Introducing Kernel Season's Three New Savory Flavors...Featuring Smoky Bacon-Cheddar Popcorn Snack Mix

Hello from rainy San Antonio...where we’re likely experiencing a late visit from spring before the hot weather settles in for good this summer! Do you ever get the munchies? What a silly question...of course you do. But if you’re like me, you get bored with your standby snacks...you crave something new and fun! I’ve got you covered today, thanks to my friends at Kernel Season's popcorn seasoning. They’re introducing three new savory flavors, and I was lucky enough to be one of the first people to sample them! The new additions to their fantastic lineup are: Pizza, Buffalo Wing, and Bacon Cheddar. These are bold flavors that just beg to be used to flavor a crunchy popcorn snack mix. I was happy to oblige!

I first sampled all three of these big-flavor seasonings with popcorn to try them out before creating a snack mix in honor of the NBA playoffs. Sadly, my Rockets aren’t in the playoffs this year (again...), but the Spurs are. This snack mix is perfect to munch on while cheering for your favorite team...or even when watching a movie with your family. I made sure to include lots of fun ingredients and flavored them with a mixture of the Bacon Cheddar seasoning and melted butter. After a quick cook in the microwave, this snack mix was ready to eat in about 30 minutes. I let my imagination guide me...I chose my ingredients based on what was crunchy, cheesy, and smoky.  

Smoky Bacon-Cheddar Popcorn Snack Mix

a Weekend Gourmet Original

Step 1: Combine the following ingredients in a large bowl: 1 popped package of butter-flavor microwave popcorn, 1/3 cup salted peanuts, 1/3 cup smoked almonds, 1 cup Cheez-it crackers, 1 cup Goldfish pretzels, and 2-3 slices bacon cooked crisp and crumbled. Stir to combine.

Step 2:  Add 2 tbs. Kernel Seasons Bacon Cheddar popcorn seasoning and 6 tbs. of butter to a small bowl. Microwave for 1-2 minutes, until the butter melts. Stir well to combine and pour over the ingredients in the bowl. Stir well to coat all of the ingredients evenly with the seasoned butter. Microwave the mixture on high for 5 minutes, stopping to stir every 2 minutes.

Step 3:  Place parchment paper or a Silpat on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the cooked snack mix onto the rimmed sheet and spread out in an even layer. Let the mix cool for about 30 minutes, then store in an airtight container. If you’re not going to eat it immediately, I recommend storing the snack mix in the fridge until 45 minutes before you’re ready to serve it...just because of the bacon. Right before serving, add 1 cup of Cheetos to up the cheese factor...and stir well to incorporate them into the snack mix.

I brought this snack mix to work to share with my friends in the office. The smoky-cheesy flavor of the seasoning was present in every bite, but it was not overwhelming...you could still taste the double shot of nuts and the crackers, pretzels, and chips in balance with the popcorn. This was really easy to whip up, and it was mostly devoured in about an hour. I hope you'll give this a try for the next big game...or your next Movie Night. 


Disclosure: Kernel Season's sent me three sample bottles of their new seasoning flavors in order to facilitate this post. However, the opinions expressed and the recipe created are solely my own.

Share this post