Nutty Caramel Snack Mix

Nutty Caramel Snack Mix is a delicious combination of cereal, almonds and pecans all covered in a homemade caramel sauce. Baked to perfection, this crunchy, sweet and salty mix is perfect for family and friends, lunches and snacks!

Love easy, on the go snacks? Try our Taco Chex Mix for a spicy, crunchy snack. Or give this delicious Rosemary Chipotle Nut mix a try next time you have company! For your sweet tooth, everyone loves candied pecans!

Why this Recipe Works

I had a craving the other day for Chocolate covered caramel Corn. I love the stuff, especially when it’s homemade. Unfortunately, I had no popcorn in my pantry.

As I stumbled through the darkness (aka the back of my pantry) I came across a new box of rice squares cereal. I must have envisioned myself making some puppy chow at one point, but never got around to it!

As I grabbed the rice cereal and went about making the caramel mixture to coat it, my mind floated back to childhood and Cracker Jack!

Tips and Tricks

• Use a medium sized saucepan to bring the caramel to a boil. Boil for one full minute, then remove from heat.
• Quickly whisk in the baking powder and vanilla extract. The mixture will become frothy! Pour this over your cereal and nuts in a very large bowl.
• I like to use my broiler pans to bake this snack mix. They are deeper than a cookie sheet (however, a cookie sheet does work too, just have to be more cautious when stirring). I line my pan with foil to make easy clean up. You can also use disposable foil pans if that works best for you! Just make sure you try to have a single layer of snack mix on your pans (it cooks better this way).
• You’re going to cook this over low heat (250 degree F) for an hour. Every 15 minutes, remove from the oven and stir (I use a pancake turner and just flip the snack mix, allowing the caramel from the pan to go back over the snack mix).
• Once this is done cooking, dump it onto a large piece of parchment paper on the counter to cool completely. I urge you to not take a bite immediately…that caramel can be HOT! Once this has cooled completely, it will also become crunchy. NOW you can eat it.
• I store mine in a large airtight container, or a couple gallon sized Ziploc bags. If storing in the bags, squeeze the air out of the bag and the snack mix will stay fresh for a little over a week!! ENJOY.

More Easy Recipes

• Saltine Toffee: use Fisher pecans to create the most delicious sweet and salty treat ever!
• The sweet dressing and fruits are the perfect compliment to this Strawberry Pecan Salad.
• Pecan Pie Truffles: one of my all time favorite candies!
• Holiday Chex Mix
• Monster Cookie Recipe
• Caramel Sugar Cookies

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Nutty Caramel Snack Mix

4 from 1 vote

By: Aimee

Nutty Caramel Snack Mix is a delicious combination of cereal, almonds and pecans all covered in a homemade caramel sauce. Baked to perfection, this crunchy, sweet and salty mix is perfect for family and friends, lunches and snacks!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 servings

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 cups light brown sugar packed
• ▢ ½ cup light corn syrup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 8 cups rice squares cereal
• ▢ 1 ½ cup whole Almonds
• ▢ 1 cup Pecan Halves

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Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 250 degree F. Line two broiler pans with foil (cookie sheets, or large disposable pans work too). Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one full minute. Remove from heat.
• Quickly whisk in the baking soda and vanilla extract. This will make the caramel become frothy.
• In a large bowl, combine the cereal and nuts. Pour caramel mixture over cereal and stir until everything is coated evenly. Pour onto prepared pans.
• Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes, making sure the caramel continues to coat the cereal and nuts.
• Spread hot mixture onto a parchment paper lined counter top. Allow to cool completely. Store in airtight container and enjoy!

Notes

• I like to use my broiler pans to bake this snack mix. They are deeper than a cookie sheet (however, a cookie sheet does work too, just have to be more cautious when stirring). I line my pan with foil to make easy clean up. You can also use disposable foil pans if that works best for you! Just make sure you try to have a single layer of snack mix on your pans (it cooks better this way).
• You’re going to cook this over low heat (250 degree F) for an hour. Every 15 minutes, remove from the oven and stir (I use a pancake turner and just flip the snack mix, allowing the caramel from the pan to go back over the snack mix).
• Once this is done cooking, dump it onto a large piece of parchment paper on the counter to cool completely. I urge you to not take a bite immediately…that caramel can be HOT! Once this has cooled completely, it will also become crunchy. NOW you can eat it.
• I store mine in a large airtight container, or a couple gallon sized Ziploc bags. If storing in the bags, squeeze the air out of the bag and the snack mix will stay fresh for a little over a week!! ENJOY.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 361kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 165mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 25g

Course: Appetizers

Cuisine: American

Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!