Spicy Chex Mix

Spicy Chex Mix

A co-worker of mine brought a batch of something similar to this into work last week, and I loved it so much that I had to give it a try myself. The version the co-worker brought wasn't baked though, it was prepared several days in advance, with the container shaken every day to distribute the oil. Done that way it's best served 3-4 days after preparing, once all of the oil is absorbed. I've seen red pepper flakes substituted for the cayenne, and saltines for the pretzels and cereal. Either way, it comes out great. Feel free to add nuts, and other flavors of Chex to make it more like regular Chex Mix. I didn't think the recipe as listed below would be spicy enough, so I doubled the cayenne, which made the mixture QUITE hot, although not too hot for my taste. If you don't LOVE spicy then stick with the amounts listed below.

-1/2 lb pretzels (small twists or sticks... your preference)

-1/2 lb wheat Chex (or in my case, the WalMart brand knock off)

-1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix (I keep a large canister of it on hand, so I measured out 3 Tbsp, which is equal to 1 package)

-1 tsp. garlic powder

-1 tsp. cayenne pepper

-1/2 cup olive or canola oil

Whisk together ranch mix, garlic powder and cayenne in bowl. Pour pretzels and Chex in, mix until incorporated. Pour olive oil over top, mix again until incorporated. Bake in a thin layer, at 200 for 45-60 minutes, or until all the oil is absorbed, stirring every 20 minutes.

Shannon