Soapsmith's Blog: Soapsmith's Party Mix

Hello friends,

One of our family favorites is party mix. We all tend toward savory snacks rather than sweet so I make huge batches for all of the holidays throughout the year. The recipe has my own twist using our preferred seasonings and premium ingredients. It is a simple recipe with a few adjustments on the standard mixes. This makes a lot, you can easily half the recipe and make substitutions for your family's tastes. Our family tends to pick over the peanuts and pretzels so I keep them at a minimum.

Soapsmith's Party Mix

2 pounds of whole cashews
2 pounds of pecan halves
1 pound walnut halves
2 cans of mixed nuts - low peanut version
1 pound of cheddar sesame sticks
1 bag tiny pretzel nuggets or small pretzels of your choice
(We use Benzels because they are baked just a block from my office, I can savor the aroma when they are baking - yum! They have a great outlet with fantastic prices if you are ever in Altoona, be sure to stop in.)
1 bag goldfish crackers or 1 box of cheez-its
1/2 box Quaker Cinnamon Squares

Melt 2 sticks of butter
1/4 cup of soy sauce

add these ingredients to taste I use about:
1 cup of good quality Parmesan cheese
1 to 2 teaspoons each of garlic powder & onion powder

Mix it all together coating the mix with the butter sauce. Spread it out on two or three flat baking pans - thin layers are better than thick for even toasting without steaming the mix.

Heat oven to 350 place pans in oven and reduce heat to 250 - bake for about 20 to 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Once heated through nicely and toasty, remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

If desired, you can add other items at this time for those who prefer a sweet salty mix - dried cherries or cranberries, dried pineapple or papaya, banana chips, chocolate chips, mini M & M or Reeses pieces etc.

I store mine in mason jars and tins. Festive touches make much appreciated gifting, too!

Pretty