My Grandma Jensen used to make this spicy snack at Christmas every year, and she always made several batches so she could give plenty away and still serve it in her home. Kinda spicy, kinda garlicy, and completely addictive.
Can't go wrong w/ a classic, crunchy snack mix! I used what I had on hand (baby Goldfish, corn Chex, pretzel Goldfish, peanuts) - I scrapped the Cheerios b/c last time I baked those in a snack mix, they shriveled up to teeny, tiny little "O"s. I went a bit lighter on the butter, and for personal preference, added a shake of ground coriander and onion powder. Baking time is dead-on (don't forget to stir!), and upon cooling, I scooped in some golden raisins and mini M&Ms'. I am tossing handfuls of "Nuts & Bolts" in my mouth as I type this. /crunch. Thanks for an alternative to store-bought bags of Chex Mix!
Read MoreWas ok. A lot of work to create something that tasted just like nuts and bolts! Much cheaper and faster to just buy it! Had reduced butter as suggested and added onion powder, didn't have a ton of taste, but could taste onion/garlic kick slightly afterwards. I'm sure it wasn't too pleasant to talk to me after eating these as you could smell the garlic/onion.
Read More Can't go wrong w/ a classic, crunchy snack mix! I used what I had on hand (baby Goldfish, corn Chex, pretzel Goldfish, peanuts) - I scrapped the Cheerios b/c last time I baked those in a snack mix, they shriveled up to teeny, tiny little "O"s. I went a bit lighter on the butter, and for personal preference, added a shake of ground coriander and onion powder. Baking time is dead-on (don't forget to stir!), and upon cooling, I scooped in some golden raisins and mini M&Ms'. I am tossing handfuls of "Nuts & Bolts" in my mouth as I type this. /crunch. Thanks for an alternative to store-bought bags of Chex Mix!
We use this recipe and instead of crackers use Cheetos. We also add hot sauce or red hot pepper powder.
Yummy! Unfortunately you can't double the recipe because it completely fills a large mixing bowl. I might try it with less butter next time so it won't be so greasy.
Love this recipe. I also add Tabasco sauce and omit the Cheese crackers and replace with soup and chili crackers.
This is the recipe my family always makes. We didn't use any crackers until recently we have been using mini bagel chips. Love the Cheerios! Oh, and we use stick pretzels.
This is the recipe I have used since the 60's. I double the recipe and make it in an aluminum roasting pan for the holidays. The only thing I do different is use equal amounts of garlic powder, onion powder and celery salt. Be careful not to use too much salt! Thank you for sharing this. I had lost my original recipe.
My family has made a similiar mix for years but we add a package of onion soup mix (or for garlic lovers - onion and roasted garlic soup mix) to melting butter. I also toast everything except the cheese crackers, and add them when the mix is cooled. Try some hickory potato sticks too.
I always add mixed nuts, onion pwd, hickory sticks, celery salt.....Life Cereal works well too.....
Cut back the butter to 3/4 and add a tad more Worcestier sauce and cut back a bit on all the salty additives and it would be perfect. Bake at 250 for first 45 min while turning every 15 and bump up the heat a tad for last 15 min to help dry out the butter.
I have migraine headaches and it is hard to find snacks that do not have what I call "the evil" MSG which is a trigger for headaches for me. So many of the homemade snacks have Ranch Dip mix that contain MSG so this one is perfect. This is delicious and perfect for parties. I had to omit the cheese crackers for the same reason but easily switched them for oyster crackers and the taste was great. I found I could also use popcorn or wheat crackers for a different flavor. Thanks Grandma Jensen and allrecipes.com!
Very good recipe. I added some chili powder and onion powder for a little extra flavour. Big hit. Also for a nice twist, omit the cheese crackers and use Asiago crackers available at Costco. Those are far more flavourful than Goldfish
Made with a bunch of stuff in my cupboards (cheerios, gold fish crackers, pretzels, shreddies, etc.). Kept the sauce as written. Tasty and crunchy! Love it and will definitely be making again.
I use Cracklin Oat Bran instead of Cheerios. The sweetness adds a great mix to the salt. That is my family's favorite part. I don't use any crackers or cheesy anything. I also soak my nuts in the butter mixture before tossing them into the cereal mixture. They absorb the seasoning better that way. I bake at 350 for 30 minutes as it browns it a little more. I add about 1-2 teaspoons of Cayenne pepper according to how spicy you like it. Definitely a crowd pleaser. I have friends ask me every year if I am making my Texas Trash! Great snack!
Very good and I did not think it had too much butter and as QUANVON stated it was not too much "worK" - maybe if you don't cook it's work but I can't think of anything easier. I added some Brazil nuts and roasted pecans but all in all it was a great recipe.
Use your imagination to add or substitute to this great basic recipe. Original? No. Chex Mix recipes abound on wheat, rice, and corn chex cereal boxes. We've had this on hand during winter holidays for nearly 40 years. Don't hesitate - you'll love this.
Good and easy to make. I followed the recipe other then I didn't have cheese crackers or nuts, so added a bit more chex. Nice flavor.
