Mix & Match Cereal Gorp

Gorp is backpacker shorthand for “good old raisins and peanuts," but modern trail mix has expanded well beyond the original. This mix-and-match version is less a fixed recipe than a framework: three cups of cereal, one cup of nuts, one cup of dried fruit, and one cup of chocolate chips, with every category wide open for substitution.

That is what makes it a keeper. Cheerios with walnuts, dried apricots, and dark chocolate eats like a granola bar in loose form. Chex with peanuts, raisins, and milk chocolate reads distinctly retro. Corn flakes with slivered almonds, coconut flakes, and white chocolate chips is basically a deconstructed cookie. Chilling the mix for a couple of hours firms up the chocolate and keeps it from going tacky in your hands on the trail.

Kitchen Tips

• Use unsweetened cereal for the lowest added sugar, or a frosted cereal if you want it dessert-leaning.
• Chop larger dried fruit (apricots, mango) into chocolate-chip-sized pieces so every handful gets a bit of everything.
• Store in an airtight jar at cool room temperature for up to two weeks, or in the fridge for a month.
• Toss nuts in a dry skillet for 3 to 4 minutes before adding for a deeper, toastier flavor.

Variations

• Banana chips and pecans with honey-flavored cereal and peanut butter chips for a banana-bread vibe.
• Cranberries, almonds, and white chocolate chips with plain rice cereal for a holiday mix.
• Swap chocolate chips for carob chips or yogurt-covered raisins for a lower-sugar option.