Sweet and Spicy Chex Mix

I have been deprived all these years! Or living under a rock. One of those. But I made and ate homemade chex mix for the first time this weekend. I am not even kidding when I say I had it for breakfast, lunch and an after dinner snack all weekend. Well, I am not proud of it, okay?! But it was delish. My co-worker was raving about her sweet and spicy chex mix recipe and finally gave it to me. I made it with chex (obviously), pecans, almonds, popcorn and cheezits. So yummy.

But you can put in whatever you like--you don't even have to put in chex. My co-worker actually created the recipe from one for a spiced glazed nut and pretzel mix. My husband's favorite part is the chex, so he actually told me to make it again with just chex. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 cups of raw, untoasted nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, hazelnuts)
3 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
9 tablespoons dark brown suger
2 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper for mild heat (can be reduced or increased according to preference)
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons of maple syrup
3 teaspoons of coarse or kosher salt
10 cups of stuff (chex, cheezits, pretzels and popcorn)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, stirring once for even toasting.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and maple syrup.
4. Add salt, warm nuts and chex mix and stir until everything is completely coated.
5. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and return to the oven for 12 minutes, stirring the mixture twice.
6. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Laura can't eat spicy stuff, so I also tried the monkey munch recipe I saw on Jon and Kate Plus Eight. That has chocolate and peanut butter in it. Really good too. You can find the recipe here. I have been eating a lot of chex mix this weekend. I am making up for lost time!