Happy Halloween
Trail mix is essentially a mixture of dry fruit, nuts and grains such as granola or oats. Originally designed to be eaten "on the trail," candy and chocolate have become popular additions to traditional mixes in recent years. The making isn't difficult. Simply select a combination of ingredients you find appealing, trying to choose from both sweet and salty for balance, and toss them together in a large bowl. It's the choosing what to put in that's the true challenge. To make a Halloween trail mix, try to select ingredients which reflect the season, both in color and in taste.
Instructions
1. Choose your fruit or fruits and put them in the bowl. Dried cranberries represent a food commonly associated with autumn while adding a nice ruby color to your bowl. Dried apricots or peaches cast an appealing orange glow to the mix as do pieces of candied orange peel. For a light brown addition, toss in an handful of apple chips and for yellow, you might add dried pineapple chunks. White can be achieved by stirring yogurt raisins in, while chocolate covered ones can add a bit of darkness to the combo.
2. Decide which nuts you'd like to add. Nuts can be raw or roasted, plain or candy coated. They add a nice crunch and a well rounded flavor to the mix in addition to being a good source of protein. Peanuts are the gold standard of trail mixes; however, you can also use cashews, walnuts, almonds or soybeans. Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds can be tossed in as well. They increase the nutritional value of the snack mix and give the blend additional texture.
3. Select your desired grain products. Even if your crowd is picking around in the bowl, diligently avoiding anything that remotely resembles a piece of fruit, they will undoubtedly enjoy the grains you include. Granola is a popular choice as are low-sugar breakfast cereals such as Cheerios or Chex. A few pretzels can add a dash of salty crunch and so can a handful of cheese crackers. Inexpensive and flavorful, the grain component is used to "bulk up" the mixture, generally making up about half of the mix.
4. Add Halloween candies. The most expensive and most popular part of Halloween trail mix is probably the sweets thrown in for good measure. Candy corn holds up well to a variety of climatic conditions, blends well with other flavors and is a favorite seasonal treat. Miniature marshmallows also look nice in a bowl filled with autumn colors while chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips or seasonally colored chocolate candies all guarantee your success as a trail mix master.
5. Give all the ingredients a good stir and serve.
Tags: bowl Dried, chocolate chips, while chocolate, with autumn
