There are some recipes that are quintessentially Christmas recipes and, in our household Nuts and Bolts is one of them. When the smell of them baking wafts through the house I am immediately transported back to my childhood. I can still see my mom pulling the rack out of the oven to stir the mix and I would know that Christmas was almost here. I always asked mom to make “Nuts and Bullets” as I used to say when I was just a child because it was and still is my absolute favourite Christmas treat. I am not the only one who adores this party mix, this is family favourite that everyone in the family makes. My cousins have also grown-up crunching on Nuts and Bolts during the Christmas season.
Everyone’s version is slightly different, some are milder like my mother remembers her grandma making. Others have a bit more spice like the version her mother would make, and like we make it today. Although the family all knows how to make it and what goes into it, I don’t think we have Grandma’s actual recipe written down. Every Christmas mom would wing it, and it always turned out amazing, but I really wanted us to write a recipe down. After a few years of workshopping the recipe, we finally have one that has the perfect combination of everything we like.
Now, I am sure that this recipe with stir up a bit of a debate within the family, as unlike many other family members we do not like to add peanuts. I grew up with peanuts in my nuts and bolts, but they were never my favourite. As it turns out they are not anyone’s favourite in my immediate family which is why we no longer add them. If you would like peanuts in your mix just substitute a cup or two of one of the other ingredients with peanuts.
My father, mother, brother, and I have never really been into board games but there is one game we play together every Christmas Eve, Trouble. While we play and watch my brother win game, after game, after game we munch on cheese and crackers, potato chips and of course nuts and bolts. It is one of my favourite Christmas traditions!
This got mom and I wondering why we only have Nuts and Bolts for Christmas? It is after all a party mix and is a perfect snack for family game night. So, remember, Nuts and Bolts are not just for Christmas, they can be enjoyed year-round!
5 cups Shreddies
5 cups Oatmeal O’s*
5 cups pretzel sticks
5 cups or or 2 boxes of Cheese Nips
¾ cup salted butter
¼ Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
* We prefer to use no name or generic O’s as we find they shrink less in the baking process than Cheerios.
The trick with Nuts and Bolts is to make sure that the butter and spices evenly coat the mix. We used to just melt the butter and add everything in but we noticed that the spices would separate from the butter. This year mom had a bit of a Eureka moment and we have come up with a way of preventing that separation.
Melt butter in a microwave safe measuring cup. In a separate measuring cup combine the Worcestershire sauce, onion, and garlic powder until it forms a thick paste.
Add a little butter at a time to the paste whisking vigorously until all the butter is added.
In a roasting pan combine the Shreddies, oatmeal 0’s, stick pretzels, and Cheese Nips. Pour ¼ of the butter mixture over the dry mix gently stirring, repeat this process until the butter mixture is gone.
Bake in a 250°F oven for 1-1½ hours gently stirring every 15 minutes.
The mixture will darken in colour and should be dry. We always do a taste test to see if the pieces are crunchy. Keep in mind if they are still warm, they may still seem a little wet. If you are unsure remove the mixture from the oven, allow it to cool before testing it again. If it still needs a bit more time throw it back in checking the mixture every 5-10 minutes. Enjoy
Nuts and Bolts
Ingredients
- 5 cups Shreddies
- 5 cups pretzel sticks
- 5 cups Oatmeal O's
- 5 cups or 2 boxes of Cheese Nips
- ¾ cup salted butter
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Melt butter in a microwave safe measuring cup. In a separate measuring cup combine the Worcestershire sauce, onion, and garlic powder until it forms a thick paste.
- Add a little butter at a time to the paste whisking vigorously until all the butter is added.
- In a roasting pan combine the Shreddies, oatmeal 0’s, stick pretzels, and Cheese Nips.
- Pour ¼ of the butter mixture over the dry mix gently stirring, repeat this process until the butter mixture is gone.
- Bake in a 250°F oven for 1-1½ hours gently stirring every 15 minutes.
- The mixture will darken in colour and should be dry. We always do a taste test to see if the pieces are crunchy. Keep in mind if they are still warm, they may still seem a little wet. If you are unsure remove the mixture from the oven, allow it to cool before testing it again. If it still needs a bit more time throw it back in checking the mixture every 5-10 minutes. Enjoy