I have these in the oven right now, and the smell is heavenly! I do this recipe exactly the way it is written, and it's always a HUGE hit! I made a double batch last year for gifts at Christmas time, and people were asking for the recipe. The only change this year was I couldn't find any Rice Chex (only corn), so I ended up adding a bit of extra of everything else. Still, it's going to taste great, and I'm going to devour quite a bit myself! Thanks so much for posting the wonderful, classic nuts and bolts recipe!
Was ok. A lot of work to create something that tasted just like nuts and bolts! Much cheaper and faster to just buy it! Had reduced butter as suggested and added onion powder, didn't have a ton of taste, but could taste onion/garlic kick slightly afterwards. I'm sure it wasn't too pleasant to talk to me after eating these as you could smell the garlic/onion.
My mom used to make this, but now has dementia and we couldn't find the recipe. So happy to have it now. We substitute "Goldfish" for the cheese crackers. Nice to have an old friend back for the holidays. Thanks.
Too much butter! Also missing garlic powder, onion powder or celery salt! My aunt uses garlic salt, onion salt and celery salt, but I find that too salty.
This is a great recipe! Just right salt flavor compared to other nuts and bolts I had. I made two batches and will have to make more, our family love it ?. It's a new recipe for Filipino families. Thanks so much for sharing!
I omitted nuts, because expensive. I used Crispix, instead of rice and corn chex, and non one likes wheat chex, so I left that out too. I added more crispix, cheerios, and pretzels to make up the difference. I exchanged one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce for one of balsamic vinegar. Very yummy, and much more inexpensive. Less variety, but I'm still looking for more things we like better to add in.
This is a classic! If you either follow the directions or mix it up a bit, it will turn out fantastic! I make this every year and have several people asking me to make a special batch just for them when the holidays come around. The only thing I do differently is add more worsrchrstire every 15 minutes through baking. Turns out great!!!
This was so easy to put together! I was even able to make it gluten free. Its got just the right amount of savory flavour. Perfect for a quick appetizer, I'll be putting it out on Christmas Eve!
Easy to double, just grab a giant foil turkey roasting pan or the biggest stock pot you have on hand and go to town. Easy clean up;) Good stuff!
WARNING!!! This is highly addictive! Thank you for a recipe that's become one of our favorites. This is spot on!
Easy to double, just grab a giant foil turkey roasting pan or the biggest stock pot you have on hand and go to town. Easy clean up;) Good stuff!
This is our any time of the year family favorite! instead of Chex I prefer Chrispix :) and end up nearly doubling the butter, W-sauce and garlic powder. So good!!
Simple to make and great taste! I substituted 2 cups of cereal for Grissol Baguette pieces and used 1 1/2 tsp of garlic salt, 1/2 tsp onion salt, and 1/2 tsp celery salt. I also used a disposable roasting pan which was the perfect size! Will definitely make again.
I have used this recipe for three years now. I add my own flavours and it turns out great every time.
Tasty recipe. I also used cheerios, wasabi pea's and celery salt. As per one reviewer I will try it with a packet of onion soup mix next time.
Have made this several times, using 2/3 cup butter and vary the seasonings to taste. My family likes some smoky flavour.
The recipe states it makes 12 cups which isn't correct as all the cereals, crackers, and nuts = 14 cups. I used oyster crackers instead of the cheese crackers, Crispix in place of the oat cereal, and shredded wheat bites in place of one of the Chex cereals. I decided to put it in my crock pot. It filled the crock pot completely. I didn't think to use a vented lid in place of the normal crock pot lid so the top layer of the mixture ended up a little soggy from moisture. I don't know if I would make this particular recipe again--it was OK but, sogginess aside, it didn't "wow" me.
I am rating this on the proportion of snack mix to garlic butter mixture, as it is spot on. everything was evenly coated before going into the oven, and therefore each piece was seasoned well. I changed up the mix but kept the snack mix portion to 16 cups total. rice, corn chex, crunchy cheezits, butter pretzels, bugles, peanuts, walnuts, snyder pretzel pieces in buffalo wing, and honey mustard onion. I did add 2 tsp onion powder, and some soul food seasoning to the butter as well as the garlic powder. this combination got rave reviews and everyone asked me for the recipe because it was so different than the usual. All I did was go up and down the snack/chip aisle of the grocery and perused through what I thought seemed like it could be put into this. I had a lot of fun making this due to the variations. thanks so much. such a nice anytime mix, party mix, holiday treat.
Excellent basic recipe. I do tweak it a little with fresh minced garlic in the butter mixture instead of powdered and a healthy dash of Tabasco because I like the heat and flavor but this recipe can be tweaked a bit in this way to suit individual tastes without departing from the recipe entirely.
I added Kix to the mix, YUM! I also used 1 cup of each instead of 2, this made it easier to mix. So I did two 1 cup rounds to make the full batch. I put 1 cup of each cereal in a large mixing bowl and mixed the cereals up there. I then put that in a gallon ziplock bag and poured in the liquid (since I used half of the cereals, I used half of the liquid), then closed it and shook it. This proved to make it faster to coat, more even coating, and less breakage than it I had done it all in a bowl.
Would probably give it a 4 1/2. Very tasty. Just needed a little more heat. Will add some more chili powder next time.
Made this for my sons construction birthday party. We enjoyed the recipe lots!! Thank you for sharing!
