I’m a sucker for snack mix. I’m also a sucker for a good sweet and salty combo. Throw all of that together, and I’m a very happy girl.
Throw some chocolate in as well, and it bumps the happiness up another notch.
This is good stuff.
I will be forever grateful to Shelly over at Cookies & Cups for coming up with this magical combination. Sugar coated Fritos? It’s genius!
I started by mixing together those salty little Fritos, some Rice Chex, a bunch of pretzel twists and some peanuts. I used peanuts because I already had them on hand. Throw in whatever kind of nut you like, though. Next time, I’m going with mixed nuts or pecans.
Please excuse the mess of Frito bags next to the bowl. I never imagined that I wouldn’t be able to find a big bag of Fritos at my grocery store. I had to tear into a bunch of snack sized bags! I like to think that the calories I burned tearing open eleven bags of Fritos helped counteract the damage done by the finished snack mix that I consumed. (A girl can dream, right?)
Next, it was time to cook up that amazing, sweet caramel. Into a saucepan went some butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. I brought it to a boil and then let it bubble away for four minutes.
Once it was ready, I poured the caramel over my snack mix, mixed it up well, and then poured it into a large roasting pan. The pan went into the oven for a couple of eight minute shifts, and I stirred the whole mess up in between.
After the time in the oven, I poured the snack mix out onto some sheets of waxed paper and let it cool. Then, I sprinkled in some mini M&M’s.
That’s it! Done.
Proceed with caution, though. It’s pretty addictive.
SWEET & SALTY FRITO SNACK MIX
Adapted from Cookies & Cups
Sweet & Salty Frito Snack Mix
Recipe Type: Snack
Author: Adapted from Cookies & Cups
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
- 1 (10.5-ounce) bag of Fritos (or 10 1/2 snack sized bags in a pinch!)
- 2 cups Rice Chex Cereal
- 2 cups Pretzel Twists
- 1 1/2 cups nuts (I used peanuts)
- 1 cup packed, light brown sugar
- 1 stick of butter
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup of mini M&Ms
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl combine the Fritos, Rice Chex, pretzels and nuts. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan melt the brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup over medium heat. Let the mixture come to a boil and then let it boil for 4 minutes, without stirring.
- Remove the pan from heat and pour over Frito mixture. Stir carefully to coat everything evenly.
- Transfer the mix to a large roasting pan and bake for 8 minutes. Stir the snack mix, and then bake for an additional 8 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a wax paper lined counter and let it cool completely before breaking into large clumps. When cooled sprinkle the mini M&Ms over the mix.
- The mix can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week…if it lasts that long!
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