Healthier Furikake Chex Mix

Furikake Chex Mix

One of my favorite snacks to make and eat is Furikake Chex Mix.  It takes some babysitting to make, but the result is a deliciously addictive snack that meets my salty, crunchy, and sweet cravings all at once.  I've posted a recipe for this in the past and since then I've been tweaking it here and there to my liking.  This past week I made two batches for a large hangout with friends and I was left with practically an entire batch afterwards.  It's been a great snack in my lunchbox this week and especially with July 4th coming up it'll be a great addition to any bbq or picnic.  Easy to grab a handful, relatively clean, and packed with the right punch of umami flavor to keep you coming back!

Healthier Furikake Chex Mix with Agave Syrup

This is the first time I've used agave syrup and it made a much healthier substitute for the corn syrup in the original recipe.  I also cut back on the Furikake since I found that half a bottle is plenty for one batch.

Furikake Chex Mix
serves 8-10 
1 box Crispix
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/8 cup agave syrup
1 Tbsp sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 bottle Nori Fumi Furikake (typically available at Chinese/Japanese groceries, but also seen at Safeway)

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line two sheet pans with foil or parchment paper.
2. Heat butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat until butter melts and sugars dissolve. Add vegetable oil, agave syrup, soy sauce, and sesame oil and continue stirring. Tip: Measure the oil first. Then when you measure the agave syrup, the measuring spoon will be lightly coated with oil and the agave won't stick.  Remove from heat when well mixed.
3. Place the cereal in a large mixing bowl, working in two batches if necessary. Drizzle some of the syrup over the cereal and carefully mix with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle some Furikake over the cereal and mix carefully. Continue drizzling syrup, sprinkling Furikake, and mixing until the cereal is well coated.
4. Spread cereal in a single layer on the two baking sheets. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
5. Let cereal cool before eating. Can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week, but it may be all gone well before then!

Happy July 4th!  If you're looking for more picnic snacks, might I suggest my favorite chocolate cookies, an easy berry crumb bar, or basil cucumber egg salad sandwiches.

For more creative July 4th recipe ideas, take a peek at the July 4th Fun campaign with Raise.com, which features a lot of beautiful recipes for this holiday and a place where you can buy and sell gift cards that can help you save money before you even hit the stores.  I haven't tried this site out yet, but it seems like a good place to get rid of my stack of gift cards and buy cards for stores I'll actually shop at!