No oven, no stress, and no holiday baking skills required! Christmas Puppy Chow is one of the easiest holiday treats to whip up. It is sweet, crunchy, perfectly chocolately, and the festive colors make it look like you spent more time on it than you actually did!
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Baking for the holidays? You'll love this classic caramel popcorn, this milk chocolate almond bark is a real crowd-pleaser, and these festive whipped shortbread cookies are great for entertaining or gifting.
Why You'll Love This Christmas Puppy Chow
- Christmas puppy chow is festive and fun! Red and green mix-ins make it look instantly Christmas ready, so it's perfect for parties, cookie trays or gift-giving.
- It's super quick and easy to make! No baking required, it's made using cereal, and it comes together in just a few minutes!
- Easily customize this recipe by adding peppermint extract, candy canes, marshmallows or whatever fits your holiday vibe!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Chex Cereal - I prefer using Honey Chex cereal in this recipe, but any Chex cereal, or cereal with a similar structure, will work. Avoid overly sweetened cereals so the puppy chow isn't too sweet.
- Peanut Butter - For the best results, I recommend using smooth peanut butter in this recipe. All natural peanut butter or chunky peanut butter can be used, but it will change the texture slightly.
- Chocolate Chips - I use a blend of semi-sweet and white chocolate. The semi-sweet chocolate helps balance the sweetness of the white chocolate. Although any variation of chocolate can be used, just ensure it equals 1 cup total.
- Almond Extract - Can be substituted for pure vanilla extract or peppermint extract. Use peppermint sparingly, as it is much more powerful and can easily overpower the dessert.
A full list of ingredients with exact quantities can be found on the recipe card below.
Christmas Flavor Variations
- Peppermint - instead of almond extract, use peppermint extract to give this puppy chow a minty kick. Use only a ¼ or a ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract, as it is much stronger than almond extract.
- Pumpkin Spice - stir 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice mix into the powdered sugar before adding it to the cereal.
- Add-ins - add crushed candy canes, chopped chocolate bars, whole chocolate chips, or chopped nuts like roasted almonds or roasted cashews.
How To Make Christmas Puppy Chow
This Christmas puppy chow recipe was adapted from my peanut butter chocolate muddy buddies recipe.
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Step 1
In a medium-sized saucepan, add the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Melt over medium-low heat until just melted and combined. After it is melted, remove it from the heat and add the almond extract and salt.
Step 2
Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the Chex cereal. Use a spatula to gently fold the Chex cereal until it is fully coated in the peanut butter chocolate mixture. Refrigerate it for 10-15 minutes to let it set slightly before proceeding to the next step.
Step 3
1 cup at a time, add the powdered sugar to the Chex cereal mixture, folding the cereal in between each addition until the Chex cereal is completely covered in powdered sugar and the cereal is no longer sticky.
Step 4
Add all of your preferred add-ins and toss to mix. That's it, your Christmas puppy chow is now ready to eat!
Expert Tips For The Best Puppy Chow
- Melt the chocolate and peanut butter until it is just melted to avoid overheating. Overheating can cause the chocolate to seize, which makes it clumpy and grainy.
- Only refrigerate the Chex cereal for 10-15 minutes before adding the powdered sugar. If the cereal gets too cold, the powdered sugar may not stick, or it could turn clumpy.
- Use a large bowl to toss the cereal with the powdered sugar. The cereal needs a lot of room to move around to get evenly coated.
- Let the puppy chow fully cool before storing it. Failing to do so can result in the Chex cereal turning soggy.
How To Store Puppy Chow
Store fully cooled puppy chow in a ziplock bag or an airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Puppy chow can be frozen for up to 2 months in a ziplock. If you plan on freezing the puppy chow to make it in advance, wait until you are ready to serve it to add the mix-ins. Some candies can turn soggy or their texture can change in the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to use Honey Chex cereal for this recipe. Any kind of Chex cereal can be used, though.
Nope! They are the exact same, just given two different names. A couple more common names puppy chow is known by are muddy buddies, reindeer chow, chex mix dessert, or Christmas muddy buddies.
Yes, you can freeze puppy chow in a ziplock bag for up to 2 months.
Yes! Christmas puppy chow can be made and stored in a ziplock or an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Chex cereal is the traditional cereal to use for puppy chow. But any type of cereal with the same structure as Chex will work for this recipe, like Crispix or Golden Grahams.
Yes! You can use a peanut-free substitute, such as Wowbutter or SunButter sunflower seed butter. Or you can use other nut butters, like almond butter, too.
The most common reasons for puppy chow to turn out soggy are that too much chocolate was used, or it was not fully cooled before storing.
Absolutely! You will have to toss the Chex cereal with powdered sugar in batches to coat it properly, unless you have a giant bowl.
More Snack Recipes Like Christmas Puppy Chow
Looking for more handheld snack recipes like this? Try these:
This Puppy Chow is a part of our 12 Days of Christmas Series - Season 3. Don't miss Day 5: Camembert Roti! ☃️
If you made this Christmas Puppy Chow or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating, a 💬 comment and share it on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!
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Christmas Puppy Chow
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 9 cups Honey Chex Cereal (425 grams)
- ¾ cup Smooth Peanut Butter
- ½ cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- ½ cup White Chocolate Chips
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 ½ cups Powdered Sugar
Optional Add-Ins
- Pretzel Sticks
- Red and Green Holiday M&M's
- Whoppers Chocolate Candy
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the Chex cereal and set aside.
- In a medium-sized saucepan, add the peanut butter, semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. Over medium-low heat, melt the chocolate and peanut butter until they are completely melted. Remove it from the heat as soon as it has melted to avoid overcooking the chocolate. Stir in the almond extract and salt.
- Pour the peanut butter chocolate mixture overtop of the Chex cereal. Gently fold the Chex cereal with the chocolate mixture until it is completely coated. Put the bowl into the refrigerator to let the chocolate slightly set for 10-15 minutes only before adding the powdered sugar.
- Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, gently folding it into the Chex between each addition. Continue adding powdered sugar until the puppy chow is completely coated and no longer sticky.
- Fold in any add-ins you want to add to the puppy chow and it is ready to serve!
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Notes
- Any type of Chex cereal or cereal with a similar structure can be used for this recipe.
- All-natural, chunky peanut butter, almond butter or a peanut butter alternative can be used, although it can change the texture slightly.
- You can use any add-ins you like, some common ones are M&M's, pretzels, chocolate chips, chopped chocolate bars and more. See our list of optional add-ins here.
- Only refrigerate the Chex for 10-15 minutes, not any longer. If it is refrigerated for too long the chocolate will harden and the powdered sugar will not stick.
- Use a very large bowl to toss the Chex with the powdered sugar. The cereal needs a lot of room to move around to be coated properly.
- Let the puppy chow fully cool before storing it. Failing to do so can result in the Chex cereal turning soggy.
- Store puppy chow in a ziplock bag or an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Puppy chow can be frozen for up to 2 months, keeping in mind that some add-ins can turn soggy or their texture can be changed by freezing.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
Jessica says
Adapted from my peanut butter chocolate muddy buddies recipe, this recipe for Christmas puppy chow is perfect for the holidays, super customizable and visually festive!