Nuts n' bolts is one of those holiday staples. Every year I'm lucky enough to receive nuts n' bolts as a Christmas gift from friends and/or family members. My favourite is a combination of peanuts, pretzels and Honey Nut Chex cereal drizzled with milk chocolate mmmmmm! It is divine!! But in typical dietitian fashion, I wanted to revamp the standard high sugar low fibre recipe, so I put a nutritious spin on this holiday favourite.
I used Corn Bran cereal, which is decently high in fibre and lower in sugar compared with many cold breakfast cereals used for nuts n' bolts. I also used olive oil instead of butter, which is traditionally used. Onion and garlic powders are a great way to add flavour without adding a ton of salt. And don't forget that nuts and seeds are full of heart healthy fats. So what's not to love?
I think what I love most of all is the fact that nuts n' bolts make excellent Christmas gifts! Individually portion into small snack bags and seal with a twist tie. Your friends, family and coworkers will appreciate your homemade, thoughtful, delicious and healthy gift. Mine sure did =)
Healthy Homemade Nuts n' Bolts
Ingredients:
- 4 cups Corn Bran cereal
- 4 cups pretzels
- 4 cups chopped, unsalted nuts (I used pecans, peanuts, hazelnuts)
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp seasoning salt (or sea salt)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
- Combine cereal, pretzels and nuts in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the oil and seasonings in a small bowl and drizzle over the cereal mixture while mixing.
- Spread evenly onto 3 cookie sheets and bake for 1.5 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes.
- Cool and portion into individual gift bags, or in an airtight container.
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