It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
And this is what it looks like in my house:
See that salty good mix? This is my version of the original Chex Party Mix. I’ve always known it as “Doo Dads”. A little this, a little that. How could you not want some Doo Dads?
You can deck the halls all you want, but in my house it’s not The Season until the Doo Dads are made.
We pretty much live on a diet of this mix and hot cocoa the week before Christmas. We have to parcel it out and make sure nobody comes in to steal all the Cheez-Its out of the container. Hence, the Security Patrol, otherwise known as Nutcracker. And believe me, there’s a lot of Doo Dads to guard. At least, at first.
It may not look like a lot from this shot, but that tin is 14 inches tall and 10 inches wide. And this is just one batch! I usually make two batches in one day, but this year I did the first one just before Thanksgiving and the second one earlier this week.
Wanna guess how long before we ran out of the first batch? Let’s just say I made the second batch when nobody else would be home for hours. Easier to guard with less snack attackers around.
Here’s a few helpful hints when making this recipe:
*20 cups of cereal and snacks can be a lot for one bowl to contain, so I usually put all the dry ingredients into a large trash bag for easier mixing. If you do this, make sure to use a regular plastic trash bag and not a “scented” or “clean fragrance” one. You don’t want your Doo Dads to taste lemony fresh. That’s so not part of the recipe.
*After mixing all the dry ingredients, pour the butter sauce into the bag. Make sure you have a tight grip on the bag and shake it, shift it, however you want to mix it. Just make sure you don’t crush the Doo Dads. You’ll know when it’s all coated once the bag itself has been coated on the inside.
*Use large roasting pans. To make clean up easier, I buy the cheap disposable ones. No matter how many batches I make, all I have to do when I’m done, is toss them out. No dishpan hands for me!
*If you’ve mixed the Doo Dads in a large bag, make sure you have a good grip on the bag, taking in all the excess and holding it like a pour spout. The mix will tumble out quickly so be careful not to overfill the pans.
*When stirring every 15 minutes, I take one pan out, stir it and set it aside. I take the next pan, stir, and put it where the first pan was; rotating each pan clockwise, and putting the first pan into the last empty spot. Of course, they’ll roast no matter where they’re placed in the oven, but this ensures that the roasting is nice and even.
And now, from my house to yours… The Recipe.
Merry Christmas. Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
Ingredients
- 5 Cups Corn Chex
- 5 Cups Rice Chex
- 5 Cups Wheat Chex
- 4 Cups Cheerios
- 1 Bag (12 oz.) Pretzel Sticks
- 1 Box (13.5 oz ea.) Cheez-It Crackers
- 2 Cans (14.5 oz ea.) Salted Peanuts
- 1 Cup + 2 TBS Butter
- 1/3 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt
Instructions
- Mix together cereals, pretzels, cheese crackers and peanuts. Set aside.
- In small saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
- Add worcestershire sauce to butter, stir.
- Add garlic salt and seasoned salt to butter sauce. Stir constantly until blended.
- Pour sauce over dry mix. Mix thoroughly.
- Spread into shallow baking or roasting pans.
- Roast at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Thanks for this. I’ve been making Chex mix fir years, but my daughters best friend mentioned that her dad was obsessed with Nabisco Doo Dads, so we’ll see how far this recipe can take us. I’ll. brew up a big batch and see how he likes us….
Best wishes.
Thank you, Jamie. Please, share with us how your batch turns out!
I started with your recipe and now add:
extra 1/8 cup worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp extra garlic salt and seasoning salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
They are to die for. Sell them at farmers market and sell out each time.
Thank you for the original recipe.
Thank you for checking in, Bette. The extra seasoning sounds delicious! I’ll give them a try this year.
Hi! I’m a long time eater, first time cooker here so bear with me if these questions seem a bit stupid. What is “seasoned salt?” (is it different from “salt” or “sea salt”?)
What should I look for in the peanuts (redskins, shelled, salted, unsalted, roasted, raw ???)
And butter – I know they make salted and unsalted. Does it matter which one I use here (I’m not concerned one little teeny bit about health, only taste.)
Hi, Joe, thanks for stopping by!
This is my most popular recipe and I’m glad you’re looking forward to enjoying it as well.
To answer your questions, seasoned salt is a combination of salts and seasonings and is available in the spice section of your local grocery store. I prefer salted peanuts without skins. I use unsalted butter, because as you can tell from the rest of the recipe, there’s enough salt and seasonings to make up for it.
Please stop in again and let me know how you enjoy your own Doo Dads.
Happy eating!
I went shopping this morning and made the doo-dads as soon as I got home. They’re good, OK, but not great. The taste is reminiscent of the original, but much lighter. I’ll have to try again and up the worcester and the salts (maybe our taste buds die as we get older?) Of course first I’ll have to finish all of this batch. I really should have scaled down the recipe a bit – it’s just me and the dog – but I wasn’t thinking. 32 cups is a lot of doo-dads!
Why did they ever get rid of original doodads, Nabisco, what the heck!? Thank you so for the recipe, too bad I didn’t find it before my dad passed, he loved those things!!
Thanks for checking in, Jeff. I would be lost without my DooDads each Christmas season. Glad you enjoy the recipe.
Almost through with the first batch, will add more seasoning to the next batch, but that hasn’t stopped the snacking. Thank you so much for the recipe. My family always liked Doo Dads better than the chex mix.
Pam, thank you for stopping by. I hope your family has enjoyed the Doo Dads. I agree, so much better than the bagged mix.
I loved Doo Dads and was thinking of them when I bought a box of store-brand wheat squares and it advertised a “holiday mix” on the back. My mom made this for years when I was growing up in Canada and she used to make two batches – one for my father who liked them heavy on the garlic and spice and a tamer version for my mom and me. Now, I don’t know if it is a Canadian term or my mom’s own term, but she called this delightful snack “Nuts and Bolts” … I am going to try your recipe next time I get to the store for the ingredients. Wish I had some right now to nibble on.
Molly – I’m going to re-subscribe (although I think I just did) as I see you have other blogs of interest to me and I am on WordPress as well … I didn’t attach my blog post address before but will do so now and follow you on WordPress. (I must have lost my mind for a short time ruminating on that Doo-Dad recipe.
I use way more of the liquid than is called for….i like it very flavorful
Also, instead of cheez its, i use cheddar goldfish and instead of pretzel stix, i use pretzel goldfish.
instead of corn chex and rice chex, i use crispix….
My husband adores doo-dads and is so sad they are not around any longer. I made this for him today and he is so happy. I cut the recipe in half and still ended up with a big container! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you for your comment. I’m so glad y’all enjoyed the Doo Dads!