Not-Chex Mix

This is one of those foods that instantly takes me back to the holidays during my childhood.  While snack mix is generally not a traditional Christmas treat, it was in my house growing up- we only made it at Christmas, and maybe for the Superbowl (which was almost as important).  Amid all of the sweet offerings, this snack mix was a welcome hit of savory.

While there are a million different recipes for snack mix, we have always stuck with the original (not the microwave version), with one notable exception- we don't use Chex cereal, but Crispix instead.  In my opinion, they're crispier, and even better, the recipe uses just about a whole box, rather than a third of three different cereals.  In the past few years, I've also started playing around with the seasonings, cutting back on the salt, adding some cayenne and Dijon mustard, and upping the Worcestershire sauce in my favorite version.  The result is addicting; I'm almost embarrassed to admit it took us less than three days to decimate the first batch.

Not-Chex Mix

What's in it:

9 c. Crispix cereal (about 1 17.9 oz. box)
1 c. mixed nuts
1 c. bite-sized pretzels
1 c. garlic bagel chips, minis or regular sized broken into 1" pieces)
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with foil.

Mix first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter, about 45 seconds to one minute on high in the microwave.  Whisk remaining ingredients into the butter.  Pour about half of the butter mixture over the cereal mixture, and stir to coat well, and repeat with the remaining butter mixture, making sure that everything is coated.

Divide the mixture between the two baking sheets, and spread into an even layer.  Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Let cool, then store in an airtight container.