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A sweet and salty snack mix packed with pumpkin spice flavor. A must-have for cozy weather snacking!
I am SUCH a fan of snacks. Like… Huge fan. Don’t get me wrong, breakfast is my #1 fav meal (helloooo, eggs Benedict!), but I love the idea of snacks and having snacks and keeping snacks around.
For the most part, the snacks we keep in our kitchen are fairly healthy (lots of nuts/seeds, veggies, fruit, nut butter, hard boiled eggs, popcorn, 85% cacao chocolate bars), but every once in awhile, you’ll find something unhealthy (currently? CANDY CORN!).
It’s rare, but it happens.
I am, of course, always baking something, so there’s usually cookies (<– actually, there is ALWAYS a stash of these just in case I need some decorated cookies STAT!) stashed away in the freezer or leftover frosting if you’re in need of a sugar fix.
One snack you will likely not find in our house is Chex mix. This is not because we don’t like it. This is because if you gave me a bag of cheddar Chex mix, you would be embarrassed FOR me how quickly I could devour the entire bag.
That stuff… Is crack. CRACK.
So finding out I could make Chex mix at home came with mixed emotions… Extreme excitement, because YAY, but also a little bit of fear… Fear that I would never be able to stop making it.
It’s kind of like when I finally figured out how to make granola at home. Yeah, more of that coming soon.
My friends Jennifer and Trevor over at Show Me The Yummy inspired me to make my own Chex mix, and of course, I had to put a fall spin on it. And of course, that fall spin was PUMPKIN. All the yes to pumpkin spice all up in my Chex mix.
I started thinking about tasty treats that would be made even better with pumpkin spice all over them. When I realized that EVERYTHING was the answer, I decided on a few fall-y staples: pecans, pretzels, and graham crackers.
But not just any graham crackers– Teddy Grahams! Because why the heck not?
Also, adorable faces. No brainer.
This homemade Chex mix could not be any easier. If it was any easier, it would be in a bag in the grocery store, but it’s not… So grab your Chex cereal and your other goodies and let’s do this!
You’ll combine your Chex, pretzels, Teddy Grahams, and pecans in a very large microwave safe bowl. Then, you’ll melt some butter, add some vanilla extract, a generous sprinkling of brown sugar + pumpkin pie spice, a good (but gentle) stir, and then… The easiest part.
All this crunchy pumpkiny goodness goes right into the microwave. Yep. That’s right! No oven. Just 3-4 minutes in the zapper. You’ll stop after each minute to stir your Chex mix.
While you’re stirring, you might notice your Teddy Grahams getting a little soft. This is ok. Just stir gently so as not to break or disintegrate them. They will get crunchy again! I promise.
Allow the Chex mix to cool, try not to sneak too many taste tests before it’s ready, and now you have yourself a delightful little snack to cozy up with in this chilly weather! Don’t forget your pumpkin coffee, duh.
Umm… This Chex mix did NOT last long in our house. I packaged some up for my brother-in-law and I would be lying if I said I didn’t sneak a few bites from his bag (sorry, Nick!). I kept some for us and took the rest to work, and it was absolutely gone within 1 work day.
The sweet and salty combination of everything goin’ on in this Chex mix is the ultimate fall snack, and the pumpkin spice just adds the perfect something extra to each bite!
I’m so glad I found out how easy it is to make this crack stuff at home, so don’t be surprised if some more varieties show up in the future. Because don’t forget, I am ALLLL about the snacks. Seriously.
Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups Rice Chex® cereal
- 2 cups mini pretzels
- 1 and 1/2 cups Cinnamon Teddy Grahams
- 6 ounces pecans coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, toss together the Chex cereal, mini pretzels, Teddy Grahams, and chopped pecans. Set aside.
- In a small microwave safe bowl or a glass measuring cup with a spout, melt the butter. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the brown sugar and the pumpkin pie spice and stir until completely combined. Pour butter mixture over the cereal mixture and stir gently with a spatula until all of the sugar and spice is distributed evenly.
- Put the bowl in the microwave on HIGH for 1 minute, then stir gently with a spatula to distribute heat. The Teddy Grahams will start to get slightly soft. This is ok. This is why I encourage you to stir gently. They will get crisp again once Chex mix cools. Heat Chex mix again in 1 minute increments for a total of 3-4 minutes, stirring after each minute. Stop when the Chex mix begins to brown. Pour onto prepared baking sheet and allow to cool. Store Chex mix in an airtight container or large zip-top bag at room temperature up to 2 weeks.
Check out some more of my favorite snacks!
And of course… All of my pumpkin recipes!
GIRL. Snacking is my absolute FAV, and before this whole gluten diagnosis, I most definitely could not be trusted with a bag of Chex mix. SO YUMMY! I’m thinking that this is totally doable for my g-free self with the swap of Annie’s gluten-free snickerdoodle bunnies for the Teddy Grahams, and gluten-free pretzels in place of the gluten-full ones. YAS!!! Can’t WAIT to try this!!!
Those sound like the perfect swaps, Leah! GO FOR IT!
Hey! Thanks for the shout out! This Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix looks amazing! We’re headed to a party on Saturday…thinking this might need to come along with me! 🙂
Of course! Thanks for the inspiration! Let me know if you try it and how you like it! 🙂