We have family tradition in our household. Every year at Christmas time the women in my family get busy making nuts & bolts. Mmmmmm, yum! Delicious. It’s funny how this snack mix reminds me of Christmas. The smell, the memories, the fighting with my dad and siblings over who got what kind of cereal (we all have our faves) and then picking them out of the finished dish because you can never get enough of the tasty goodness–they all bring back my childhood.
A Christmas or so ago I posted in my facebook status that I was making these and got a lot of requests for the recipe. I figured, heck, why not share the recipe as a special Christmas treat for you all. A little taste of my “mommyhood” at Christmas time. So grab the kiddos – they love to help stir, tell the hubs no snacking while you’re baking and get making! Add or take away a cereal or be adventurous and try some spices. Nuts & bolts are true to their name, mix it up, match em’ up, play around and build something truly delicious! It smells as good as it tastes!
NANA'S NUTS & BOLTS
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INGREDIENTS:
- 1 box of Shreddies (675g) (similar to Wheat Chex)
- 1 box of Cheerios (300g)
- 1 box of Crispix (350g)
- 1 bag of Pretzel Sticks (450g)
- Peanuts (600g/1.5lbs)
- 1 botle of Worstershire Sauce (284ml)
- 2 Cups of Mazola or Canola Oil
- 1 tbsp Seasoning Salt
-1 tbsp Garlic Salt
- 4 large plastic freezer bags to store nuts & bolts in freezer (yum!)
-Aluminum pans for mixing and baking (I use two roasting pans that equal the width of my oven.
*The ingredients above filled the two roasting pan size that I used.
STEPS:
1. Mix all the cereals and peanuts into your pans. Use your hands to stir them together.
2. Add the pretzel sticks breaking them into small pieces as you add them to the mixture. (You don’t have to do this, but it can make stirring easier.)
3. Combine your garlic salt and seasoning salt into one shaker. Equally shake the salts onto your pans. Use your hands to stir.
4. Pour your oil in equal amounts over the pans. Mix with a spoon.
5. Pour the Worstershire Sauce in equal amounts over your pans as well. Mix with a spoon.
6. Bake for 2 hours at 200 degrees F. (Bake only 2 pans at a time if you are making a large batch or using more pans.)
7. Stir ingredients every 15 minutes while baking. Yes, I know it’s a lot, but it’s very, very important to stir well and often.
8. Leave the pans to cool down before storing in plastic freezer bags or plastic containers in the freezer until needed.
That’s it! All that’s left is to eat and share with family & friends! Yum! Thanks Nana!
I’ve also included the recipe as a handy pdf download for easy printing. Who the heck wants to hand write this puppy out? Click HERE or on the pic below to get your own copy! Yummmy!!!
So grab your pans….
gather your cereals…
and your pretzels and peanuts…
and get cooking! Happy baking!
Now go sew/knit/crochet while you enjoy the yummy smells in between the stirring :) Merry everything ladies – from my home to yours!
What's your favorite go to holiday recipe? Link up and share so we can all make some yummy holiday treats!
p.s. you can also find this post as a guest post on made - sweets and treats christmas countdown.