Mercantile Snack Mix

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 24 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 20 min (includes cooling time)
  • Active: 15 min
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Ingredients

8 cups popped popcorn

6 cups toasted corn cereal squares, such as Chex

4 cups miniature pretzel twists 

4 cups salted dry-roasted peanuts 

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar 

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter 

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

3/4 teaspoon baking soda 

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the popcorn, cereal, pretzels and peanuts. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully stir in the vanilla and baking soda. Pour over the popcorn mixture and stir until coated.
  3. Divide the mixture between the prepared baking sheets and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for 30 minutes. Transfer the pans to wire racks and let cool completely, continuing to stir occasionally as the snack mix cools.
  4. Serve in individual bags.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Home Chef 4 Fun

Great flavor and fun to have a new, different snack mix. That said, in my view, this is a recipe that would greatly benefit from a video with Ree taking folks through the steps, maybe avoiding problems some had with the sauce mixture clumping and hardening. Since I have learned in the past when making fudge, and other recipes boiling sugar and butter, I know it is important not to overcook during her instructions "simmer without stirring for 5 minutes." With my gas burner on the lowest setting, it was more than simmering, so I took it off the heat after about 2 minutes, and proceeded to a successful result. Another option may be to provide a temperature via a candy thermometer not to exceed while cooking. But that may add too many steps to this recipe that is intended to be easy and non stressful to prepare. But it may work for some to avoid overheating the delicious topping, and ending up with a sticky, clumpy mess.

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