Firecracker Chex Mix

Firecracker Chex Mix is a spicy, salty and completely additive take on chex mix. Perfect for parties or everyday snacking!

As a savory foods enthusiast, you might be surprised to know that snack foods aren’t really my thing. I can usually pass up a bowl full of pretzels without bating an eyelash, and a bag of chips, while enticing, could easily be looked over in lieu of a hunk of aged cheddar cheese.

I think maybe I just prefer real savory food to processed, packaged snacks??

With that said, there is one snack food I’ve always been completely addicted to, one that I’d never say no to, and one that I’ve been shameless eating since I can remember, and that’s chex mix.

When I was really young, I would happily inhale the stuff that came from the package, but once my Mom started making it homemade as I got a little bit older, I found out very quickly, the homemade version is infinitely better than anything you can get in the bag.

The only time I’ve ever bought a bag since then was when I had extreme hunger emergency on a road trip and it was the only semi-healthy option in an isle full of cheddar and sour cream potato chips and Snickers bars.

And I was disappointed with each bite – never again!

Our favorite family version is an adapted recipe of the one on the back of the box, but I add in WAY more worcestshire sauce and entirely too much seasoned salt, because I want every single bite to be covered in seasoning. My Mom has also started adding in the honey nut chex, and it’s been a game-changer in my chex mix obsession.

While I love our classic version, sometimes I get a little sick of it, so I’ve been wanting to create an alternate recipe I can reach for when I’m craving more snacks, but just finished my last batch of chex mix a few days prior.

I’ve wanted to make those firecracker saltines you find in the south, you know, the ones covered in red pepper flakes and basically leave your mouth on fire, yet keep you coming back for more?? They’re completely addictive.

So I thought instead of going the classic route with saltines, I’d turn it into a chex mix version we can snack on throughout the holidays, and really throughout the year.

I looked up a bunch of recipes, but none of them were really what I was looking for. Either they had to soak overnight (and weren’t cooked) or the recipe used store-bought pre-packaged ranch seasoning., and I didn’t want to do/use either of those things. So I took a few pointers from a few I found and made my own version.

I used a mixture of canola and olive oil since canola oil basically has no taste and straight olive oil can be a bit overwhelmin, tons of crushed red pepper flakes and array of dried spices I use when I make homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.

The process (if you can call it that) couldn’t be simpler. Whisk the oils and spices together. Pour over a variety of chex cereals, pretzels, rye chips and peanuts, toss and then bake at a super low temperature until it’s all crisp.

Cool, and serve!

I actually left the honey chex out of this batch because Kevin doesn’t really like it, but I wish I would have put it in for that sweet and spicy combo, so keep that in mind!