Spiced (No) Nuts & Bolts
Seriously addictive, nuts & bolts are truly a classic holiday snack. When I was little, one of my favourite things leading up to the holidays was watching my mom pull out her ENORMOUS aluminum pan and get to work making the BIGGEST batch of her famous nut & bolts recipe. Each year the pan seemed to get bigger and as we grew up, this same recipe became a draw for friends and family during the holidays (who were always thrilled when my mom handed them a container to take home at the end of the night).
Fast forward many years and this is one (of several) traditions that I have taken with me into my own family. But I decided to make a couple of changes to my mom’s much-loved recipe. First, as we have many friends who have nut allergies in their family, I omitted the peanuts, thus making them NO-nuts & bolts. However, obviously if you are a nut fan, feel free to toss a couple of large handfuls in to the mix. Second, I kicked my mom’s recipe up a few notches by switching out her traditional spices (think garlic salt and onion powder) and replacing them with smoked paprika, chili powder, and a good tsp (or two if you like it spicy!) of cayenne pepper. When you’re 20 minutes away from being done, sprinkle with sea salt and some freshly chopped rosemary, and we promise you will have a winning recipe that your guests will rave about.
Servings
Makes 10 Cups
Spiced (No) Nuts & Bolts Recipe:
You’ll Need
- 3 cups (750 mL) plain Cheerios
- 3 cups (750 mL) Shreddies or Chex
- 4 cups (1 L) stick pretzels
- 1 stick plus 2 tbsp (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
- 4 tbsp (60 mL) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) smoked paprika
- 1 tsp (5 mL) cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp 5 mL) chili powder
- 2 tsp (10 mL) dried thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) sea salt
- 3 tbsp (45 mL) finely chopped fresh rosemary
Prep and Cook
- Preheat oven to 250 F
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside - In a large bowl, combine Cheerios, Shreddies and pretzel sticks
Stir melted butter with Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cayenne, chili powder, thyme, and sea salt
Pour over Cheerios mixture and use a rubber spatula to combine until all of the ingredients are coated well with the butter mixture - Spread in an even layer onto prepared baking sheet
Bake in oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes, stirring after every 20 minutes
Add rosemary and stir to combine
Continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until mixture is golden and crunchy - Remove from oven to a rack to cool completely
Store in an airtight container
