Caramel Pecan Snack Mix, 6 points+

Happy Monday all!  I loved hearing about all your holiday baking traditions on yesterday’s post.  It is such a fun time of year that holds so many great memories for me of getting together with my Mom, Sis, Nieces, Nephews and friends to have Holiday “Bake-A-Thons” each year.  We all usually spend the first part of December drooling over all the recipes we found that we want to bake.  Then, in a “marathon” weekend, we bake a million things, package them off and spend the next week handing them out for everyone to enjoy.

This recipe for Caramel Pecan Snack mix is one that my mom has made for us for years.  I think it is one way she “secretly” got us all to eat our whole grains.  The Quaker Oat Squares are naturally delicious with their sweet hints of brown sugar, but, cover them in a buttery caramel sauce takes them to a whole other level.  As this mix cooks, the pecans get all roasted and the caramel covers them making them taste like candied caramel pecans.  You could add a sprinkle of flaked sea salt at the end to make this mix a little salty, a little sweet, a little nutty and a whole lotta crunchy.

I will be the first to admit it’s hard to stop at just a 1/2 cup serving….but, some things are totally worth it especially when they are made with love and only come around once a year.

QUAKER OAT SQUARES CARAMEL PECAN SNACK MIX (print it!)

INGREDIENT

• 8 cups Quaker Oat Squares
• 2 cups pecans
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Add the cereal and pecans and stir to mix.

2.  Combine the corn syrup, brown sugar and butter in a microwave safe dish.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds.  Remove, stir and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until the butter in melted.  Stir in vanilla and baking soda.  Pour mixture over cereal mix and stir to coat.

3.  Bake for 1 hour at 250 degrees, stirring every 20 minutes.  Spread the caramel pecan oat square snack mix on a baking sheet to cool.  Once cooled, break into pieces and store in an air tight container.

Makes 20 servings, 1/2 cup each, 6 points+

Nutritional information per serving calculated at caloriecount.com

HERE ARE ALL THE LINKS TO THE RECIPES YOU SAW ON YESTERDAY’S BAKING POST:

• Coconut Pound Cake Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
• Pecan Bark

The recipe for the Coconut, White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies is coming up tomorrow.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Do you make any “snack mixes” during the year or just for the holidays?

Night all!