For those who are mechanically declined!~ and just about anyone else!
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Ingredients
- 1 lb. butter
- 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. onion salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. celery salt
- 4 cups “Cheerios”
- 4 cups “Life” cereal (corn chex)
- 4 cups “Shreddies” or “Wheat Chex”
- 2 boxes pretzels or pretzel sticks
- 2 cups peanuts (salted if you insist!)
- 1 box “bugels”
- 1 box cheese nips or cheese bites
Instructions
- Heat oven to 250 F. Place butter in very large roaster and put in oven to melt butter while oven in preheating. Add all ingredients and stir well to coat evenly with butter. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Stir every 1/2 hour.
- Book Reference – The Rest of the Best – Vol. 2 (Page: 71), Grand Slam (Page: 45)
The Best of Bridge https://www.bestofbridge.com/
This is the best Nuts and Bolts ever! I’ve made it for years and haven’t tasted any better recipe. I’ve had lots of compliments from friends and is a must at Christmas for my family. I do add an additional cup of peanuts.
Thanks for letting us know Brenda 🙂 Merry Christmas to you and yours and best wishes for a healthy & happy 2017!
Best nuts and bolts ever! We also add 6 shakes of Tabasco.
Great tip, thanks!
I forgot to add the Worcestershire sauce and have already roasted them. What can I do to correct it now – it really needs that extra “kick”. Thanks .
Ann Ashberry
You might want to try sprinkling on some spices, such as smoked paprika.
How do I store the nuts and bolts ?
Store in an airtight container to preserve freshness. Happy snacking!
Thanks for sharing our Best of Bridge Nuts and Bolts recipe!
I often find that the spices fall to the bottom of the melted butter. Any suggestions?
Hi Colleen, the solution is to keep stirring gently until the spices are evenly distributed. Enjoy!
Our nuts and bolts seems a bit greasy. Should we have baked it longer.? Will this make it too soggy when we store it? Can we re- bake for longer?
Hi Sharon, Yes, you can try re-baking the mixture a little longer until the mixture is dryer and crisp. Continue to stir occasionally as it re-bakes. Enjoy!
I do the butter and spices in a pot then use a bayster to add the butter mixture to the nuts and bolts. It coats everything much better.
It is better to use salted or unsalted butter when making Nuts and Bolts?
Hi Marianne, salted butter will work just fine 🙂
Hi there. I just made a batch last night and they turned out kinda soggy. I thought it would be better after sitting all night but they are still a bit soggy. What did I do wrong and is it possible to fix it? Thanks so much!
Hi Kyra, sorry to hear that this turned out soggy. This recipe works well in an oval slow cooker which would have more surface area to cook the mixture evenly. To catch any excess condensation, try placing a few layers of paper towel between the lid and on top of the crock to catch any extra liquid build up. In terms of fixing, once the moisture has been absorbed into the cereal, it’s difficult to redistribute. You could experiment by stirring in additional dry cereal and reheat the mixture. Good luck!
I’ve made this for the first time last evening and it is delicious! I blended dry spices in small bowl; I combined all dry ingredients in large container, then sprinkled dry spices (I added ~ ½ tsp smoked paprika) and mixed well. I added the Worcestershire sauce to the melted butter, then added the dry mixture .
I baked at 250º and stirred after 30 min, then increased the temp to 255º and stirred every 20 min for 1 hour. Mixture was dry, not greasy and very tasty
How long do nuts and bolts keep? How are they best stored?
Hi Kristy, store nuts and bolts for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. For longer storage, you can freeze for up to 2 months. Enjoy!
Has anyone used an electric roaster? That’s what I am using…hoping it turns out.
Yes I have used an electric roaster a few times and it is perfect!
I love this recipe. I make it every year. But I’m always in a quandary as to the amounts of pretzels, bugles and cheese nips. I do not buy them in boxes. Could you please either give me the volumes or the weights of each of the above ingredients? I tried to Google the weight of a box of cheese nips but I could not find them in boxes and I use goldfish anyway. Thank you.
Hi Trudy,
This is one of our favorite recipes! We have an updated version in the Best of Bridge Holiday Classics cookbook. 2 boxes of pretzels, each 16oz/454g, 1 box of bugles – 5 1/2 oz/150 g, Cheese Nips/Bites: 8 oz/250 g. (Of course the size of boxes continues to change or shrink!). That’s great that you substitute Goldfish crackers for the cheese nips! Enjoy!
Wondering ofYou put the Lid on the Dutch oven or leave it of
The nuts and bolts are baked uncovered. Enjoy!
What is a good substitute for “Bugles”.
Hi Ian, you can substitute with corn chips, Cheezies, Hoops or any favorite small savory snack. Of course you can also use more of the same ingredients in the recipe – like the cereal, crackers and more pretzels. Enjoy!
This is the same recipie that my family has used from the early 60’s in Thompson. I have tried others over the years but always come back to this one. I do add about 1 1/2 tsp of cyan pepper to this as well… So good.
Hi Bob, fantastic! Love your added touch of a little spice!
My first batch last month turned out great. Second batch yesterday, not as flavourful. Can I add butter/spice mixture to smaller batches and re-bake?
Hi Claire, sorry your second batch didn’t turn out, but your idea to fix it is perfect. Be light-handed on the butter or the mixture will become too oily.
How large should the roaster pan be? Could I use an aluminum throw away roaster pan?
Hi Cheryl, use the largest roaster you have (a standard roaster is roughly 16×13″). If your roaster is not large enough to hold the ingredients, go ahead and divide the mixture into two smaller roasters. A foil roaster will work well. Enjoy!