Dude Food

Oven Chex Mix

Butter, Worcestershire, a low oven, and a stir every fifteen minutes. A week of snacking from one pan.

Jump to recipe

Prep
10 min
Cook
1 hr
Rest
15 min
Total
1 hr 25 min
Makes
12 cups
Difficulty
easy

Bagged party mix is fine. Homemade is a different snack: every piece coated in savory butter and baked slowly until it is crisp all the way through. It takes an hour, but you only touch it four times.

Ingredients

Seasoned butter

Gear

  • large roasting pan or sheet pan
  • small saucepan

Method

Tap a step to mark where you are. Tap a time to start a timer.

  1. Heat the oven

    Set the oven to 250°F. Low and slow is the whole trick: hotter, and the butter burns before the cereal dries out.

  2. Mix the dry

    Tip the cereals, nuts, pretzels, and bagel chips into the roasting pan.

  3. Season the butter

    Melt the butter in a small saucepan, or in the microwave, and stir in the Worcestershire and all the seasonings.

  4. Coat

    Pour the butter over the mix slowly while tossing gently with a spatula until every piece looks a little shiny.

  5. Bake and stir

    Bake for an hour, taking it out to stir every 15 minutes so the bottom layer does not scorch. Run the timer once for each stretch.

  6. Cool

    Spread it out on paper towels or a clean sheet pan and let it cool completely. It crisps up as it cools.

  7. Store

    Keep it in a sealed container or zip bag for up to a week.

Notes

  • tipIn a hurry? Microwave it in a large bowl on high for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, then cool the same way.
  • variationAdd a teaspoon of hot sauce and a pinch of cayenne to the butter for a spicy batch.
  • variationSwap any of the cereals, nuts, or crackers for what is in the cupboard. Keep the total at about 12 cups so the butter goes around.
  • warningMixed nuts mean it is not safe for anyone with a nut allergy; leave them out and add more pretzels.