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General Mills

The Chex Party Mix folks have been searching for a new flavor to add to their line of snacks, and the winner of a national contest will reportedly be announced in December.

Thousands of recipes flooded in to the company from people in all 50 states, and "a team of food experts" narrowed them down to just five recipes: Chex Pumpkin Pie Crunch, Lemon Rosemary Chex Mix, Buffalo Chex Mix, Chexicago Party Mix and Deviled Chex Mix.

The staff of the Extra section (and a few hungry co-workers who wandered by) sampled all five flavors and came to the conclusion that the Chexicago Party Mix, with its three kinds of Chex (wheat, corn and chocolate), cheese crackers, cheese popcorn and brown sugar was the best. We loved the salty and sweet combination. One person wrote "Sweet! Reminds me of Poppycock" and another wrote "If you want sweet and salty, this is the one for you. I like the popcorn."

Chexicago got an overall score of 20, followed by Deviled with 18.5, Buffalo with 17.5, Pumpkin Pie Crunch with 16.5 and Lemon Rosemary with 14. The last one scored lowest because we felt it did not have enough flavor. We detected neither lemon nor rosemary, only a faint flavor of garlic salt. To me, it tasted like garlic bread without enough garlic.

Deviled was one of my favorites because it conjured thoughts of an Indian buffet with its curry, cumin, coriander, chili powder and paprika. It also had nuts in it, and I'm a nut for nuts. The Pumpkin Pie Crunch was yummy and sweet, but it just tasted like sugar and spice to me. I would have liked toasted pumpkin seeds in it.

Finally, the Buffalo mixture was pretty good, with Parmesan crackers, butter, hot sauce, ranch dressing mix and celery seed. It had the tang of wing sauce with a slight heat, but the flavors just were not complex enough to scream "Buffalo!"

Unfortunately, the judging period for these mixes has passed, but you can still have fun trying them out at home to see which is your favorite. Making the mixes yourself will allow you to add more of the flavors you like and less of the ones you do not. I could see the Lemon Rosemary mix being much better if someone actually put, say, some rosemary in it.

When I find out which mix won the national contest, I'll let you know. Meanwhile, if you test these recipes, let me know what you think!

Chexicago Party Mix
Makes 30 half-cup servings

3 cups Corn Chex cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex cereal
2 cups Chocolate Chex cereal
2 cups bite-size square cheese crackers
3 cups cheese popcorn
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar or molasses
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

1. Mix cereals, 1 cup of the cheese crackers and 2 cups of the popcorn in a large, microwavable bowl. Set aside.
2. Place butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt in a 2-cup microwavable measuring cup. Microwave on high 1 minute and 30 seconds. Stir, microwave on high until bubbling. Remove from microwave and stir in baking soda. Mixture will foam up, but keep stirring until baking soda has dissolved. Pour over the cereal mixture; stir until fully coated.

3. Microwave on high 4 to 5 minutes, stirring after every minute. Spread on was paper-lined baking sheet. Let cool for about 5 minutes to let caramel fully harden. Stir in remaining cheese crackers and popcorn.

Deviled Chex Mix
Makes 24 half-cup servings

3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground chili powder
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup assorted unsalted nuts, such as peanuts, almonds, walnuts and pecans
3 cups Rice Chex cereal
3 cups Corn Chex cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex cereal
1 cup miniature cheese crackers
1 cup miniature pretzels

1. In a small bowl, mix sugar, paprika, chili powder, curry powder, cumin, coriander, pepper and salt; set aside.
2. In large microwavable bowl, combine oil and nuts. Microwave uncovered on high about 2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in cereals, crackers and pretzels until evenly coated. Stir in sugar mixture until evenly coated.
3. Microwave uncovered on high 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute until mixture is thoroughly heated. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

Chex Pumpkin Pie Crunch
Makes 16 half-cup servings

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal
2 cups Wheat Chex cereal
2 cups Honey Nut Chex cereal
8 oz. pecans

1. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice; set aside. In small microwave-safe dish, microwave butter on high about 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in vanilla. In large microwavable bowl, mix all cereals and pecans. Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly distributed. Add sugar and spice mixture and stir until coated.

2. Microwave uncovered on high 5 minutes or until mixture begins to brown, stirring every minute. Spread on wax paper or a cookie sheet to cool. Store in airtight container.

Buffalo Chex Mix
Makes 24 half-cup servings

4 cups Rice Chex cereal
4 cups Wheat Chex cereal
2 cups Parmesan-flavored crackers
2 cups pretzel twists
6 Tbsp. butter
2 1/2 Tbsp. hot sauce
1 packet ranch dressing mix
2 tsp. celery seed

1. In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals, crackers and pretzels; set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on high about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in hot sauce and seasonings. Pour over cereal mixture and stir until evenly coated.

2. Microwave uncovered on high 4 to 5 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

Lemon Rosemary Chex Mix
Makes 16 half-cup servings

1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves, minced
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups Corn Chex cereal
2 cups Wheat Chex cereal
2 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup Parmesan-flavored crackers

1. In large microwavable bowl, microwave butter on high about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in rosemary, lemon zest, garlic powder and salt. Add cereals, almonds and crackers; mix well.

2. Microwave on high 5 to 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on cookie sheet to cool. Store in airtight container.

Source: General Mills