All Things Pumpkin
Do you love all things pumpkin? Are you a believer that salty and sweet is the greatest culinary duo ever? Do you think Chex mix ought to have its own food group?
If you shouted “Yes, YES, YES!” then stop everything and make this Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix.
No oven. Ready in about 20 minutes.
Pumpkin and brown sugar. Vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. A little butter. And, a whole lot of crunch and fiber from cereals, pretzels, and ‘pepitas’ – aka pumpkin seeds. What’s more? There’s a decent dose of protein, too.
Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix for breakfast? Who’s going to argue you shouldn’t? Not me.
The batch I made Sunday is already a sweet memory. We ate half after it cooled and the rest disappeared into 5 lunches yesterday morning. A colossal hit here. That’s three kids with individually unique tastes, and they ALL loved it. Do you hear me?? That doesn’t happen much.
The Perfect Party Snack
I can totally picture this front-and-center at any Halloween-themed or harvest-type gathering. In addition, I now know just what to do anytime I have a bit of canned pumpkin left. And – I just love how those cute little pumpkin seeds cling to the pretzels like a life raft!
If you like to go old school with your snack mix, then by all means try this in the oven. I used the microwave for convenience, but I would bet a low oven (250 F) for 45-60 minutes would do the trick. Just give it a stir now and then and take it out when it’s lightly browned.
Now…go get your CRUNCH on!
Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix 
Adapted from Chex.com
Makes ~ 7 cups of mix
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes
2 cups Cinnamon Chex
2 cups Corn Chex
2 cups Wheat Chex
1 cup pretzels
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (aka ‘pepitas’)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
Line cookie sheet with a silicone mat, wax paper, or parchment. Set aside.
In large microwaveable bowl, mix together cereals, pretzels, and pumpkin seeds. Set aside.
In a small microwaveable bowl, melt the butter in microwave on High for 30-60 seconds. Stir in brown sugar, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice. Microwave on high until it begins to bubble (about 1 minute). Remove from microwave and stir in vanilla.
Drizzle the pumpkin mixture over the cereal mixture, and fold in using a rubber spatula. Do this until all pieces are coated – but gently, to prevent crushing the cereal pieces.
Microwave the pumpkin spice snack mix for about 5 minutes, stopping to stir gently after each minute. Spread cereal mixture out on prepared cookie sheet and cool for 10 minutes. Store in airtight container for up to a week.
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