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Sweet party mix is truly the dessert course if a traditional party mix is the main dish. You know what I mean: the traditional one full of buttery, savory flavors that seems impossible to stop eating. This sweet, glazed party mix has the same level of addicting flavor, but with a mind-blowing twist: spices!
Grandma always made both traditional and sweet party mix at Christmas. The cutest part is that she would store them in vintage Christmas tins. To give a slight refresh to grandma’s recipe, I added some cinnamon and cloves and bumped up the amount of nuts. This slight adjustment gives a special seasonal glazed party mix that is so good.
The ingredients that make up this party mix
- Light brown sugar is a quick way to create a caramel sauce. The molasses in the brown sugar add depth of flavor and instant caramel-like taste.
- Butter not only imparts flavor, but also helps create the correct texture for the caramel to stay slightly soft but also crisp.
- Cinnamon and clove are the underlying superstars. Not a ton of spice is added. There’s just a hint to make it seasonal and give a slight kick.
- Crispix cereal, which, unlike tradtional Chex mix cereal, is hexagonal and has a mixture of both rice and corn. They’re sturdier, which means they’ll hold up to the caramel and never get soft.
- Walnuts, pecans, and peanuts, and a good amount of each at that, are mixed with the Crispix cereal. The higher ratio of nuts lets you know this is something special and not your everyday party mix.
The ingredients are simple, but the outcome is something you can easily give as a gift (and be proud of!). Package this up and anyone will be excited to receive the gift. I love to make this around the holidays and have it in bowls around the house when friends and family are over. The mix is such a treat and always reminds me of Grandma. She would have loved the spice, too.
More Christmas candies
Easy Saltine Toffee (Christmas Crack)
The Best Peppermint Bark
Peanut Butter Balls
Homemade Christmas Caramels
Watch how to make this glazed party mix
Glazed Party Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 16 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 12 oz box Crispix cereal
- 1 cup toasted walnuts
- 1 cup toasted pecans
- 1 cup roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F.
- In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt. Over medium-low heat, stir until the sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook at a simmer for 5 minutes.2 cups light brown sugar, 16 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, ½ cup light corn syrup, 1 tsp kosher salt
- While the caramel is heating, in a large bowl combine the cereal and nuts and set aside.12 oz box Crispix cereal, 1 cup toasted walnuts, 1 cup roasted peanuts, 1 cup toasted pecans
- When the caramel mixture has cooked, remove it from heat and add the baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir to incorporate and the mixture will become airy and white. Immediately pour onto the prepared cereal and nuts.½ tsp baking soda, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cloves
- Stir the caramel and cereal mixture together until the caramel evenly coats the cereal and nuts. Pour into two greased baking sheets and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes. The texture will seem soft while warm and will harden during cooling. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Delicious!! Will definitely make again! The only little hitch I had was getting the instructions on how to roast the pecans and the walnuts. I couldn’t find it on the recipe instructions, so I had to Google it and there were a few ways to choose from!
Thank you Kaleb for this recipe……. Many comments on it.😀❣️
This is delicious! Wow you need a very large bowl! I question how this serves 24! Must be twenty-four people with lots of self-control! Thanks so much for sharing!
Could this (glazed party mix) be made gluten free by using rice or corn Chex?
Hi Kaleb, I am not a baker but always wanted to make holiday treats. This recipe was so easy and taste delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I just get overwhelmed when recipes get complicated. I think I‘lol try the peanut brittle next! Merry Christmas!
Can you send me the Oyster crackers snack mix
Addictive Crunchy Deliciousness! I switched out peanuts with cashews and, oh my, nirvana! I cut back the brown sugar to 1 1/2 c and added a 1/4 t nutmeg. Served 12 ladies at our Canasta gathering and they kept tasting and guessing at the ingredients! The spices are just right and the nutmeg was just a hint of something there. Perfect! This was a hit with the ladies and my husband. And I’m munching on some right now! Thanks for a keeper recipe!
FYI, today’s standard Crispix box is 9.6 oz (inflation = less product) even though pictures on the website show 12 oz. The 9.6 oz was still just fine in ratio to the nuts.
This was delicious!!! Thank you for sharing!
Made it and my three daughters loved it. Thank you