This homemade party mix (doo dads recipe) is a favorite snack every holiday season. It's so much better than what you can find in the grocery store, and it's so easy to throw together.
Plus, because it makes a hefty amount, it's perfect for holiday gift giving! Give your friends and neighbors a bag of this crunchy snack mix, and they'll be begging you for the recipe!
This party mix is one of many of my mom's famous holiday recipes. Christmas is her favorite holiday--come September (or even as early as July) she starts watching Christmas movies, gearing up for the holiday season.
I can always count on her having bowls of this party mix around the house during the Christmas season. It's a great make ahead snack for holiday parties and especially for gift giving. You're going to love it.
Another must-have Christmas appetizer inspired by my mom's recipe is my Sausage Balls recipe, as is my Pimento Cheese with Jalapeños. For a sweet dessert snack mix, you'll want to check out my White Chocolate Chex Mix recipe--it's a favorite too.
Finally, don't forget my lovely (and easy) Trader Joe's holiday sangria to serve alongside all these tasty snacks. Now let's get to it!
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Ingredients
Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this recipe:
- Rice Chex
- Wheat Chex
- Corn Chex
- pretzel twists
- Cheez-Its
- cocktail peanuts
- pecans
- unsalted butter
- Worcestershire sauce
- Lawry's seasoned salt
- garlic powder
- onion powder
(See recipe card for quantities.)
Instructions
Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!
First, combine the cereals, pretzels, Cheeze-Its, and nuts in a large roasting pan.
Next, mix the melted butter with the Worcestershire sauce and seasonings.
Then, pour the butter mixture over the ingredients in the roasting pan.
Finally, bake the party mix at 250°F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool and serve.
Hint: Have bits and bobs of crackers, chips, and nuts? Throw them in! This snack mix is easily customizable to use up those odds and ends in the pantry.
Substitutions
Need to make some ingredient swaps? Here are some suggestions:
- Cereal - Omit one or more of the Chex cereals or use another cereal if you'd like.
- Pretzels - Instead of pretzel twists, use pretzel squares or pretzel sticks.
- Nuts - Not a fan of pecans? Use walnuts or cashews instead or double up on the peanuts.
- Cheez-Its - I love the addition of a cheesy cracker. Goldfish crackers also work great.
Variations
Here are more ways to add a unique spin to this recipe:
- Spicy - Add your favorite hot sauce like Tabasco sauce to the butter mixture or stir in some crushed red pepper flakes to give this some heat.
- Rosemary Mix - Add some fresh rosemary during the last 30 minutes of baking to give this mix an herby flavor.
- Extra Cheesy - Sprinkle the mix with Parmesan cheese during the last 15 minutes of baking.
Equipment
Here's the equipment you'll need for this recipe:
- dry measuring cups
- liquid measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- small saucepan
- large roasting pan
Storage
Store the mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 weeks.
You can also freeze this party mix. Store in an airtight container or zip-top plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to 6 months.
Tasty tip
For this recipe, I use the roasting pan reserved for the Thanksgiving turkey. It's heavy-duty for even cooking and it's large enough so that when I stir the party mix, the ingredients don't go flying. If you don't have a large roasting pan, several rimmed baking sheets will also work.
Frequently asked questions
Sadly, Nabisco doesn't make beloved Doo Dads mix anymore--it was discontinued in the 90s. That's okay though--thanks to this recipe you can make a similar version!
Chex Mix (the pre-packaged kind you can buy from the store) is different than Doo Dads. It has the brown bagel chips and Doo Dads had the small skinny cheese crackers called Tid Bits.
The original recipe for Chex party mix appeared in Life Magazine in the early 1950s. In that recipe, only Wheat Chex and Rice Chex were used. Later on Corn Chex was added to the mix. In 1985, the popular snack began to be commercially packaged.
If stored properly, homemade Chex mix can last up to about a month. I live in a humid location, so it doesn't last that long for me (partially because of the weather but mostly because we eat it all before then.)
There's a good chance the butter mixture wasn't poured evenly over the dry ingredients. Be sure to drizzle the butter evenly so a portion of the mixture doesn't turn out soggy.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this party mix:
🍽Get the recipe
Mom's Homemade Holiday Party Mix (Doo Dads Recipe)
Equipment
- dry measuring cups
- liquid measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- small saucepan
- large roasting pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups Rice Chex
- 3 cups Wheat Chex
- 3 cups Corn Chex
- 3 cups pretzel twists
- 3 cups Cheez-Its
- 1 (8-ounce) can salted cocktail peanuts
- 2 cups raw whole pecans
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon Lawry's seasoned salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F. Combine the cereals, pretzels, Cheez-Its, peanuts, and pecans in a large roasting pan.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Pour the butter mixture over the ingredients in the roasting pan, and stir gently to coat.
- Bake the party mix for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until the ingredients are lightly toasted. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container or cellophane bags for gift giving.
Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:
- Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
- When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
- I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
- When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Food safety
Finally, don't forget to keep these food safety tips in mind when making this recipe.
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions when using your microwave
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Harlow says
This is one of those snacks that just screams holidays, super crunchy, salty, and honestly impossible to stop grabbing by the handful.
Jenna says
We loved this savory party mix. Best I've ever had!
Janda says
I made this over the weekend for movie night, and the entire family loved it.