When I was little, I don't think you could regularly buy this already prepared but I think in the late 1990s or early 2000s it started being mass produced. These days you can get it at just about any grocery store and probably even at most convenience stores, and there are all kinds of crazy flavors (hot cocoa anyone? it reminded me of puppy chow) but you should still try making your own because it tastes a LOT better. It's incredibly easy to make, more buttery, maybe not so overwhelmingly salty, and you can put in or leave out any cereal or salty snack you like to suit your tastes. Below is my family's version, tweaked just a little further to suit my own specific preferences.
My favorite pieces have always been the wheat Chex that are super saturated with the coating. Loved them as a kid, still love them now.
Notes:
- My mom always makes a giant batch (usually 3 times what is listed below) to use up all the boxes of cereal she has to buy to make this instead of getting left with a bunch of half-full boxes of cereal. She bakes it in a big turkey roasting pan. As long as you end up with the correct volume of ingredients (9 cups of cereal and 3 cups nuts/pretzels/crackers/etc) for the amount of coating you're making, the ratios can be entirely suited to your tastes and what you have. (It's a lot easier to finish eating a whole batch than you might think!)
- If you don't want to buy separate boxes of rice and corn cereal, buy a kind that has rice on one side and corn on the other (i.e., Crispix or a store brand of that).
- My family's version uses cashew nuts rather than mixed nuts. My mom likes to put in plain Cheerios (the cereal) but I leave them out. I was never a fan of rye bagel chips because the texture is so hard and the pieces are pretty large compared to the other ingredients, so I don't use them.
- Important pretzel notes: the mini pretzel sticks are very nostalgic and essential in my eyes, but you can use other small, thin pretzel shapes that are easy to bite into if you can't find mini sticks or (gasp) don't like them.
- You can also make this on a rimmed baking sheet (I recommend a half sheet pan). Instead of making the sauce in the pan, melt the butter in the microwave in a medium microwavable bowl or on the stove in a small saucepan, add seasonings, and pour it over the cereal mixture in the large bowl and stir to coat before transferring it to the baking sheet.
- Other ideas for add-ins for some variation: cheese crackers, sesame sticks, bagel chips, peanuts or another nut of your choice.
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RECIPE:
Chex Party Mix
Adapted from the recipe by the manufacturers of Chex
Makes about 12 cups
3 cups corn Chex or other corn based lattice-weave cereal
3 cups rice Chex or other rice based lattice-weave cereal
3 cups wheat Chex or other wheat based lattice-weave cereal
1 1/2 cups whole cashew nuts, or a mix of cashew nuts and peanuts
1 1/2 cups mini pretzel sticks
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tsp seasoning salt (Lowry's is the only brand I know of, haha)
¾ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
Preheat oven to 250°F. Place cereals, cashews, and pretzel sticks in a large bowl and stir gently to combine. Place the butter in a large roasting pan that is big enough to hold the cereal mixture with some extra room, then put the pan in the oven to let the butter melt. When it is melted, stir in the Worchestershire sauce, seasoning salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add cereal mixture to the roasting pan and stir gently until evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, removing the pan from the oven to stir the mix every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels or clean kitchen towels until completely cooled, about 30 minutes. Store at room temperature in a zippered plastic bag or other airtight container.
