This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Quaker. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias #LoveMyCereal #QuakerUp
You ever enjoy a delicious meal and but then want a little something sweet to enjoy afterward but don’t want a full dessert? I run into this issue often! That’s why I love to make and munch on my family’s ‘Enjoy the Sweet Life’ Snack Mix! So why do we call it ‘Enjoy the Sweet Life‘? Well the answer is easy. This snack mix is made with Quaker® Life and Quaker® Oatmeal Squares!
I know what you might be thinking. Breakfast as a snack? Yes, cereals such as Quaker® Real Medleys®, Quaker® Oatmeal Squares, Quaker® Simply Granola, and Quaker® Life make for a great breakfast… However they are also the perfect ingredients for other recipes, such as my snack mix! Snack mix is also great to have on hand for when guests arrive over to watch a big game, or when my son just wants a little something to munch on to hold him over till dinner time.
I headed to my local Walmart to shop for ingredients. To locate the Quaker® cereals is easy. Simply look for the “Cereal” aisle to grab your Quaker® cereals. I love that Walmart has not only great prices, but also a variety of items that are perfect for my recipes.
Check out below for a detailed tutorial on how to create my favorite sweet Snack Mix!
Enjoy the Sweet Life recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon of cinnamon sugar or brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups Quaker® Oatmeal Squares
2 cups Quaker® Life
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chocolate-covered raisins or dried cranberries
1 cups of chopped walnuts – optional
Directions
First preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Then in a large saucepan, mix in the butter, honey, cinnamon, salt, and cinnamon sugar or brown sugar. Just to note, this snack mix still tastes great if you decide to skip the cinnamon sugar / brown sugar. You’ll want to heat and mix the ingredients until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. You’ll want to heat and stir until the mixture is smooth. the first five ingredients. Cook until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved; stir until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the cereals together. Now if you decide to add the optional chopped walnuts, throw those in the bowl too. I skipped the walnuts for this tutorial as my son is not a fan of them.
Drizzle the butter mixture onto the cereal mix. Go ahead and get your (washed and clean) hands into the mix and toss the cereal around to make sure it is thoroughly coated. Place the cereal mixture into a 15″ x 10″ baking pan.
You are going to bake the snack mix for a total of 45 minutes. However you do need to mix the cereal every 15 minutes. After it is done baking, let it cool for at least another 15 minutes.
Now in the above ingredients I recommended a half of cup of dried cranberries and a half of cup of chocolate covered raisins. You can interchange these two ingredients as you deem fit. For instance, sometimes I use raisins instead of cranberries, or chocolate covered cranberries and dried cranberries. It’s all your own preference!
Once the cereal is done baking, gently stir in your fruit ingredients. You may need to break the cereal up a bit as pieces may be sticking together. Make sure you mix the fruit well into the cereal.
The instructions make about 6 cups for snack mix yummy goodness! Make sure you store it in airtight containers. This will keep the snack all fresh in case you don’t devour it all the same day you make it!
Very often I like to have this snack mix out at a party, or available for Game Day while we are sitting around watching sports. The sweet taste breaks up all the salty and savory flavors of our chips and salsa, buffalo wings, and taco dips. It adds a nice hint of sweet without tasting too sugary!
My son loves to enjoy this ‘Sweet Life’ mix while watching his favorite movie, or doing activities at his table. This particular day he was coloring and doing puzzles. This was the perfect snack mix for him to munch on post-lunch while he had some quiet time doing his activities.
Want to learn more about Quaker® cereals and fun recipes that go beyond just breakfast? Simply check out the hashtags #LoveMyCereal, #QuakerUp, and #CollectiveBias!
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Great mix, Quaker makes a great option al day long #client
I love Quaker Oatmeal Squares, so this is the ultimate snack. I love that you used dried cranberries and chocolate covered raisins!
sounds good and not too hard either!
jes xx
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Oh, yum! I love Quaker Oatmeal Squares so I’m sure I would love it made into this snack mix too. I’ll have to make this one!
I never thought about using Life cereal for a Chex Mix. Well, I guess it wouldn’t be “Chex” mix any more, would it?!
I just baked cereal, muffins – cannot believe how multifunctional cereal is!
I’m going to try this. I’m looking to try healthier snack options. This looks delicious!
We love Life cereal, especially the Cinnamon. We have a huge box of it right now that is almost empty after about 3 days! This recipe sounds yummy!
My kids love snack mix. I like that you added dried fruit to it. We always encourage healthy snacks.
I never thought of doing a snack mix like that! So much healthier then other options! Great recipe for the snack mix!