Perfect Chex Mix

Unless y’all have been hiding out under a rock, I’m sure you’re well aware that the holidays are practically knocking at our doors. Thanksgiving is Thursday(!!!) and Christmas comes shortly thereafter, which means everyone pretty much scrambles to find the perfect gift for friends, family, neighbors, coworkers and the like.

But instead of braving the dreaded mall (the parking is on another level of torture, not to mention the lines!) have you guys ever considered making your holiday gifts? I’m sure you’ve all received a plate of cookies from a neighbor, or some homemade fudge from a coworker, and they have the right idea! Not only is giving edible gifts cost-effective, but you won’t have to bear with mall traffic or testy parents fighting people in the electronics section to get the newest Minecraft game. Plus, food is a win-win, am I right? (Yes, yes I am).

This holiday season, I’ve teamed up with The Pampered Chef for their Holiday Edible Giftables Campaign! The Pampered Chef is encouraging people to create fabulous edible gifts featuring their collection of brilliant, quality products. Whether you use The Pampered Chef’s line of expert cookware to help you create the giftables, or pair the edible gifts with the matching products used to make them, I hope these ideas serve as inspiration for the perfect holiday gift for your closest friends and family!

First up: the Perfect Chex Mix. Growing up, my grandma made HUGE batches of this highly addictive, perfectly seasoned mix of cereal, pretzels and nuts. I’m sure every family has their favorite recipe, and this is mine! It’s not too spicy but has the perfect amount of heat and kick from the cayenne pepper in the homemade seasoning blend. Paired with garlic and onion powder, seasoning salt, butter and smoky Worcestershire sauce, it’s absolutely delicious and impossible to stop snacking at just one handful.

To make this fabulously Perfect Chex Mix, I baked the mixture on a couple of The Pampered Chef’s Large Sheet Pans. Their aluminized steel sheet pans heat evenly so your mixture won’t get too dark in certain spots and too pale in others. The rimmed sides prevent Chex from jumping ship in the oven while you stir them. I used two sheet pans for my Chex Mix & it was perfect!

Next, you’ll want a spatula to turn and stir that glorious Chex Mix into a heavenly treat. This helps distribute the seasoning to evenly coat all of the components of the mix. I love their Mini Serving Spatula which I use for everything, from lifting bars out of the pan to flipping silver dollar pancakes to stirring Chex Mix!

And lastly, I highly recommend gifting this spicy, smoky Chex Mix in the Bamboo Small Snack Bowls. These two beautifully crafted bamboo bowls have a caramelized, rich finish and hold 1 & 1/4 cups of your favorite snacks (like this Chex Mix, duh!). Simply scoop up some of the Chex into a bowl, gently wrap the bowl in cellophane, and gift it! Simple as that.

Now who’s hungry?!

Print Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Perfect Chex Mix and Sweet & Spicy Cinnamon Chocolate Brownies + A Pampered Chef Holiday Edible Gifts Giveaway!

This Chex Mix is positively dreamy! Seasoned to perfection, it's not too sweet nor spicy -- just right! And it makes for a fantastic edible gift during the holidays.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Course: Snacks

Servings: 24 cups

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Ingredients

• 6 cups Corn Chex cereal
• 6 cups Wheat Chex cereal
• 2 cups Cheerios cereal
• 2 cups pretzel sticks
• 2 cups dry-roasted peanuts
• 2 cups dry-roasted cashews
• 4 sticks 2 cups unsalted butter, melted
• 4 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp seasoning salt
• 1 tsp or less, depending on your preferences cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two Large Sheet Pans with foil or silicone liners. Set aside. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt, cayenne, garlic and onion powder together until combined.
• In a large bowl, toss together the cereals, pretzels, and nuts until blended. Spread the mixture evenly among the two sheet pans in an even layer. Drizzle HALF of the butter mixture over the cereal on one sheet pan, then drizzle the remaining butter mixture over the second sheet pan. Gently toss or stir the butter mixture around with your Mini Serving Spatula until the cereal is coated completely.
• Bake the mixture for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Once the Chex is golden and baked, allow it to cool before dishing up. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Likewise, I couldn’t very well avoid sweets (it’s in my DNA to bake desserts!) so I had to whip up something buttery, chocolaty and delish. These Sweet & Spicy Cinnamon Chocolate Brownies are the perfect solution! To gift these, wrap together The Pampered Chef’s Brownie Pan with their “Let It Snow” Spatula and their Cinnamon Plus Spice Blend for the perfect how-to giftable. As a bonus, include a recipe card or some of your favorite brownie mix inside of a pretty mason jar, tied with a ribbon. Or, make it extra sweet and include a plate of these very brownies with the gift, served up on their adorable Holiday Dots Square Bowl which makes for a fantastic gift-giving vessel and a great item for them to use again and again.

Just whatever you do, please do your tastebuds a favor and pick up that Cinnamon Spice Blend. With hints of orange, ground nutmeg and Korintje cinnamon, it adds a delicious, deeper flavor profile to anything you add it to, including these brownies. It would also be incredible in sugar cookies or snickerdoodles!

*To make the brownies: prepare brownie mix (your favorite kind or boxed) according to package directions, stirring in two teaspoons of the Cinnamon Spice Blend into the batter. Bake in the brownie pan at 350 degrees F. for about 20 minutes or until done. Allow brownies to cool on the Stackable Cooling Racks until cool, then glaze with a simple chocolate frosting (like from a can) and top with a sprinkling of more Cinnamon Spice Blend. Easy! *

No matter how you slice it, The Pampered Chef has you covered this holiday season with their fabulous Holiday Edible Giftable Ideas! I sure hope you’ve been inspired to create your own delicious, memorable edible giftables featuring my recipes or The Pampered Chef’s incredible line of professional cookware to make thoughtful gifts this season. And in case you were craving Chex Mix and Spicy Brownies, The Pampered Chef and I are giving EVERYTHING to one lucky winner!

One lucky duck will receive the following: the Let It Snow Scraper, Brownie Pan, Cinnamon Plus Spice Blend, Madagascar Vanilla Extract, Holiday Dots Square Bowl, Bamboo Small Snack Bowls, Mini Serving Spatula, Large Sheet Pan, & Stackable Cooling Racks to aid in your very own Holiday Giftables! Just enter the Rafflecopter below and one winner will be chosen at random on 12/1/2014. Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to connect with The Pampered Chef online for news, events, promotions and more! Visit their WEBSITE to shop and explore, or connect with them on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST & INSTAGRAM.

Have a fantastical day!!

xo, Hayley

In the interest of full disclosure, I was generously provided with these Pampered Chef products to develop a holiday edible giftable recipe featuring said products for this particular campaign. All opinions are 100% my own and always will be.