Nutty Caramel Snack Mix

Nutty Caramel Snack Mix is a delicious combination of cereal, almonds and pecans all covered in a homemade caramel sauce. Baked to perfection, this crunchy, sweet and salty mix is perfect for family and friends, lunches and snacks!

Love easy, on the go snacks? Try our Taco Chex Mix for a spicy, crunchy snack. Or give this delicious Rosemary Chipotle Nut mix a try next time you have company! For your sweet tooth, everyone loves candied pecans!

Nutty caramel snack mix in a stack of bowls.


Why this Recipe Works

I had a craving the other day for Chocolate covered caramel Corn. I love the stuff, especially when it’s homemade. Unfortunately, I had no popcorn in my pantry.

As I stumbled through the darkness (aka the back of my pantry) I came across a new box of rice squares cereal. I must have envisioned myself making some puppy chow at one point, but never got around to it!

As I grabbed the rice cereal and went about making the caramel mixture to coat it, my mind floated back to childhood and Cracker Jack!

Caramel and nut snack mix in a paper bag.

Tips and Tricks

  • Use a medium sized saucepan to bring the caramel to a boil. Boil for one full minute, then remove from heat.
  • Quickly whisk in the baking powder and vanilla extract. The mixture will become frothy! Pour this over your cereal and nuts in a very large bowl.
  • I like to use my broiler pans to bake this snack mix. They are deeper than a cookie sheet (however, a cookie sheet does work too, just have to be more cautious when stirring). I line my pan with foil to make easy clean up. You can also use disposable foil pans if that works best for you! Just make sure you try to have a single layer of snack mix on your pans (it cooks better this way).
  • You’re going to cook this over low heat (250 degree F) for an hour. Every 15 minutes, remove from the oven and stir (I use a pancake turner and just flip the snack mix, allowing the caramel from the pan to go back over the snack mix).
  • Once this is done cooking, dump it onto a large piece of parchment paper on the counter to cool completely. I urge you to not take a bite immediately…that caramel can be HOT! Once this has cooled completely, it will also become crunchy. NOW you can eat it.
  • I store mine in a large airtight container, or a couple gallon sized Ziploc bags. If storing in the bags, squeeze the air out of the bag and the snack mix will stay fresh for a little over a week!! ENJOY.
Caramel snack mix with nuts in a paper bag.

More Easy Recipes

Nutty Caramel Snack Mix

4.84 from 6 votes
By: Aimee
Nutty Caramel Snack Mix is a delicious combination of cereal, almonds and pecans all covered in a homemade caramel sauce. Baked to perfection, this crunchy, sweet and salty mix is perfect for family and friends, lunches and snacks!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 20 servings

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups light brown sugar packed
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 cups rice squares cereal
  • 1 ½ cup whole Almonds
  • 1 cup Pecan Halves
Save this Recipe?
Enter your email and we’ll send the recipe straight to your inbox!

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 250 degree F. Line two broiler pans with foil (cookie sheets, or large disposable pans work too). Set aside.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one full minute. Remove from heat.
  • Quickly whisk in the baking soda and vanilla extract. This will make the caramel become frothy.
  • In a large bowl, combine the cereal and nuts. Pour caramel mixture over cereal and stir until everything is coated evenly. Pour onto prepared pans.
  • Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes, making sure the caramel continues to coat the cereal and nuts.
  • Spread hot mixture onto a parchment paper lined counter top. Allow to cool completely. Store in airtight container and enjoy!

Notes

  • I like to use my broiler pans to bake this snack mix. They are deeper than a cookie sheet (however, a cookie sheet does work too, just have to be more cautious when stirring). I line my pan with foil to make easy clean up. You can also use disposable foil pans if that works best for you! Just make sure you try to have a single layer of snack mix on your pans (it cooks better this way).
  • You’re going to cook this over low heat (250 degree F) for an hour. Every 15 minutes, remove from the oven and stir (I use a pancake turner and just flip the snack mix, allowing the caramel from the pan to go back over the snack mix).
  • Once this is done cooking, dump it onto a large piece of parchment paper on the counter to cool completely. I urge you to not take a bite immediately…that caramel can be HOT! Once this has cooled completely, it will also become crunchy. NOW you can eat it.
  • I store mine in a large airtight container, or a couple gallon sized Ziploc bags. If storing in the bags, squeeze the air out of the bag and the snack mix will stay fresh for a little over a week!! ENJOY.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 361kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 165mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 25g
Course: Appetizers
Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!


Avatar photo

About Aimee

Aimee is a dessert lover (specifically rice krispie treats), workout enthusiast, self-taught foodie, and recipe creator.

Learn more about Aimee.

Affiliate Disclosure:**There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I love! Thank you for supporting Shugary Sweets! See my disclosure policy for more info**

Learn How To Become a Better Home Baker
Sign up for the Shugary Sweets FREE Email Course Today—soon you’ll say, "I made it from scratch!"

Categories: ,


Posted on July 29, 2015

Comments & Reviews

  1. 4 stars
    So I made it and I had no problem with it hardening , however I think an hour was to long in the oven .. it almost tastes to dry .. still edible but just dry??

  2. Is is wrong that I just want to dive into a large pool of that? Looks divine and Fischer Nuts are awesome. 

  3. I’m with Amy – snacks are my life!! Especially sweet and salty nut-based snacks! Yes please!

  4. Snacks are my life. Add this to my list of must-haves. And it’s definitely going in my kids’ lunch boxes! 

  5. We are always looking for new snacks to try in the office, and we can’t help but gravitate towards anything sweet and crunchy. Can’t wait to make a big batch of this soon!

  6. Haha you totally made me giggle. “As I stumble through the darkness aka my pantry”…Ha! This snack mix looks wonderfully delicious and I want that bag right the second. Yum, yum, yum!! Pinned so I can make this for kids lunches in 5 weeks. Yuck to school starting. 🙁 

  7. Mmmm love me some caramel corn but this snack mix looks just as good if not better than it! 

  8. Oh, how I love sweet and salty snack mixes like this one!  I wish I had a big bag of this for traveling in the car today!  

  9. We are on the same wave length because I’ve been learning how to make caramel corn this week, unsuccessfully so far.. I think I keep burning the caramel! I’ll have to follow your tip of boiling for just 1 minute! 

    1. Check out my link for homemade caramel corn. We’ve been making it no fail for YEARS and YEARS!! You got this 🙂

  10. I am obsessed with crunchy nut mixes and I definitely need to try this recipe! I love the addition of the caramel!

  11. I feel the same way about tattoos. Would never get one, but I secretly want to put the fake ones they make for adults on sometimes. That would be cheesy, though, right? I worry about that. 🙂
    This snack mix hits all the right spots! It looks SO completely addictive.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating