Just in time for your Labor Day celebration!

If you’ve ever stood at a party bowl and eaten “just one more handful” of that buttery, savory cereal mix, you already know Chex Party Mix. This spicy Chex Party Mix recipe is our family’s take — same nostalgic classic, with a smoky, spicy update of our own.

Legend has it the original recipe was dreamed up in 1952 by the wife of a Ralston executive, whose company later became General Mills. She stirred together Wheat Chex and Corn Chex with melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and mixed nuts. It hit Life Magazine that same year and quietly became a holiday staple in kitchens across the country. Whether that’s the real story or a bit of vintage marketing polish, the result is the same either way: it’s still one of the easiest, most crowd-pleasing snacks you can make from stuff already in your pantry.

My grandmother used to make a version of this every other Saturday for canasta night, and it’s the smell of melted butter and Worcestershire that instantly takes me back to being a kid parked in front of the TV with a mixing bowl full of “snack trash” (her affectionate nickname for it, and ours ever since). Some family recipes fade out with a generation — this one just kept getting passed down and tweaked.

Our version keeps everything that makes the original great, but adds a smoky, spicy edge with chipotle Tabasco sauce, plus pretzels and pecans for extra crunch and richness. It’s the same nostalgic mix, just with a little more heat.

Snack Trash (Spicy Chipotle Chex Party Mix)

Serves: About 30 cups

You’ll need

• A very large mixing bowl or pan (a turkey roasting pan works well)
• A saucepan
• A wooden spoon
• Large rimmed baking sheets or jellyroll pans

Ingredients

• 1 box Rice Chex
• 1 box Corn Chex
• 1 box Wheat Chex
• 1 box Cheerios
• 1/2 bag thin pretzel sticks
• 3/4 lb. salted butter (3 sticks)
• 1 lb. pecans
• 1 lb. mixed nuts
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp Chipotle Tabasco sauce (our smoky addition)
• 1 tbsp celery seeds
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. In your largest bowl or pan, combine the cereals, pretzels, and nuts. Using your hands makes this easier.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in the Worcestershire sauce and chipotle Tabasco sauce.

Adding the Worcestershire sauce

Pour the butter mixture over the cereal mix and toss to coat evenly.

Sprinkle in the celery seeds, garlic powder, and salt, and stir again to distribute.

Bake at 250°F for 2 hours, stirring occasionally so it toasts evenly.

Cool completely before serving or storing. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks — if it lasts that long.

Make it your own

Once you’ve got the base down, this recipe is easy to riff on:

• Extra heat: add a pinch of cayenne or swap in habanero Tabasco
• Everything-bagel style: stir in everything bagel seasoning instead of celery seed
• Sweet and spicy: add a light drizzle of honey to the butter mixture before tossing
• Nut-free: skip the nuts and add extra pretzels and a handful of pumpkin seeds

Enjoy!