Save to Pinterest This crunchy snack blend combines mini pretzels, roasted peanuts, cashews, wheat cereal squares, cheese crackers, and corn chips, all coated with a zesty seasoning of melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, smoked paprika, and optional cayenne pepper. Baked to a golden finish, it’s perfect for sharing during game day or casual gatherings. Variations include swapping nuts or adjusting spice levels for tailored flavor.
The smell of Worcestershire sauce and melting butter always transports me back to my friend Mark's tiny apartment during our college years. He'd whip up this snack mix on Sundays while we debated which teams were actually going to make the playoffs. Now it's the first thing I make whenever anyone comes over for football, or really, any excuse to gather around the TV with drinks and good conversation.
Last year I made three batches for my brother's Super Bowl party and somehow all of them disappeared before halftime. My dad kept hovering by the bowl, pretending to check the score on the TV but really just fishing for the biggest clusters of cashews and pretzels. Now I double the recipe and still wonder if it's going to be enough.
Ingredients
- 2 cups mini pretzels: These provide the salty crunch base and their twisted shape holds onto seasoning beautifully
- 1 cup roasted peanuts: Cheaper than cashews but add that classic ballpark flavor everyone expects
- 1 cup roasted cashews: The creamy buttery element that balances all the salty components
- 1 cup wheat cereal squares: These soak up the seasoning mixture and become little flavor bombs
- 1 cup cheese crackers: Adds an extra savory punch that people can never quite identify
- 1 cup corn chips: They get incredibly crisp in the oven and add variation in texture
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted: Use real butter here because oil makes the coating slide right off
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce: The secret ingredient that gives it that deep savory complexity
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder: Even people who swear they hate garlic will ask what makes this taste so good
- 1 teaspoon onion powder: Works with the garlic to create that seasoned snack blend flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika: Adds a subtle smoky depth that keeps people coming back
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper: Just enough warmth to make you reach for your drink
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt: Everything gets a light dusting but this ensures every bite is properly seasoned
Instructions
- Get your oven ready:
- Preheat to 300°F and line your largest baking sheet with parchment paper because this stuff makes a mess without it
- Pile everything in a giant bowl:
- Dump in all the pretzels, nuts, cereal, crackers, and chips together
- Whisk up the liquid gold:
- Combine melted butter with Worcestershire sauce and all your spices until it's smooth and fragrant
- Coat everything evenly:
- Drizzle the seasoning over your dry mix while tossing constantly so nothing gets left bare
- Spread it out:
- Get everything into a single layer on your prepared sheet so it toasts evenly instead of steaming
- Bake with patience:
- Cook for 35 minutes but stir it every 10 minutes or the bottom pieces will burn while the top stays raw
- The hardest part:
- Let it cool completely because the crunch only develops once it's fully cooled down
Save to Pinterest My niece asked me to teach her how to make it for her dorm's first football watch party and seeing her carefully measure each spice made me realize how many times I've made this completely by feel. There's something special about passing down a recipe that's really just a vessel for gathering people together.
Making It Your Own
I've started keeping bags of the dry ingredients premeasured in my pantry so I can throw this together at a moment's notice. The seasoning whisked in a mason jar stays good in the fridge for weeks, which means impromptu snack emergencies are covered.
Serving Strategies
Small bowls placed around the room work better than one giant serving bowl because people won't congregate in one spot. I learned this after my entire party crowded into the kitchen for twenty minutes.
Storage Solutions
This actually tastes better the next day once the flavors have had time to mingle properly. I store it in airtight containers on the counter but it rarely lasts more than 48 hours in my house anyway.
- Make extra because people will ask to take some home
- It freezes surprisingly well if you somehow have leftovers
- Package in decorative bags for unexpected host gifts
Save to Pinterest Every time I make this now I think about all the different living rooms and game days it's been part of over the years. Some recipes are just food, but this one has become part of whatever celebration is happening.
