Joyeux Noel! (Merry Christmas in French!)
I think it is safe to say that this is probably the number one favorite Christmas treat in our house!
Every year, this is what marks the beginning of the holiday season. It was the same for me when I was growing up! Granny Mack would make multiple batches of Nuts and Bolts and would carefully package the yummy treat up in empty cereal boxes and ship them off to her family. When she got the box, my mom would dole it out in little bowls, being careful to save small baggies of it to add to our Christmas stockings.
BOY, times have changed!!!
In the interest of gluttony I also make multiple batches every Christmas… We eat it by the handful!
Sometimes we even share!!!
Enjoy!
Nuts and Bolts
A savory, buttery, crunchy, cereal treat.
Ingredients
- 1 box Shreddies You cannot find this in the USA, I normally leave it out.
- 1 box Chex - Rice
- 1 box Chex - Corn
- 1 box Chex- Wheat I use this because I can't find the Shreddies
- 1 box Cheerios PLAIN (not Honey Nut)
- 1 bag pretzel sticks
- 2 5 oz cans peanuts
- 2 Tbsp hickory salt I have never been able to find this, I make it by mixing sea salt with a couple of drops of hickory liquid smoke. It works great.
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp summer savory
- 2 Tbsp Beau Monde I have a hard time finding this spice mix. I have found one named Bon Appetite that is very similar
- 2 tsp marjoram Another old fashioned spice. I can't find it ground, so I buy it dried and grind it up myself.
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 1/2 Cups butter
- 1 tsp beef bouillon granules
Instructions
- Mix cereals, peanuts and pretzels in LARGE bowl. Blend all of the seasonings together.
- Mix seasonings with the cereal mixture. Move to a large roaster (You may need to do this in two batches).
- Cut butter into small chunks and spread over the entire surface of cereal mixture.
- Place in a 250 degree F. oven for 45 minutes. Stir during the toasting period, being very careful to keep cereals whole. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Granny Mack's Notes:
- I usually stir about every fifteen minutes while it is in the oven. Also, I usually use the extra large boxes of cereal so I always double the rest of the ingredients.
My Notes:
- I find that to get the spices evenly mixed over the cereal mixture it is better to melt the butter and mix all the spices in the melted butter. I slowly pour the butter and spice mixture over the cereal mixture, stirring the whole time.