Monday, December 31, 2012

Making the Best of the Bits

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

The family and I enjoyed a lovely Christmas week. No school for the girls and a week off work for the Husband. Woohoo! We've been movie watching, game playing, laughing and spending time together with a big side of treat munching. 

Oh my have there been treats!

One of my favorites this Christmas was white chocolate dipped pretzel crisps sprinkled with crushed candy cane. 


OH MY WORD!!

These are so good! It's very difficult to eat just one. I really want to eat them all and not share with anyone else! Which was a problem because I had intended to give some as gifts.


Giving bags filled with these little delights was made even more difficult by the fact that the bag of pretzel crisps I bought was more pretzel bits than whole crisps. BAH!


There were exactly 11 whole crisps in the entire bag! The rest were bits and dust. I couldn't believe it.

I called the pretzel company, who shall remain nameless, they assured me this was very unusual. They also promised to send me a coupon for a new bag of pretzel crisps. It was very nice of them. I however still had the problem of no more crisps to dip in chocolate and sprinkle with candy cane bits to give as gifts.

So what does one do when they have nothing but pretzel crisp bits? They make caramel Chex mix instead! That's what I did anyway.

This recipe was given to me by a friend a few years ago. It's almost as good as pretzel crisps dipped in white chocolate with candy cane sprinkles, but you don't feel as guilty about eating it by the handful!

Place 4 cups Corn Chex into a large roasting pan.


Plus 4 cups of Rice Chex or Kix cereal. I like to use Kix.


Then add 3 handfuls of pretzels or in this case I added 3 handfuls of broken pretzel crisps!


You can also add in 3 handfuls of peanuts if you like peanuts, which I do not, so I do not add them.

In a sauce pan combine 1 stick of butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup light corn syrup.


Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until boiling.  Allow sugar mixture to boil for 1 and 1/2 minutes. 


Pour sugar mixture over Chex mix. Stir and place in a 350˚ oven for 8 minutes. 

Remove from oven and stir well.


Place mix back in the oven for another 8 minutes.

Remove from oven, stir, then pour mix onto a counter, I use the kitchen table, to cool. Gently break apart any clumps with a wooden spoon.


You may need to use that spoon to fend off family members who try to swipe the Chex mix while it's still cooling!

A perfect treat for Christmas! Or for watching the big game. Or for New Year's celebrations! 

So yummy!


Wishing you plenty of whole pretzel crisps in the new year or at least buckets full of pretzel crisp Chex mix made from any broken bits! 

Happy New Year

Christine


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