Are you ready to share this Cheetos snack mix at your next party or on a road trip? It is extra cheesy, some would say dangerously so.

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Behold – the birth of cheesy Cheetos snack mix! While I could have taken a shortcut and mixed together a bunch of cheesy snacks like I did with my easy Cheez-it snack mix, substituting all the non-cheesy things for more cheesy things like Cheetos and goldfish, I wanted the cheese contribution to be mostly attributed to the Cheetos themselves for this momentous National cheese doodle day. Afterall, it is called Cheetos snack mix.

Instead I kept the mix more similar to a typical Chex mix but added some cheddar cheese powder to the seasoning blend, effectively coating everything in a cheesy layer. Fun fact: I used to steal the cheese packets from other boxes of mac and cheese to make the current box I was preparing cheesier. If only I had a jar of this cheddar cheese powder growing up we maybe wouldn’t have been left with a bunch of plain elbow noodles.

Other than the addition of cheese powder to the seasonings, Cheetos is pulling most of the weight in the cheesy factor of this Cheetos snack mix. As such I doubled the amount I used but only added half to the original concoction. I wish I could say that was intentional but after making it I felt like there needed to be more Cheetos representation so I added more. As an added bonus I liked the contrast of the seasoned Cheetos with the classic Cheetos so it ended up being a happy adjustment.

The only dilemma now is that I made this entire batch for a household of two which means, as much as I’d like to think I could eat it all myself, I will be handing out little baggies of Cheetos snack mix to friends to help them celebrate one of my favorite food holidays of the year. Just call me the Cheetos fairy.

CHEESY CHEETOS SNACK MIX

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Yield: 14 cups Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 1 Hour 1 Hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 4 cups crunchy cheese doodles Cheddar cheese crackers (such as Cheetos®), divided*
• 2 cups cone-shaped corn snacks (such as Bugles®)
• 2 cups checkerboard-shaped crispy rice or corn cereal (such as Chex® or Crispix®)
• 2 cups checkerboard-shaped crispy wheat cereal (such as Chex®)
• 2 cups rye bread chips
• 2 cups pretzel sticks
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese powder
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250°F with racks placed in the upper and lowers thirds.
2. In an extra large mixing bowl add 2 cups of the Cheetos, Bugles, Chex and Crispix cereals, rye chips, and pretzels. Stir together until evenly distributed.
3. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the butter for 30 second intervals until melted. Whisk in the Worcestershire sauce, followed by the cheese powder, salt, garlic, onion, pepper, paprika, and cumin.
4. Slowly pour butter mixture evenly over dry ingredients while gently stirring until evenly coated (or the best you can).
5. Spread mix evenly onto two large rimmed baking sheets.
6. Bake for 1 hour, stirring and rotating the pans front-to-back and top-to-bottom every 15 minutes, or until mostly dry.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Stir in remaining Cheetos and transfer to an airtight container to store at room temperature.

Notes

*Why do I add half of the Cheetos before mixing and half after? Because I liked the contrast of the seasoned Cheetos with the classic Cheetos. And I wanted a double dose of Cheetos since this Cheetos snack mix after all.

Source: Adapted from Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen and All Recipes.