Chex Mix is, like, the food of the gods. Who would have thought you could take some average breakfast cereal that doesn’t snap, crackle, or pop, and turn it into the best snack mix, ever? And who came up with this genius idea, anyway?
The Ralston Purina Company invented Wheat Chex in 1937, and those Chex were their onlies until 1950, when Ralston produced Rice Chex. Shortly thereafter, in 1952, that marriage made in heaven, Chex Party Mix, was announced. “Life Magazine” published the first recipe. In 1958, along came a bouncing box of Corn Chex, and the family was complete.
The website snackhistory.com states, “Chex Cereal, on its own, was a new invention that was made just with kids and easy breakfast in mind. The post-Depression era was focused on snacks and foods that could be affordable to most families, and that would offer a lot of nutritional value to adults and kids alike.” Personally, as a kid, I was a fan of any breakfast cereal that was sugar-coated. Nutrition was not my first choice for breakfast.
There are at least two origin stories for the party mix. Snackhistory says the recipe was perfected in the Ralston Purina kitchens to help the lagging sales of Wheat Chex and Rice Chex. The recipe appeared on the cereal boxes in 1953, after appearing in “Life.”
An undocumented story suggests that the wife of a Ralston exec brought a bowl of it to a holiday party in the early 1950s, and it went viral. Viral, in a mid-century modern sort of way.
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The recipe on the cereal boxes changed over the years. Every decade had preferred spices and add-ins. If your mom or grandma saved any of those recipes, you would have a timeline of Chexian evolution.
In 1985 pre-packaged Chex Party Mix appeared on grocery shelves, and all sorts of varieties soon were marketed. All Chex Party Mixes have some of the cereal in them. However, the varieties have additions ranging from salty to sweet, with stops at cheesy, garlicky, and chocolatey. There are seasonal mixes like Winter Chex Mix Cocoa and Summer Chex Mix Ranch. There are even Szechuan and Teriyaki varieties which are only sold at convenience stores.
I have probably tried all of them, except garlicky. One must show a certain amount of restraint.
Creative cooks are still coming up with their own signature mixes. My mom would toss in pecans, and my mother-in-law favored Cheerios. I’ve begun adding Cheez-Its, Cheddar Cheese Combos, cheesy Ritz Bits, and Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Nuts. Everything is better with cheese.
General Mills now owns the Chex brand. They regularly produce 13 varieties, plus limited editions. Not long ago, the Peanut Lovers Chex Mix was discontinued. There is a groundswell of discontent from peanut lovers.
Peanuts I can take or leave. But if they pull the Cheddar Chex Mix off the shelves, I will be heartbroken. You can never have too much cheese.
Jackie Hope is the longest running Dickinson Press contributor and columnist. "Hope's Corner" is a weekly humorous column centered on a message of hope for residents in southwest North Dakota.
