Scouted: Do-It-Yourself Trail Mix is the Best Trail Mix Because It’s Your Trail Mix
One of my favorite snacks of all time is a handful of (slightly) salty tree nuts, be them walnuts, pecans, pistachios (whose ice cream variant I find irresistible), almonds, cashews (see note on ice cream), pine nuts, Brazil nuts, or some other variant. It’s what we commonly call trail mix.
But my affinity turned pricey once I decided to practice it habitually. I found myself paying a lot and getting a little, and soon had to curtail my healthy snacking. So last summer I naturally turned to the Internet, where I found Happy Belly, Amazon’s snack brand. I was definitely suspicious at first, wondering how the brand could afford to sell me nearly three pounds (44 ounces) of deluxe (no peanuts) mixed nuts — cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, and hazelnuts — for about $24. That’s $8 a pound, and here I’ve been paying so much more for so much less at my local grocery.
I bought the bag, wise enough not to sign up yet for recurring shipments (which would slice another 5% off the total), and the rest is history. It was perfect. The roast has actual flavor and the nuts aren’t overly (sea) salted. Notably, the crack and crunch of each nut feels very fresh, which I didn’t know mattered to me until it did. If you’re wondering, the nut variety breakdown is (approximately) as follows: 45% cashews, 40% almonds, 5% brazil nuts, 5% hazelnuts, and 5% pecans. I’d call that reasonable but your expectations might vary and that’s okay: This is your trail mix. I’ve been subscribed to the deluxe bag since then, and have expanded my repertoire with the brand’s raw almonds, which also come roasted and salted if that’s your thing.