut mixture stirring to completely coat.  Once all the butter mixture has been added, toss to ensure everything has been coated.  Pour on the prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer.

Place in oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, stirring every couple minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely then transfer to an airtight container.

Recipe source: A Lynsey Original