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

  1. 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).
  2. Toss together the popcorn, pretzels, nuts and crackers in a big bowl, or two medium size bowls.
  3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it melts, then stir until it turns brown and smells nutty and amazing.
  4. 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).
  5. Pour the butter mixture over the snacks and toss until everything is evenly coated. Add to your pans.
  6. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, then let cool.