Caramel Pecan Crunch Snack Mix

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Makes: about 10–12 cups
Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 45–60 minutes
Oven: 250°F / 120°C

Ingredients

Snack mix

  • 1 large bag (about 14 oz / 400 g) Bugles or similar corn snacks
  • 3 cups pecan halves
  • 1 cup waffle-shaped pretzels or mini pretzels — optional
  • ½ tsp flaky sea salt, plus more for finishing
  • 1–2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley, optional, for the appearance in the photo

Caramel coating

  • ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt

The basic caramel method—boiling butter, brown sugar and corn syrup, then adding vanilla/baking soda before coating the snacks—is consistent with established caramel-Bugles recipes. Cuisine de Jane+1 

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 250°F / 120°C. Line a large roasting pan or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Combine the dry ingredients.
    Put the Bugles, pecans and optional pretzels into a very large bowl or roasting pan.
  3. Make the caramel.
    Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup and ¼ tsp salt.
  4. Bring to a full boil, stirring until everything is incorporated. Once boiling, reduce slightly and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Remove from the heat. Immediately stir in the vanilla and baking soda. The mixture will foam up slightly.
  6. Coat the snack mix.
    Pour the hot caramel over the Bugles and pecans. Gently toss with a spatula until everything is well coated.
  7. Bake for 45–60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes so the caramel coats evenly and doesn’t burn. Similar recipes use a 250°F oven and periodic stirring during an hour-long bake. Cuisine de Jane+1 
  8. Finish.
    Spread the hot mix onto parchment. Immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt. If you’re going for the exact appearance of your photo, add a very small amount of finely chopped parsley while the coating is still tacky.
  9. Cool completely.
    Let it sit for 30–60 minutes. The caramel will become crisp as it cools. Break apart any large clusters.

For the photo-style result

I’d use whole pecan halves rather than chopped pecans and make the caramel coating fairly generous. The large whole pecans and thick glossy caramel are what give the pictured mix its distinctive look.

Storage: Keep completely cooled mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to about 1 week. The Country Cook 

Tip: If you want it extra buttery, salty and crunchy, use salted pecans and finish with flaky sea salt—but reduce the added salt in the caramel.

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