Name: BBQ Party Mix
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients: 5 cups Corn Chex cereal; 2 cups corn chips; 1 cup Melba toast rounds; 1 cup pretzel sticks; 1 cup smoked almonds; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted; 1/4 cup barbecue sauce; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Why This Recipe Works

Crunchy, salty, and borderline addictive, homemade party snack mix is guaranteed to disappear quickly at any gathering. But after making a back-of-the-box party mix recipe, we felt there was room for improvement. For our improved BBQ Party Mix recipe, tasters preferred the nutty sweetness of melted butter to margarine and olive oil, both of which left a greasy finish. The flavor of Worcestershire sauce was too domineering in our recipe. Barbecue sauce was more successful. Bold seasonings such as chili powder, garlic powder and dried oregano held their flavor through baking (unlike more subtle spices like paprika and onion powder, whose flavor faded).

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Combine cereal, corn chips, Melba toast, pretzels, and almonds in large bowl. Whisk butter and barbecue sauce in small bowl, then drizzle over cereal mixture. Sprinkle evenly with chili powder, oregano, and cayenne and toss until well combined.

Spread mixture over rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden and crisp, about 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Serve. (Mix can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.)