Game Day

Hot Honey-Sesame Snacky Mix

January 25, 2017
3.3
7 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Makes 12 cups
Author Notes

Pretzels, sesame sticks, coconut chips, and peanuts are made even crunchier with a sesame seed coating. When the mix is in the oven and still tacky, you'll stir it around every 15 minutes and shower it with a coat of seeds every time. When the mix comes out of the oven, it's craggy and alluring, but a little sticky, too—that's the soy sauce and hot honey, which you can make yourself or purchase.

To make sure it's not too gloppy, give the mix lots of space on the baking sheets; you'll likely need to use three. This recipe makes a lot of snack, but keep extras around in a jar—like we have on the editorial table right now. Or we did have the other day. Hmm, wonder where it went. —Ali Slagle

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Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup hot honey
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 4 cups pretzels of any small variety (crisps, rods, twists)
  • 4 cups sesame sticks
  • 2 cups unsalted, roasted peanuts
  • 2 cups coconut shards/chips (not shredded)
  • Sesame seeds, for coating
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 275° F. Line 2 (but preferably 3, if you have them) baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Melt the butter with the hot honey and soy sauce over low heat, stirring from time to time and until the honey has melted. Stick a pretzel in and taste the seasoning: Is it spicy enough? If not, add more honey. Is it too salty? Add more honey. Is it missing something else entirely (rice vinegar, curry powder, chile paste)? Go ahead and add it!
  3. Meanwhile, in an enormous bowl, mix together the pretzels, sesame sticks, peanuts, and coconut. Look at it: Feel like there's not enough pretzels or coconut for your liking? Add more.
  4. When the butter mixture's melted, pour it over the snack mixture and mix well (with your hands, preferably, but a spoon is okay). Make sure all the ingredients are well coated.
  5. Spread the mix onto the prepared baking sheets thinly and evenly; you want everything to crisp up evenly.
  6. Then, sprinkle a shower of sesame seeds over. Bake for 15 minutes, then take the mixture out, give it a stir, and shower again with sesame seeds. Repeat after 15 more minutes in the oven. Your mix is done when it's crisped, usually around 45 minutes -- it turns from done to burned quickly so keep an eye on during the last 15 minutes!
  7. Let cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

7 Reviews

Debra December 19, 2021
Just not tasty, actually lack of flavor. I made it as directed and then tried to make it flavorful. I was very disappointed, and no additional spices as suggested made it eatable.
Nopenope December 2, 2021
Like most things on this hellsite, this looks amazing on paper and is a total flop IRL. Somehow it tastes burnt and not spicy and not sweet all at the same time? What a damn waste of good (and expensive!) ingredients. Test your recipes Food52!!!!
Jcl October 31, 2021
I made the recipe exactly as you directed and I’m sorry to say, but it was a horrible flop for me. There is no way to avoid burning it with baking it as long as you stated, even though it is stirred well every 15 minutes.
I should have read the previous comments (4 total) and realized they were by people that only read your recipe, but had not tried it.
What a sad disappointment, a waste of money and time.
Deborah October 10, 2021
This sounds great and will make soon. I have found a pre-made hot honey that is really good: "Mike's Hot Honey". https://mikeshothoney.com/

It is at Walmart.
Melanie December 16, 2018
This is good! I added siracha, Chinese five spice and some cayenne. Good for Christmas sharing.
Denise June 26, 2017
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/hot-honey
Chris G. April 20, 2017
I was a little frustrated because there was no recipe for the "hot honey," but after searching for how to make it, I was much happier! Now I have what sounds like a very good shrimp recipe, and also a recipe for do-it-yourself Hot Pepper Jelly and Hot Honey as well as a recipe for hot honey Shrimp as well! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/hot-pepper-jelly-14409 & https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018182-hot-honey-shrimp?join_cooking_newsletter=true®ister=google
This kind of excites me, because I can make the hot pepper jelly with the flavorings I want and the same with the honey and I also get a great recipe for the shrimp as well! So actually, thanks for that!
Chris :-)