Improved Recipe

Inspiration

After making Beef Stew, with soy sauce, tomato paste, anchovies, and Worcestershire to create a subtle umami flavor, I wondered if I could use these ingredients to make a more sophisticated Chex mix!

Breaking Down Seasoned Salt

Listed Ingredients:

• Salt
• Sugar
• Spices (Including Paprika, Turmeric)
• Onion
• Corn Starch
• Garlic
• Tricalcium Phosphate (to Make Free Flowing)
• Sunflower Oil
• Extractives of Paprika & Natural Flavor

For the OG Chex mix, we already add garlic and onion powder. So what seasoned salt is giving us is paprika, turmeric, and sugar.

I have a jar of paprika that smells unreal, it's fresh/less oxidized by ordering in small amounts from a high-end spice shop. Smelling it side by side with store-bought or bulk paprika is like night and day.

Breaking Down Worcestershire Sauce

Listed Ingredients:

• Distilled White Vinegar
• Molasses
• Sugar
• Water
• Salt
• Onions
• Anchovies (fermented!)
• Garlic
• Cloves
• Tamarind Extract
• Natural Flavorings
• Chili Pepper Extract

Custom Blend v2

The v1 came out too dark, with a bitter aftertaste. I want more salt. No fish. I used a shallot, but its mild flavor was lost, so I went back to using an onion. Also, I will try adding Maggi as an alternative to anchovies - since we see that we are already getting some of that from Worcestershire.

Also, if it tastes to dark, I'm gonna try adding some Vinegar.

Full Batch

• 2 sticks of butter (16 tbsp)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 12 cloves of fresh garlic (1 clover per 1/8 tsp powder)
• 1/6 of a fresh onion (1/2 onion per 1 tbsp powder)
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire
• 1 tbsp Maggi
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• ~16 cups of dry ingredients

Half Batch

• 1 stick of butter (8 tbsp)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 6 cloves of fresh garlic
• 1/12 of a fresh onion
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire
• 1/2 tbsp Maggi
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• ~8 cups of dry Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups each of Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Wheat Chex
  • 3 cup Cheezits
  • 1 cup pretzels

Custom Blend v1

Full Batch

• 2 sticks of butter (16 tbsp)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric powder (cause it's not carried fresh by my local grocery)
• 12 cloves of fresh garlic (1 clover per 1/8 tsp powder)
• 1/6 of a fresh onion (1/2 onion per 1 tbsp powder)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire (love this but want to spread the umami love)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp anchovy paste (3 fillets)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• ~16 cups of dry ingredients

Half Batch

• 1 stick of butter (8 tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 6 cloves of fresh garlic
• 1/12 of a fresh onion
• 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp anchovy paste
• 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• ~8 cups of dry Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups each of Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Wheat Chex
  • 1 cup Cheezits
  • 1 cup pretzels
  • 1 cup bagel chips

Instructions:

• preheat oven to 250 degrees
• melt butter in a saucepan
• combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth
• drizzle seasoning over mix
• toss mix to coat evenly and place in oven
• stir every ⏲️ 15min
• bake for ⏲️ 90min

Original Recipe

Ingredients

Mix:

• 3 cups each of Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Wheat Chex - the reason for the season
• 2 cups Cheerios - "heart healthy"
• 2 cups peanuts - salted, of course, you monster
• 2 cups Cheezits - you might be tempted to use "extra toasty" but it didnt do much for me
• 1 cup pretzels - the long ones slow down cramming handfuls of mix into your mouth, this can be a feature or a bug

Seasoning:

• ~16 tablespoons butter (2 sticks) - grass-fed or tortured, your choice (its hard to find grass-fed AND tortured)
• 4 tablespoons Worcestershire - I dont refrigerate this, YMMV
• 3 teaspoons seasoned salt - try it on popcorn and watch how dehydrated you feel
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder - the cheapest spice brand I can find, preferably with questionable quality control
• 1 teaspoon onion powder - see above

Instructions

• preheat oven to 250 degrees
• combine the mix in a large roasting pan and toss
• melt butter in a saucepan
• add seasoning and stir into butter
• drizzle seasoning over mix
• toss mix to coat evenly and place in oven
• stir every 15min
• bake for one and half hours
• pour the mix out over brown paper to cool - if you use brown paper grocery bags and cut them flat you've reached peak midwest cuisine

Enjoy with loved ones and The Muppet Christmas Carol.