A mix built using this template is salty, crunchy, cheesy, sweet, and savory, the kind of thing that never gets boring no matter how much you eat. You can certainly scale down as needed, but making a bunch of snack mix at once is never a bad thing, especially when everything is shelf-stable and will keep in an airtight container in your pantry for weeks. It’s easy enough that a kid can do it (and will likely take great pleasure in making each category selection if they’re anything like the power-hungry children I babysat) but theoretical enough that grown-ups can easily get lost in the myriad of possibilities. For a party or a night on the couch, it’s a superlative snack solution.
Of course, if you want to up your game a bit, you can absolutely add a coat-and-bake step for an additional layer of flavor and complexity. If you’ve ever made the Chex Mix recipe from the back of the cereal box before, you’ll be familiar with this premise: After selecting your chips, crackers, crispies, and crunchies, you’ll toss the mix in a medley of fat (melted butter or oil), spices, and more before spreading it on a sheet pan and baking until toasted.
We have a few such mixes on the site, like the BA Party Mix, which uses Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce; this habit-forming mix from a few years ago that nails the sweet and savory combo with nutritional yeast, miso, and honey, and this spicy version from Rick Martinez, where Frank’s Hot Sauce is balanced with dried sour cherries.
Follow one of these exactly or let them be a jumping-off point to creating your own evolved Mad Lib recipe—it won’t be the same as dumping Ruffles straight from the bag into your mouth, but it might be deserving of a post on the grid.
A mix built using this template is salty, crunchy, cheesy, sweet, and savory, the kind of thing that never gets boring no matter how much you eat. You can certainly scale down as needed, but making a bunch of snack mix at once is never a bad thing, especially when everything is shelf-stable and will keep in an airtight container in your pantry for weeks. It’s easy enough that a kid can do it (and will likely take great pleasure in making each category selection if they’re anything like the power-hungry children I babysat) but theoretical enough that grown-ups can easily get lost in the myriad of possibilities. For a party or a night on the couch, it’s a superlative snack solution.Of course, if you want to up your game a bit, you can absolutely add a coat-and-bake step for an additional layer of flavor and complexity. If you’ve ever made the Chex Mix recipe from the back of the cereal box before, you’ll be familiar with this premise: After selecting your chips, crackers, crispies, and crunchies, you’ll toss the mix in a medley of fat (melted butter or oil), spices, and more before spreading it on a sheet pan and baking until toasted. We have a few such mixes on the site, like the BA Party Mix, which uses Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce; this habit-forming mix from a few years ago that nails the sweet and savory combo with nutritional yeast, miso, and honey, and this spicy version from Rick Martinez, where Frank’s Hot Sauce is balanced with dried sour cherries. Follow one of these exactly or let them be a jumping-off point to creating your own evolved Mad Lib recipe—it won’t be the same as dumping Ruffles straight from the bag into your mouth, but it might be deserving of a post on the grid.