I always wonder why Bits & Bites only make an appearance in our household come Christmastime. Then, I pull them warm from the oven and their salty scent fills the kitchen, and it isn’t long before straying hands are reaching into the roaster and sampling the goods. And then we just can’t stop! That’s when I remember how addicting this little treat is, and why I save it for the holidays, so we don’t raise our cholesterol and sodium intake all year round.
There really isn’t a treat that means Christmas more to me than Bits & Bites. I can remember being in my Mom’s kitchen, the warm room from the oven and the same roasting pan sitting on the counter as we measured out cheerios and shreddies, cheese sticks and nuts. My Mom always had a running tally somewhere on a sheet of paper sitting on the counter, ticking off the fifteen minute intervals for stirring and noting what time each one should happen in the two hours it baked in the oven.
As I smile back on these memories, my heart aches a little as I would give anything to be back in that kitchen making all the Christmas treats and goodies alongside her. Christmas is going to be very different this year for a lot of families as we face strict restrictions over the holidays due to the Covid19 pandemic. And so, I’ve decided to share my TOP SECRET Bits & Bites recipe with you, in a hopes to spread a little Christmas Cheer your way this season.
Holiday Bits & Bites
Time: 2 hours
Ingredients
- 3 cups Cheerios
- 3 cups Chex
- 3 cups Shreddies
- 3 cups mixed nuts
- 2 cups pretzels
- 1 box Cheesesticks ( I use Goldfish if I can’t find these crackers)
- 1 LB butter (melted)
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp seasoning salt
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 3 tbsp garlic powder
- 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
Directions
- Preheat oven to 250°.
- Mix together cereal ingredients, nuts and crackers in a large roasting pan.
- Melt butter and add in seasoning, stirring.
- Pour over mix in roaster and stir to coat.
- Bake in oven for 2 hours, stirring mixture every 15 minutes. NO LID ON PAN
**NOTE – I like to add in my Cheerios at the very end, after I have stirred everything together in the roasting pan before putting in the oven. This way they don’t get over saturated!
The stirring every fifteen minutes for two hours does require some time and attention, but I promise you it is worth it in the end. So grab a cup of coffee, perhaps a good book and prop yourself in your comfiest kitchen seat and keep an eye.
Once finished, removed from oven and let cool completely in the roaster before storing. Fill up mason jars, tie them up with cute ribbons and tags, and voila, you’ve just made yourself some homemade Christmas gifts! Pack away into tins and send out with your Christmas cards this year. Or make some door stop deliveries to friends, families and neighbours to spread the cheer.
However you decided to share them this year, I do hope you’ll enjoy these Bits & Bites like our family does, every season for years to come.
