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Christmas Puppy Chow is easy to make and SO addictive! This holiday muddy buddy recipe calls for Chex cereal, chocolate chips, peanut butter, holiday M&Ms, and lots of powdered sugar for that snowy effect. Zero baking required, this festive dessert is fun to make and is perfect for parties or packaging up as a gift!
Meggan’s notes
Growing up in the Midwest, puppy chow was a staple. I remember eating it during log cabin getaways to lake country, camping adventures, and road trips. During the Christmas season, it made a festive after school snack!
If you’ve never made puppy chow before, then you’ve come to the right place. My easy puppy chow recipe turns out perfectly every time, with just the right balance of chocolate and peanut butter.
I’ve got fun ways you can dress this up for holiday parties or gift bags. Here I’ve used red and green M&Ms and white chocolate covered pretzels. Feel free to toss in crushed candy canes or make your own Christmas pretzels by drizzling melted chocolate over top and adding holiday sprinkles.
My secret to the best puppy chow is to use store-bought peanut butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips. I think the semi-sweet chips taste best with peanut butter, but you can use milk chocolate if you prefer. Rice Chex is my favorite cereal to use, but any type of similarly-textured Chex cereal will do.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Rice Chex: Feel free to substitute with any type of similarly-textured cereal, such as Corn Chex, Chocolate Chex, Honey Nut Chex, Peanut Butter Chex, or Crispix.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: Opt for these instead of milk chocolate. The darker chocolate balances out the sweet powdered sugar nicely (I find milk chocolate to be too sweet here).
Step-by-step instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, add cereal and set aside.
- In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, add chocolate, peanut butter, butter, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir, then continue microwaving in 15-second intervals, stirring after each, until almost melted, about 45 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Taste and add more salt to taste.
- Gently pour chocolate mixture over the cereal. Toss until all the cereal is evenly coated. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, tossing the mixture each time. Add the remaining ½ cup powdered sugar and toss, ensuring cereal is evenly coated.
- Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Allow to cool, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in M&Ms and chocolate-covered pretzels. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 16 cups of Puppy Chow, which makes about 16 servings, 1 cup each.
- Storage: Store this dessert in an airtight container for up to 1 week (an empty ice cream pail works well).
- Make ahead: While it’s safe to eat for 7 days, Puppy Chow tastes best within 1 to 2 days of making it.
- Less mess: In a large resealable plastic bag or clean 1-gallon ice cream tub with a lid, place 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Add half of the cereal, a second cup powdered sugar, the remaining cereal, and lastly add the remaining ½ cup powdered sugar. Seal the bag or close the lid and shake vigorously until the cereal is evenly coated.
- Mix it up: Feel free to make it a little different! Add chunks of holiday cookies, use chocolate covered pretzels with festive sprinkles, crushed candy canes, or candied pecans to spruce it up from the classic recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store puppy chow in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Originating from the Midwest, puppy chow got its name due to its brown kibble-like appearance.
No real difference! The recipe has several names.
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Christmas Puppy Chow
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) box Rice Chex cereal about 11 cups
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (10 ounces)
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter such as Skippy or Jif
- 6 tablespoons butter cut into 6 pieces (¾ stick)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt plus more, to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar divided
- 2 cups Holiday M&M candies red and green
- 1 (5 ounce) bag chocolate-covered pretzels such as Flipz white fudge
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, add cereal and set aside.
- In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, add chocolate, peanut butter, butter, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir, then continue microwaving in 15-second intervals, stirring after each, until almost melted, about 45 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Taste and add more salt to taste.
- Gently pour chocolate mixture over the cereal. Toss until all the cereal is evenly coated. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, tossing the mixture each time. Add the remaining ½ cup powdered sugar and toss, ensuring cereal is evenly coated.
- Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Allow to cool, about 10 minutes. Stir in M&Ms and chocolate-covered pretzels. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Rice Chex: Feel free to substitute with any type of similarly-textured cereal, such as Corn Chex, Chocolate Chex, Honey Nut Chex, Peanut Butter Chex, or Crispix.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: Opt for these instead of milk chocolate. The darker chocolate balances out the sweet powdered sugar nicely (I find milk chocolate to be too sweet here).
- Yield: This recipe makes 16 cups of Puppy Chow, which makes about 16 servings, 1 cup each.
- Storage: Store this dessert in an airtight container for up to 1 week (an empty ice cream pail works well).
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
This recipe is missing a word, where you instruct to add in the M&Mโs and chocolate coveredโฆpretzelsโฆ is missing.
Good recipe though. I added some of the suggested additions.
Hi Kathy! Thanks so much for pointing that out! I’ve corrected it. I’m so glad you loved it. ๐ Thanks again! – Meggan