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!
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.