Nuts and Bolts

how to make nuts and bolts

Nuts and Bolts, or Bits and Bites as some people call this, is a tasty mix of toasted cereals, pretzels, crackers and nuts, perfect for snacking.

I have no idea why people make this around Christmas time but it seems a lot of us do. And everyone has their own version. Which is great, so by making your own you get exactly what you like. Or maybe not so great. Because, warning, Nuts and Bolts are highly addictive!

Jump to Recipe

homemade nuts and bolts

I was actually given this recipe in 1983 by a coworker. It was tucked away in a recipe book and I found it years later, having never made it. I’ve only tweaked her recipe a bit over the years by adding a bit more seasoning. You may want to adjust the amounts for your own taste, but I wouldn’t recommend using any less than 4 tsp each or more than 6 of the seasoning mixture.

What goes in Nuts and Bolts?

It doesn’t really matter what combination of snacks you use to make Nuts and Bolts. The most important thing is to have a good variety and to use snacks you like. I prefer a combination of a rice cereal, oat cereal, pretzels, peanuts and lots of cheesy crackers like Cheese Bits, Cheese Nips and even Cheesy Fish! Many people use Shreddies. I prefer something less sweet because I find they don’t pair well with cheese crackers, however if you’re not using cheesy options in your mix, the Shreddies are good! Mixed nuts are nice too if you feel like splurging.

nuts and bolts

You don’t want to break up the snacks while you’re stirring so just dump everything into a very large roasting pan to get started. Everything will get mixed up as you add the liquid and seasonings because you do this in stages and stir after each addition. Well, stirring isn’t exactly possible, it’s more of a folding technique. As long as you don’t overfill the roasting pan you should be able to accomplish coating and mixing without too much spillage. My friend Betty has a brilliant technique. She uses 2 roasting pans and pours the contents from pan to pan instead of stirring. Great idea!

The butter and oil mixture coats the dry ingredients, helping the seasonings stick. Use a shaker if you have one to add the seasoning mixture to ensure it’s added evenly. Otherwise carefully sprinkle from a large spoon. Pour about 1/4 of the butter and oil mixture over the dry ingredients. Shake about 1/4 of the seasoning over. Now gently fold from the outer edges in. Add another quarter of liquid and seasoning and fold again. Continue until all the dry ingredients are coated evenly. Pour, sprinkle, stir. Repeat.

Bake your Nuts and Bolts in an oven set around 225 degrees and stir every 15 minutes for about an hour. Don’t worry if the mixture looks like there’s too much oil. It will dry out as it bakes. Be patient. Turn the oven up to 250 and bake up to one more hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Be patient. After the last stir, turn off the oven and leave in for about 15 more minutes. Remove and stir one last time. Everything should be nicely toasted. Allow to cool and store in tins or plastic containers.

Nuts and Bolts don’t need to be refrigerated. They stay fresh if you keep them in a cookie tin or a large sealed container or freezer bag. But they don’t last long anyway. At least not in my house.

homemade bits and bites

If you make nuts and bolts, feel free to share your favourite snack mixture in the comments below. Here’s the recipe:

how to make nuts and bolts

Nuts and Bolts

Also called Bits and Bites, a popular snack mix of roasted cereals, pretzels, crackers and nuts
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Keyword: bits and bites, cereal snack mix, homemade bits and bites, homemade nuts and bolts, how to make bits and bites, how to make nuts and bolts, nuts and bolts
Servings: 1 large roasting pan

Ingredients

  • 1 C melted butter
  • 1 C vegetable or canola oil
  • 6 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 5 tsp celery salt
  • 5 tsp onion powder
  • 5 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 box Cheerios or other oat cereal
  • 1 box Rice Chex or other rice cereal some people like shreddies
  • 1 bag pretzel twists or sticks
  • 1 jar peanuts or mixed nuts
  • 1 box Cheese Nips crackers
  • 1 box Cheese Bits
  • 1 package Cheesy Fish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 225° and set rack in middle setting.
  • Empty all snacks into a large roasting pan.
  • Melt butter in large measuring cup with pour spout. Stir in oil and Worcestershire sauce.
  • Combine celery salt, onion powder and garlic powder in shaker or container and mix well.
  • Pour ¼ of the oil mixture, then sprinkle ¼ of the seasoning evenly over top of cereal mix. Stir gently to coat using a folding technique, bringing mixture from bottom of the pan to the top. Repeat with the rest of the oil and seasoning in 3 more stages until everything is coated as evenly as possible.
  • Bake for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 250° and bake another 45 - 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until cereal mixture is dry and slightly toasted. Turn oven off and leave in for one more 15 minute time span.
  • Allow to cool, stirring a few times during cooling, before storing in airtight containers or zipper top freezer bags.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Print Recipe

more salty snacks

Savoury Rye Snacks

Chicago Mix Popcorn

Sausage Rolls

11 thoughts on “Nuts and Bolts”

  1. Hi Marci
    I make this every Christmas and usually 2 batches
    I also add 1-2 cans of mixed nuts the cashews are the best!!
    The easiest way to mix is using 2 large turkey roast pans from the dollar store.
    When it’s time to stir I dump from one to the other and this way less of the mixture is broken up.
    Oh and shredders are good to use also

  2. I never make nuts and bolts the same way. But I suggest which ever way you make them to add
    Hot pepper flakes( to your taste) and also
    Light brown sugar approx 1 cup
    We love it

    1. Well, personally I wouldn’t want to have sugar in my salty cheesy snacks but to each his own! I would like the hot pepper flakes though!

    2. 5 stars
      Try using Frank’s red hot sometime in the butter mix or they have it in a seasoning now. Incredibly good flavour and uniqueness. Everyone will be asking what the secret ingredient is! It’s also mild enough for even the most spicy sensitive people like me

  3. I added some hot pepper flakes initially and then I added cinnamon toast crunch cereal to make it even more christmassy…after it all cooled…I added chocolate covered almonds and smarties for a change up. Sweet..salty with a zing… delish!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating