Thu, Nov 20, 2008

Wonder-Working Chex Mix

Posted in Babies at 5:12 pm by Jon

My Grandma Martha Borzykowski used to make a mean Chex Mix — and it inspired me in the late 1990s to push the envelope and try to perfect the classic holiday finger food. Here, for the first time, I share my highly customized recipe.

I have many happy memories of munching by the fistful on one version of Chex Mix or another at Thanksgivings and Christmases since I was a little boy. My mom still often makes a milder recipe, and we’ve generally found that having more Chex Mix on hand is hardly unwelcome.

Speaking of which, I almost never make just one batch of this, doing two or even three batches back-to-back. Note that you do need to mix and bake one batch at a time, though, to ensure it bakes the sauce in effectively.

Wonder-Working Chex Mix

Dry Ingredients

8 c cereal

You can mix the cereal however you like, but my default blend is 3 c Crispix, 2 c Rice Chex, 2 c Corn Chex, and 1 c Wheat Chex

1 c nuts

I favor whole cashews, but there’s an intense debate about whether standard mixed nuts are preferable.

1 c Goldfish

I usually use “Original” flavor, but cheese or even pretzel flavors work, too. (In the latter case, you’ll want to leave out the real pretzels.)

1 c small pretzels

Over the years, my allegiance oscillates among mini twists, “thins,” and those square “window pane” types.

Optional (up to 1 c each):
wasabi peas
sesame sticks

Wet Ingredients

½ stick butter
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T soy sauce
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 T Frank’s Redhot hot sauce

Yes, I believe this brand is best; reduce to 1.5 teaspoon if using Tabasco.

1+ teaspoon sesame oil
1+ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
a shake of chili powder

Measure out the dry ingredients in the biggest bowl you can find. No bowl is too big. Melt the butter, then mix in the other wet ingredients. Pour the sauce over the dry ingredients and turn with your bare hands repeatedly to thoroughly coat everything evenly. Put in a large roasting pan. Bake at 250°F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and spread out on large sheets of paper towels to cool and dry. Store in airtight containers only after completely cool. Not that it’ll be around for long!

Enjoy!

One final note: I just featured this Chex Mix in one of my behind-the-scenes Director’s Videos for the Following Christ 2008 conference I’m directing. Here it is:

This post was last modified November 20, 2008 at 5:38 pm