I never suspected trail mix would ever really be a “thing” in my life. But given that it’s 2020, I guess stranger things have happened. I’m truly excited to share this post about fall trail mix with you for a handful of reasons:
- Making trail mix fully satisfies the small part of me that yearns to be crafty in the simplest way possible. Plus, it’s super easy to make
- It’s delicious
- You can easily adapt the ingredients to anyone’s preference
- It’s seasonally festive, and you can make it look pretty
- In a lovely jar or container, it’s giftable
I guess you could even use it for its original purpose, which is to energize you along the trail of a hike when out exploring nature. But when bone-chilling fall winds are blowing, I much prefer any of the reasons I listed above to being outside on an actual trail. (I do love hiking, by the way, but I’m really a fair weather hiking fan.)
Make your Mix Giftable
Having small gifts at the ready to give to friends and family who invite us into their homes for a casual get-together is a big bonus. It’s thoughtful and gracious, and you get extra brownie points if it’s homemade. Fall trail mix seems a bit like a cheat because it’s so easy…but it still ranks way higher than store-bought mix because you took the time to do it!
These cute jars were a lucky find at Home Goods. It really was so fun coming across something a little different with a rose gold lid! The square shape and special imprint on top make this jar a little more elevated for gifting. It looks so pretty as it is that you really don’t need any additional packaging, especially once the colorful trail mix is inside. I grabbed all they had at the time, but I found them on Amazon, too, and linked it up below the pics here.
Fall Trail Mix Ingredients
When choosing my fall trail mix ingredients, I went to Trader Joe’s and stood in front of their nuts and seeds sections for a few minutes, scanning all the options. I ultimately picked ingredients that gave me a variety of fall color and looked pretty together (I’ve been trying to follow the #makeprettychoices motto from Living with Landyn). A good mix of bite texture helps: both crunchy and “meaty” nuts, crisp pumpkin seeds and chewy dried fruit. They obviously had to be yummy, too.
Here’s what I ended up with:
- Raw almonds
- Whole cashews (roasted and lightly salted)
- Raw pistachio pieces
- Raw pumpkin seeds (you can substitute pepitas)
- Unsweetened coconut chips
- Dried cranberries
- Chocolate chips
Mix up your Mix-ins
The beauty in making your own trail mix is that you can literally put in anything that sounds good to you. Nuts and seeds can be salted or unsalted, roasted for a little more flavor, or raw. Dried fruit can be chewy or crunchy (as in apple chips). You may want to substitute carob chips for the semi-sweet chocolate chips, or even a different flavor, like butterscotch, peanut butter or white chocolate. Add color with M&Ms. Pretzel bits and yogurt covered raisins are also great add-ins.
I used 1/2 cup of each ingredient in my mix. There really is no need for measurements, though – just throw in a handful of everything (use an odd number of ingredients for good luck and balance) until it looks good to you. Add a little of this or that as needed, and then the trail mix recipe is truly your own.
What are your homemade gifts this year? And how are you making them pretty? Share all your great ideas with me in the comments below – I can’t wait to hear them!
