Christmas puppy chow is quick and easy to make in under 30 minutes. No peanut butter in this easy and delicious twist on a classic puppy chow.
🍬 Puppy chow ingredients:
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
📝 Ingredient notes:
- Chex Cereal - Any crisp rice or corn cereal like Rice Chex, Corn Chex, or even Rice Krispies would work. Look for a plain cereal without added sugars or flavors.
- White Almond Bark - white chocolate coating provides sweetness and binds everything together. Regular chocolate would overwhelm the peppermint. White chocolate or almond bark allows the mint to shine. Pick a good quality bark without paraffin wax.
- Crushed Peppermints - These add a crunchy texture and refreshing peppermint flavor. Use hard round peppermints, not soft or creamy ones. Crush into small pieces for even distribution and a nice peppermint burst.
- Peppermint Extract - This boosts the minty flavor. Use pure extract without added sugar or corn syrup for best flavor. Start with ¼ teaspoon and add more to taste if you want stronger mint.
🔄 Can I use a different kind of cereal?
Just use the same amount of whatever cereal you choose - 12 oz by weight or around 3 cups of cereal measured out. The rest of the ingredients can stay the same. It may just change the texture slightly depending on the cereal you use, but it will still be tasty!
You'll want to stick with plain cereal without a lot of flavoring since peppermint and white chocolate will be the main flavors. Cereals with a round or puffed shape tend to work best for mixing into this type of treat.
Here are some great substitutions
- Corn chex instead of rice chex
- Wheat chex instead of rice chex
- Frosted mini wheats
- Frosted flakes cereal
- Cheerios
Can I use white chocolate chips for the white almond bark?
You can substitute 24 oz white chocolate chips for the almond bark, but add 1-2 tablespoon vegetable or melted coconut oil to help the chips coat smoothly when melted. Break chips into smaller pieces first and microwave in short bursts, stirring frequently to prevent burning. The coating may be thinner so cool slightly before pouring over the cereal.
You may need to refrigerate or freeze the puppy chow chex mix for 10-15 minutes to help set the coating since white chocolate chips don't harden as much as almond bark. With these adjustments to the texture, melting, and cooling, white chocolate chips can work well in place of almond bark to make homemade puppy chow.
🥣 How to make Christmas Puppy Chow
- Break the almond bark into pieces and put it in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave it, stopping to stir every 15 seconds, until it's completely melted. Once melted, stir in the peppermint extract.
- Use your biggest bowl and pour the cereal into it. Pour the melted almond bark over the cereal and mix it up really well, so all the cereal gets coated.
- Add the crushed peppermints too and give it another good stir. If you want, you can also throw in some red sprinkles now.
- Finally, lay some parchment paper on the counter or a tray and dump the cereal mixture onto it. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to harden. Then dig in and enjoy your Christmas muddy buddies!
🔨 Best way to crush peppermint candies.
The key is using hard peppermints and crushing them in a way that allows you to control the texture for the right ¼ to ½ inch sized pieces.
Here are some tips for the best way to crush peppermint candies:
- Use a food processor or blender. Add the unwrapped peppermints and pulse until you get small crushed pieces. Don't over-process into a powder.
- Place in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin or mallet to gently crush them. Crush in small batches for even crushing.
- Put them between two sheets of wax paper or in a folded towel and hit with a hammer. This lets you control the force.
- Use a mortar and pestle to grind them into crushed bits. The molcajete style works best.
Round peppermint discs work better than soft chewy candies. The hard style crunches up nicely. Crush them when you're ready to use them for maximum flavor potency. Crushed mints lose aroma over time.
Work in batches and be careful crushing. Separate any uncrushed pieces to re-crush for uniformity.
❄️ How long does puppy chow last?
Properly stored, puppy chow can last 1-2 weeks at room temperature in an airtight container. The cereal will eventually start to soften as it absorbs moisture.
For maximum freshness and crunch, it's best to store puppy chow in an airtight container in the fridge. This can extend its shelf life to 2-3 weeks.
Look for signs it may be going stale: cereal softening, chocolate coating melting, loss of peppermint aroma. Discard if it develops an off smell or flavor.
❄️ Freezer instructions for holiday puppy chow
You can also freeze puppy chow for long-term storage. In an airtight freezer container or bag, it can keep for 2-3 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Things that will decrease its shelf life: humidity, heat, exposing it to air which causes the cereal to lose crunch. Storing in the fridge or freezer prevents this.
📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
Why is muddy buddies called puppy chow?
The most common theory for why the snack mix is called "puppy chow" is due to its resemblance to dry dog or puppy kibble. The coated cereal pieces have a chow-like crunchy shape similar to the hard food given to puppies. Letting dogs lick the powdery seasoning off the snack also resembles when puppies lick peanut butter off their noses. So the name "puppy chow" likely originated from the crispy, coated cereal bits bearing a close semblance to actual puppy chow or kibble.
Other possible origins include the term being used in the Midwest where high school groups would make big batches for cheap fundraising snacks to feed hungry teenage boys. The addictive quality of the treat also earned it the "puppy chow" label since it's "good enough to eat" - even for puppies! So while the exact origin is uncertain, the snack's similarity to puppy food in look and texture seems the most plausible reason for the name.
Ingredients
- 12 Ounces rice Chex
- 24 Ounces Almond Bark
- ½ Cup Peppermint Candy crushed
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Instructions
- Break the bark into pieces and place in a microwave safe bowl, microwave until melted, stirring every 15 seconds. When the almond bark is completely melted add in the peppermint extract and stir.24 Ounces Almond Bark
- Pour cereal into the largest bowl you have, pour the melted chocolate over the cereal and stir to make sure everything is coated. Add the crushed peppermints and stir once again. If you want to use red sprinkles add them here. (Optional)12 Ounces rice Chex, ¼ tsp peppermint extract, ½ Cup Peppermint Candy
- Place parchment paper down on the counter or tray and pour all the cereal on the paper and let harden for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Nutrition
I am Sarah Mock. Welcome!
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 16 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
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