Sweet and Salty Fall Snack Mix

This Sweet and Salty Fall Snack Mix has savory, spicy, sweet, and salty flavors all rolled into one!  A buttery base of maple and brown sugar is accented with cinnamon and chipotle, while roasted pecans and rosemary add extra boosts of flavor.  A variety of textures makes each perfectly glazed piece irresistibly munch-worthy.

An easy and delicious fall snack mix is perfect for sharing around the fire pit, while watching fall football, or to refuel after a leaf-raking session.  This one’s a crowd pleaser that will be welcome at home or when visiting friends.  The subtle spice and rosemary are perfect unexpected contrasts that will have friends begging you for the recipe.

We love snacking on this mix all season long, but if you’re feeling spooky try this  Halloween Snack Mix next!

Ingredients

I include ingredient notes here when I think they’ll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!

• Salted Butter - We always have salted butter on hand, but if you only have unsalted butter, increase the amount of salt you add to the recipe by ⅛ a teaspoon.
• Cinnamon - Cinnamon is an essential fall spice, but adding just one teaspoon to the mixture helps keep it in balance so it can play well with the chipotle and rosemary.
• Maple Syrup and Brown Sugar - The maple flavor is dreamy and the brown sugar helps the buttery glaze set up well on each crispy piece, so you need both to help sweeten the mix.
• Rosemary - This is an unexpected pop of herbal flavor, but it helps keep the sweetness in check.  Remember that rosemary is basically pine needles and chop it very finely before adding it to the recipe.
• Chipotle Chile Powder - Chipotle chiles are smoky and have a medium spice level, so a touch of chipotle chile powder adds two great layers of flavor to the mix.
• Oyster Crackers - This classic snack mix component bakes up extra buttery and crisp with this method!
• Pretzel Twists - Choose your favorite pretzel shape here, but I like the compact twists so that all of the mix ingredients are roughly the same size for the ultimate handful for snacking.
• Pecan Halves - I tested this recipe with chopped pecans and found that they just got lost in the mix and ended up at the bottom of the serving bowl.  Pay a little extra for the halves and they bake up buttery and golden and hold their own in the mix.
• Corn Chex Cereal - It almost wouldn’t be a snack mix without the light and crisp texture of Chex cereal bits.
• Candy-Coated Chocolate Pieces - Any of your favorite chocolate candies will do, I found a seasonal pumpkin spice m&ms for this mix and I was a huge fan!

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300°F for this recipe.  A low oven will ensure we get a golden, crisp mix without burning anything.

Prepare a half sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper.

Melt the butter in a large microwaveable bowl. Alternatively, transfer it to a large mixing bowl after melting it on the stovetop.

Strip the rosemary needles from the stems and chop them very finely so that they can coat the mix evenly.

Add the cinnamon, maple syrup, brown sugar, rosemary, and chipotle chile powder to the butter.  Mix well.

Add the oyster crackers, pretzels, pecans, and Chex cereal to the butter mixture.  Mix well, coating the entire mixture evenly.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared sheet pan and spread it out evenly.  Bake for 15 minutes and remove the pan from the oven to give the whole thing a stir.  Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven.

Allow the mix to completely cool in the pan.  Break up the mix with your hands into individual pieces and then add the chocolate candy pieces.  Mix everything together well and transfer your fall snack mix to a serving bowl or to an airtight container.

Substitutions and Variations

With this fall snack mix, you can feel free to swap out ingredients to customize it to your liking.  Keep the volume of “dry” components (the nuts, cereal, and crackers) the same as in the recipe to ensure it bakes up crisp and that every piece is well coated.

• Add crunch -  Swap the ingredients for cheerios, bagel chips, bugles, other cereals, or a different nut variety to customize the mix to your liking.
• Increase the spice - Use a doubled amount of the chipotle chile powder or use a more potent chile, like cayenne or crushed red chiles, to pump up the spice level.
• Add more candies - Once the mix has cooled from baking in the oven, feel free to sweeten up your mix with Reese’s pieces, m&ms, candy corn, mini peanut butter cups, or other candies.

Equipment

Use a half sheet pan, which measures 18” x 13”, or a regular cookie sheet for this fall snack mix recipe.  Line it with parchment paper to help keep the maple and brown sugar coating from sticking to the pan and leaving you with broken pieces and a stuck on mess.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this fall snack mix in a large bowl with a scoop for a party or group gathering.  You can fill small snack bags for kids in advance.  Serve this sweet and salty mix at tailgates, while watching movies, as a nibble at happy hour, or even as a topping for vanilla ice cream!

Make This Recipe Kid Friendly

Kids will love helping out with making this snack mix and I find that the spice level is tolerant for most kids.  If you are worried it may be too spicy, simply omit the chipotle chile powder.

Storage

If you don’t gobble up the whole batch, store any leftover snack mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.  

Top Tip for Crunchy Clusters

I love when the mix is in big clusters instead of each piece being separate.  If you feel the same, here’s a tip: once the mix has cooled, break it up gently to preserve some of those salty and sweet clusters.  You can still mix in the chocolates, but now you’ll get pecans and buttery crackers all in the same bite!

FAQ