A crunchy blend featuring rice cereal, pretzels, peanuts, apple chips, and a sparkling cider glaze.
# Components:
→ Dry Mix
01 - 3 cups rice cereal squares (e.g., Rice Chex)
02 - 2 cups mini pretzels
03 - 1 cup honey roasted peanuts
04 - 1 cup dried apple chips, broken into bite-sized pieces
05 - 1 cup plain air-popped popcorn
→ Cider Glaze
06 - 0.5 cup unsalted butter
07 - 0.5 cup packed brown sugar
08 - 0.25 cup sparkling non-alcoholic apple cider
09 - 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 - 0.25 teaspoon kosher salt
11 - 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, mix rice cereal, mini pretzels, peanuts, dried apple chips, and popcorn until evenly combined.
03 - Melt unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, sparkling apple cider, cinnamon, and salt. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla extract.
04 - Pour the warm cider glaze immediately over the dry mixture. Toss gently with a spatula until all pieces are evenly coated.
05 - Transfer the coated mix evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.
06 - Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the mix turns golden brown and crunchy.
07 - Remove from oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet to allow crisping. Break into clusters if desired before serving or storing in an airtight container.
