Easy, Slow-Cooker Chex Mix Varieties

I love Chex Mix, but I hate the hassle of making it in the oven. When mixing it during baking, I always end up knocking some off the cookie sheet and into the oven or burning my hand. Also, during the summer months, no one wants to heat up the house by using the oven. Luckily, I've developed a convenient slow-cooker method that makes wonderful Chex Mix.

The basic slow cooker Chex Mix recipe consists of the following ingredients: 6-7 cups of dry cereal/crackers, 1 cup of nuts, 1 cup of pretzels, 1 stick of melted butter, and spices. Below I've included several spice variations that taste great using the slow cooker method. Once you've selected a Chex Mix variation, simply combine all dry ingredients in your slow cooker. Next, melt your butter and stir in the spices. Pour the butter over the dry ingredients and mix to coat. Although mixing may be difficult, be sure to mix well to distribute flavor to all of the Chex Mix. Now, cover your Chex Mix, set your slow cooker on low and set your timer to 3 hours. Every 30 minutes, stir your mix to make sure the bottom pieces don't burn and to redistribute the spices. For the last 30 minutes, cook your mix uncovered to evaporate any leftover moisture. Let your mix cool and store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Traditional Chex Mix

3 cups rice Chex

2 cups wheat Chex

1 cup Cheerios

1 cup mixed nuts

1 cup pretzel sticks

1 stick melted butter

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon garlic salt

pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Hawaiian Chex Mix

3 cups rice Chex

2 cups wheat Chex

1 cup dried banana chips

1 cup dried pineapple

1 cup macadamia nuts

1 cup shredded coconut

1 stick melted butter

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon sugar

Mexican Chex Mix

3 cups corn Chex

2 cups rice Chex

2 cup Fritos corn chips

1 cup salted peanuts or corn nuts

1 cup pretzel sticks

1 stick melted butter

½ tablespoon Frank's Hot Sauce

1 packet taco seasoning

Asian Chex Mix

4 cups rice Chex

1½ cups sesame crackers

1 cup soy nuts

1 cup wasabi peas

1 cup pretzel sticks

1 stick melted butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese five spice

pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Ranch Chex Mix

3 cups corn Chex

2 cups wheat Chex

2 cup cheese crackers

1 cup salted peanuts

1 cup pretzel sticks

1 stick melted butter

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 packet dry ranch dressing mix