I’m extremely devoted to my Bits & Bites recipe; it’s one of my most nostalgic recipes that reminds me of being a kid at Christmas time. When I wrote that post in 2020 (one of my last pre-pandemic posts!) I mentioned how Deb had a fancy version on Smitten Kitchen, but I wasn’t ready to deviate from my classic mix just yet. So when I had the teeny-est, tiny-est Christmas party ever this year (Jen & Krishna came over for some festive fun), I decided it was time to test this out. Here’s my review.
First up, the snack mix. I absolutely LOVE the addition of popcorn in here! I can see myself swapping out some of the Cheerios and all of the Shreddies in my classic version for some popcorn. But I didn’t love the crackers (I used melba toast). If I followed this recipe again, I would swap in my go-to Cheese Nips.
Next, the sauce mix. Now, I don’t think you can ever go wrong browning butter, BUT the Worcestershire sauce is so overpowering (in a good way) that I don’t think you can even really taste or appreciate it. Using both dijon and mustard powder makes the whole thing pretty mustard-y (obviously), so if that’s not your thing, lose the mustard powder. I didn’t add any of the smoky/spicy elements because I didn’t think I’d like it, so I can’t comment on that.
Overall, I was very into this! It’ll never surpass the original in my heart, but I like having lots of party mix options.
Popcorn Party Mix
Source: Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients
- 6 cups plain popcorn (I still make it like this!)
- 2 cups pretzels (I used tiny twists, if yours are bigger, break them up)
- 1 cup nuts (I used cashews, Deb uses peanuts)
- 1 cup broken-up melba toast (I used mini rounds, but would use different crackers next time)
- 6 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (I left this out)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (I also left this out)
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 250° and get out a very large roasting pan or two smaller pans (I used metal 9×13 and 8×8 baking pans).
- Toss together the popcorn, pretzels, nuts and crackers in a big bowl, or two medium size bowls.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it melts, then stir until it turns brown and smells nutty and amazing.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the W sauce, dijon, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, mustard powder, smoked paprika and cayenne (if you’re using).
- Pour the butter mixture over the snacks and toss until everything is evenly coated. Add to your pans.
- Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, then let cool.
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