Holiday Praline Crunch

A major favorite around the holidays. Bring as a gift or munch on at home. Great all year round.

8 cups of firm cereal, such as Cherrios, Oatmeal Squares, or Chex
2 cups pecan halves
1/3 cup dried cranberries
Oil spray
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine cereal, nuts, and cranberries.  Spray a 13 x 9-x 2-inch Pyrex baking pan with oil, and then pour cereal mixture into pan. Set aside. In a deep microwave safe bowl, combine the corn syrup, brown sugar, and butter. Microwave mixture on high until boiling, about 2 to 3 minutes. Mixture will foam. (For stove top cooking, heat in a small saucepan until boiling, stirring occasionally.) Using potholders, remove mixture carefully from microwave. Stir in the vanilla and baking soda. Pour syrup over the reserved cereal mixture and stir gently to combine. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Spread crunch bits out on a sheet of waxed paper placed on a heatproof surface. Mixture will be very hot. When completely cooled, break up and place in a serving bowl or store in a tightly sealed container. Keeps about a week.  Makes about 10 cups.