Sensational Snack Mixes

October 26, 2007
Photo: Lucy Schaeffer
Get the party started with a sweet or savory snack mix. They're easy to make, easy to transport, and make great gifts.
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Sesame-Soy Nut and Pretzel Mix

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Thom Driver
Sesame-Soy Nut and Pretzel Mix Recipe

Full of salty nuts, pretzels, and cereal and doused with a butter- and Worcestershire-based glaze, the classic snack mix racks up sodium quickly (and who honestly stops at the barely 1/2 cup serving suggestion?). Our Asian-inspired mix saves 160mg sodium per serving with plenty of crunch and bold, salty flavor in a more generous 3/4 cup portion.

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Candied Hazelnuts

Photo: Greg Dupree
Candied Hazelnuts Recipe
Use these nuts in both sweet and savory dishes. Top a tart for a cinnamony sweet and crunchy finish, or crack them and sprinkle over chicken salad. They’re good on their own, and you can change the flavor to suit many tastes. In place of cinnamon, try a little garam masala for an Indian-spiced version or pumpkin pie spice to play up the autumn season. You can also add a tiny bit of ground red pepper to any of these flavor combos to add a spicy kick. The nuts make a great hostess gift or the perfect treat to include in a care package sent during college final exam season.

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Spicy Soy Bar Nuts

Photo: Greg Dupree
Spicy Soy Bar Nuts Recipe

The almonds and cashews roast at slightly different rates (see Note below), so place each in a separate baking pan. After initially roasting, you can place them in the oven together with the peanuts for this recipe, but rotate the pan for even cooking.

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Fried Walnuts

Photo: Greg Dupree
Fried Walnuts Recipe

Spicy Broccoli Rabe with Fried Walnuts

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Brown Sugar-Spiced Nut Mix

Photo: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Paige Hicks
Brown Sugar-Spiced Nut Mix Recipe
Achieve a bronzelike patina on these candied nuts by keeping a close watch near the end of their roasting time. Too long and they'll overdarken and take on a bitter flavor.

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Spiced Mixed Nuts

Photo: Hector Sanchez
Spiced Mixed Nuts Recipe
Spice up your holiday snack foods with this easy, all-star recipe. A winning combination of Old Bay seasoning, Worcestershire, and crunchy mixed nuts is a tasty favorite for guests and it's a great gift idea.
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Munch & Crunch Snack Mix

Oxmoor House
Munch & Crunch Snack Mix Recipe
Roasted pumpkin seeds, chili powder and red pepper give this sweet and crunchy snack mix a Southwestern flair.

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Sweet Chipotle Snack Mix

Sweet Chipotle Snack Mix Recipe
Ground chipotle pepper and chili spices combine with sugar to coat this three-part combo of pepitas (pumpkinseeds), almonds, and cashews. Make it ahead of time and bring with you to your next holiday gathering or as a hostess gift.

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Comet’s White Chocolate Crunch

Oxmoor House
Comet’s White Chocolate Crunch Recipe
This sweet cereal-and-candy mix is a favorite of both children and Santa's reindeer.
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Microwave Snack Mix

Microwave Snack Mix Recipe
This speedy mix makes a whopping 13 cups, so make a batch or two and then present to neighbors, friends, and teachers as a salty sweet gift. The mix stays fresh for up to five days.

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Sugared Curried Pecans

Photo: Jim Franco
Sugared Curried Pecans Recipe
Add spicy and sweet notes to roasted pecans with curry powder and sugar.

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Santa Snack Mix

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen
Santa Snack Mix Recipe
This mixture featuring crunchy cereals, sweet raisins, and spices is sure to be a family favorite during the holidays. It also doubles as a healthy snack for Santa when he's delivering presents.
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Easy Party Snack Mix

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey
Easy Party Snack Mix Recipe
Wasabi peas and sesame sticks gives this super-simple snack mix an Asian flair. You can make the whole recipe in less than 20 minutes.

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Spicy Sesame-Nut Mix

Photo: Thomas J. Story; Styling: Dan Becker
Spicy Sesame-Nut Mix Recipe
It'll be hard to stop nibbling on this sweet and spicy mix of pecans, peanuts, and pine nuts. The nuts are coated in a mixture of sesame seeds, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, sage, and just a touch of honey, and you can make them up to a week ahead.

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Gold-Dusted White Chocolate Popcorn

Beth Dreilling Hontzas
Gold-Dusted White Chocolate Popcorn Recipe
Take ordinary popcorn to another level by combining with nuts and dried cranberries, drizzling with melted white chocolate, and sprinkling with edible gold dust.
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Spicy-Sweet Pecans

Photo: Helen Norman; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Spicy-Sweet Pecans Recipe
The egg white helps the spice mixture adhere evenly and gives the pecans a crisp, glossy coating.

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Santa Fe Snack Seeds

Santa Fe Snack Seeds Recipe
Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds may be small, but they contain quite a few nutrients, so you don't have to feel guilty about snacking on this sweet and spicy mix. Pack the mix in small airtight containers for a fun gift idea.

