Snack Mix Varieties

This week is Spring Break for me but we’re not going anywhere. Plans were made, then cancelled, and we’re finding other ways to enjoy our staycation. I’m thankful we have a healthy household and even more thankful to have time to work on recipes!

This blog is about a variety of Snack Mixes, or Trail Mix as some people call it. I was going to make a variety of Snack Mixes to bring on our road trip but just because the trip was postponed doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy those snacks at home 🙂

Snack Mixes are great for a variety of reasons; they are easy to make, are a great on-the-go snack, can be customized to different tastes, they make a TON, and hold up quite well in a Ziploc bag. So…they make the perfect snack for a road trip. Since most of the country is missing spring break, I suggest you try some of these Snack Mixes at home. Do you have kids that want to help in the kitchen or are looking for something to do? These recipes make a great project for FACS class or would work well to show off those math skills by measuring the ingredients. Maybe that’s a bit of a stretch but these are a fun snack for kids to participate in making 🙂

First up is Snickerdoodle Chow. The taste of this snack mix is very similar to a Snickerdoodle cookie with a lovely coating of cinnamon and sugar.

The recipe can be found here.

Add the cereal to a large bowl and set aside. Try to use a large bowl that also has a lid. If you don’t have a large bowl with lid that’s OK. You can use a large Ziploc bag. I recommend using at least a 1-gallon sized bag but preferably a 2-gallon sized bag, so you have more room to work with.

Add the melting wafers to a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave for another 30 seconds. Continue to heat in 30 second intervals until completely melted and smooth.

Pour the melted chocolate over the cereal. Either cover the bowl and shake to coat or use a long spoon to stir. If you are using a Ziploc bag, seal the bag and shake to coat.

In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Pour over the cereal and either cover the bowl and shake to coat or seal the bag and shake to coat.

Add the powdered sugar and shake to coat.

Place wax paper on the counter and pour the mixture onto the wax paper. This prevents your counter from getting coated in sugar and the cereal won’t stick to the counter as it dries. Make sure to spread the cereal in a thin later. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden. Then pour into an airtight container (or Ziploc bag) and store on the counter. (I portioned mine into little baggies to give away)

The recipe can be found here.

Next up is Confetti Chow. This mixture tastes very similar to birthday cake. It’s pretty sweet and the sprinkles add an element of fun with all the colors 🙂

The recipe can be found here.

In a small saucepan over low heat, add the butter, white chocolate, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Make sure to break the white chocolate into pieces before adding to the pan. Stir until all ingredients are melted and combine together. Make sure to not overheat and burn the chocolate!

Pour the melted chocolate over the cereal. Either cover the bowl and shake to coat or use a long spoon to stir. If you are using a Ziploc bag, seal the bag and shake to coat.

Pour the entire container of sprinkles over the cereal and either cover the bowl and shake to coat or seal the bag and shake to coat.

Add the powdered sugar and shake to coat.

The recipe can be found here.

Next up in Peanut Butter Snack Mix. This is for peanut butter lovers and is candy overload! This recipe is essentially made up of peanut butter, peanut butter, some pretzels, and more peanut butter 🙂

The recipe can be found here.

This one is going to be really hard to explain how to make so bear with me…. Take a large bowl, add all the ingredients to the bowl, and mix together. Super hard, lol! You don’t need to melt anything, shake anything, or measure anything if you don’t want to. Everything gets dumped in a bowl and stirred together.

I like to use a combination of milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips but if you don’t like dark chocolate, skip it and just use milk chocolate (or vice versa). If you can’t find peanut butter chips feel free to substitute with butterscotch chips. Find your own way to modify the recipe to fit your taste! (I portioned mine into little baggies to give away)

The recipe can be found here.

Last up, is Spicy Snack Mix. This is a great snack to munch on throughout the day. It is full of a variety of crunchy items and has the perfect amount of heat, without being overpowering. I think the flavor really comes through after a few bites.

The recipe can be found here.

Start by preheating the oven to 300 degrees. Set 2 baking sheets aside.

Add the Chex cereal, Cheez-It crackers, pretzels, and peanuts to a 2-gallon Ziploc bag. You can also use 2 1-gallon Ziploc bags or a large mixing bowl if you don’t have 2-gallon bags, but I find it easiest to use a 2-gallon bag.

Add the butter to a microwave safe dish and microwave for 60-90 seconds or until melted. Add the chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and garlic powder and stir to combine. If you like extra heat, add a bit more chili powder and hot sauce! If you like less heat, do not add any additional spice to the mixture.

Pour the mixture into the Ziploc bag. Seal the bag and shake or roll around to coat the contents. This is where the 2-gallon bag comes in handy because it holds everything at once. If you are using 2 1-gallon bags, pour ½ of the mixture into each bag, then seal each bag and shake to coat.

Pour the contents evenly onto 2 baking sheets. Spread the mixture out evenly on each baking sheet.

Bake for 30-40 minutes. Make sure to stir every 10 minutes to make sure the snack mix isn’t burning or sticking together. Let the mixture cool, then pour into an airtight container (or Ziploc bag) and store on the counter.