Road Trip Snacks

By Food & Wine
January 17, 2017
When kids get out of school, the open road beckons. Don't get stuck eating gas station snacks! Up your road trip snack game by making savory Asian Snack Mix with Nori, crunchy Cranberry-Walnut Power Bars, cheesy Cardamom-Cheddar Straws and delicious Black Pepper Jerky. These excellent treats can all be made ahead and stored at room temperature.
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Cardamom-Cheddar Straws

Justin Devillier upgrades classic Southern cheese straws with Sharifi's Iranian spices at his New Orleans restaurant La Petite Grocery. He sometimes swaps out the cardamom for equal amounts of ground coriander or fennel seed. "I've always assumed cheese straws originated in the Carolinas," says Devillier, "but that may be because my mother-in-law always brings them when she visits from South Carolina."

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Nutty Caramel Corn

The perfect mix of sweet and salty. 

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Tiki Snack Mix

This irresistible mix of soy-and-honey-glazed peanuts, bacon and chewy glazed pineapple is the perfect complement to tiki cocktails, combining Polynesian-inspired flavors in every bite.

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Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

These crunchy treats are event tastier as an ice cream topping. 

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Asian Snack Mix with Nori

Rice-flake cereal, seasoned nori (seaweed flavored with sesame oil and salt), miso and wasabi come together in this light, munchable, Asian-inspired riff on Chex Mix.

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Sriracha-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Perfectly crunchy and spicy, these Sriracha-flavored pumpkin seeds are a great afternoon snack.

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Cranberry-Walnut Power Bars

These gingery, nutrient-packed bars use only natural sweeteners like brown rice syrup and natural cane sugar. "Brown rice syrup has a nice, round flavor that doesn't give you the jolt of sweetness that processed sugars do," Heidi Swanson says. The recipe itself is very versatile: "Once you get the hang of the technique, you can swap in all kinds of other nuts, spices and dried fruit."

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Sesame-Soy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

These savory, Asian-inspired sesame-soy pumpkin seeds are a great snack or salad topping for Chinese chicken salads.

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Crackersnacks

This is chef Katie Button's sweet and savory take on the classic American snack, Cracker Jack.

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Black Pepper Jerky

This classic jerky gets a double dose of peppery flavor from both cracked peppercorns in the marinade and coarsely ground peppercorns on top.

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Ginger-Spiced Pecans

Pecan halves sauteed with butter, sugar, and ground ginger are positively addictive. Serve them with ice cream, a selection of cookies, or fruit desserts, or on their own after dessert as petit fours. They're quick to make and, presented in tins, are great holiday gifts. If you prepare the pecans more than two days ahead, add another half teaspoon of ginger, since the flavor dissipates over time.

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Cheese Sables with Rosemary Salt

These buttery cheese crackers were dreamed up by Anna May, a member of the online community Food52 who lives in West Dorset, England. The sables are an excellent party snack because they come together quickly and can be made in advance.

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Spicy Lime Leaf Beer Nuts

This spiced nut mix gets tossed with kaffir lime leaves, typically used in Thai curry sauces but here fried crisp. The dish is one of many kap klaem (drinking snacks) that Andy Ricker offers at Pok Pok's Whiskey Soda Lounge. "These nuts are served all over Thailand, usually with some kind of dried fish mixed in," he says.

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Asian Bar Mix

The sesame sticks, wasabi peas, almonds and peanuts make this irresistible bar mix wonderfully crunchy.

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Candied Almonds

You're just three ingredients away from candied goodness. 

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Oat-and-Cheddar Crackers

After rolling out this buttery dough, stamp out all different kinds of shapes (Ginna Haravon likes making animal crackers). It's important to chill the dough before and after rolling it out so the crackers are tender.

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