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Candied Rosemary Hazelnuts

Photo: Thomas J. Story
Candied Rosemary Hazelnuts Recipe
At the Portland restaurant Ned Ludd and Elder Hall gathering space, chef-owner Jason French serves this addictive nibble with a cocktail they call the Porch Swing. He also packs it up for camping trips and bike rides with his family.
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Healthful Fruit-and-Nut Mix

Jennifer Davick
Healthful Fruit-and-Nut Mix Recipe
No cooking required! This simple mix tosses together a combination of good-for-you ingredients including mixed nuts and almonds for a dose of heart healthy fat and dried apricots and dried cranberries for fiber and vitamin C.

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Warm Spiced Cashews

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
Warm Spiced Cashews Recipe
Chinese five-spice powder lends a distinct toastiness to these sweet and savory nuts. They're perfect to whip up as a quick, make-ahead, crowd-pleasing appetizer for holiday entertaining.

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Asian Party Mix

Becky Luigart-Stayner; Jan Gautro
Asian Party Mix Recipe
This flavorful appetizer is loaded with traditional snack mix ingredients like pretzels, corn and rice cereal, and peanuts as well as a few new crunchy favorites—wasabi peas and sesame rice crackers.This flavorful appetizer is loaded with traditional snack mix ingredients like pretzels, corn and rice cereal, and peanuts as well as a few new crunchy favorites—wasabi peas and sesame rice crackers.
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Chili-Spiced Nuts

James Carrier
Chili-Spiced Nuts Recipe
Enjoy this unique blend—pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds—flavored with ground chipotle chilies for a casual snack or a pre-dinner munchie.

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Peppered Caramel Corn

Jennifer Davick
Peppered Caramel Corn Recipe
This two-ingredient treat pulls double duty as a party-opening nibble and a sweet snack.

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Sweet-Hot Spiced Pecans

James Carrier
Sweet-Hot Spiced Pecans Recipe
These pecans are perfect for munching because they're sweet from the sugar, spicy from the cayenne pepper, and have an authentic holiday flavor from the cinnamon and allspice. Keep on hand as a snack for unexpected guests.
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Crisp and Spicy Snack Mix

Becky Luigart-Stayner
Crisp and Spicy Snack Mix Recipe
One batch might not be enough because this snack mix will be snatched up fast. It features the flavors of a traditional party mix but with a spicy zing.

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Spicy Herb Roasted Nuts

James Carrier
Spicy Herb Roasted Nuts Recipe
Fresh herbs add a special flavor to these roasted nuts, but it's okay to substitute dried. Lightly coating the nuts in maple syrup adds just the right amount of sweetness.

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Spicy Almond-Pumpkinseed Snack Mix

Photo: Oxmoor House
Spicy Almond-Pumpkinseed Snack Mix Recipe
This gluten-free snack mix is made with gluten-free rice cereal squares, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and a mixture of savory spices.
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Munchable Snack Mix

Oxmoor House
Munchable Snack Mix Recipe
This sweet-and-salty mix is ideal to take along for a road trip. It's a snack that will appeal to savory and sweet lovers alike.

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Sweet Chipotle Snack Mix

Sweet Chipotle Snack Mix Recipe
Ground chipotle pepper and chili spices combine with sugar to coat this three-part combo of pepitas (pumpkinseeds), almonds, and cashews.

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Sweet and Spicy Nut Mix

Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr
Sweet and Spicy Nut Mix Recipe
Bake crispy rice cereal squares, almonds, and pretzels in a mixture of brown sugar, maple syrup, and spices for a crunchy snack that's the perfect blend of salty, sweet, and spicy.
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Trail Mix

Trail Mix Recipe
Adding a little bit of sweet fruit makes this trail mix taste like a treat!

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Trail Mix

Photo: Oxmoor House
Trail Mix Recipe
The trick to get kids to eat trail mix—add just a little bit of the sweet stuff to the nutritious stuff so it tastes like a treat! Pumpkin seeds are loaded with magnesium and zinc, and the cranberries are chock-full of vitamin C and fiber.

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Nuts and Bolts Trail Mix

Photo: Grant Cornett; Styling: Alistair Turnbull    
Nuts and Bolts Trail Mix Recipe
Nuts and Bolts Trail Mix satisfies a sweet and salty craving while giving you an energy boost throughout the day.
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Tropical Trail Mix

Photo: Plamen Petkov
Tropical Trail Mix Recipe
Stave off that energy slump with this tasty, stamina-boosting Tropical Trail Mix

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Fruit-and-Nut Trail Mix

Photo: Lucy Schaeffer
Fruit-and-Nut Trail Mix Recipe
"At the restaurant, I used to take slices of bacon off trays, stuff them in a roll and eat that as a snack," says chef Jeremy Sewall of Lineage in Brookline, Massachusetts, who has lost about 40 pounds. He now stashes healthy snacks, like this roasted nut mix, everywhere to help him resist other temptations.
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