Peppermint Puppy Chow is one of my go-to recipes for the holidays. This is the perfect holiday treat for gifting and for snacking. It's a no-bake recipe, ready in about 10 minutes. This is Puppy Chow recipe without peanut butter, but certainly does not lack in flavor!
I love to prepare a batch for gifting in large mason jars tied with holiday bows. I also leave a big bowl out for Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day so our guests can help themselves to a handful. But beware, this treat is super addictive!
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Puppy Chow is also called Muddy Buddies
This holiday treat goes by at least two names. Why? Probably because it's so damn good! Or, because like a lot of treats, what it's called depends on where you live. Where I live we call this Puppy Chow.
That's not to be confused with the food we feed our dogs! This stuff is definitely not for our canine companions.
Puppy Chow is essentially melted chocolate, Chex cereal, and powdered sugar all mixed together. For this version, we add in white chocolate peppermint chunks and crushed candy canes for a festive, holiday snack mix.
How to make Peppermint Puppy Chow
This Christmas favorite is super easy to make. It requires no baking and is ready in about 10 minutes.
Start by melting together the white baking chocolate and white chocolate peppermint chunks in a large microwave-safe bowl.
Next, add the Chex cereal and about ¾ of the crushed candy canes.
Stir well to coat the cereal thoroughly and evenly with the melted chocolate. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all the melted chocolate is incorporated.
Add in the powdered sugar and stir to coat all the cereal.
Sprinkle the remaining crushed candy canes over top and give a quick stir.
Allow the melted chocolate to harden by leaving the puppy chow at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before eating.
I love grabbing for the big chunks of cereal coated in chocolate and powdered sugar that form when the chocolate has cooled! So delicious to bite into and snack on all day while I'm baking more holiday desserts.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Grab the largest bowl you can find. Be sure it's microwave-safe, too. For this recipe, you'll be melting the two types of chocolate together in this large bowl, then adding the cereal and crushed candy canes. So, the good news is you really only need one bowl to make this recipe. It must be a large bowl to fit 12 cups of cereal as well as fit in your microwave. I use one like this.
- Allowing the puppy chow to rest at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes after it's all mixed will allow the melted chocolate to harden, creating big chunks of puppy chow. These are my favorite to grab and snack on.
- Peppermint Puppy Chow keeps really well at room temperature for at least a week. It'll keep even longer in the fridge. Store in a tightly sealed ziptop bag to keep it fresh.
- This holiday recipe is perfect for gifting. It makes a large quantity, so you can divide evenly among several large mason jars or festive holiday tins. Affix a holiday bow and you've got yourself the perfect DIY food gift for the holiday season!
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Useful Kitchen Tools for This Recipe
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For more Holiday dessert recipes, check these out:
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces white baking chocolate, vanilla candy coating or vanilla almond bark
- 10 ounces Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
- 12 ounces Rice Chex cereal
- ½ cup Peppermint candies or about 6 candy canes, crushed
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a very large microwave-safe bowl, place vanilla candy coating and peppermint crunch baking chips. Melt in microwave by heating on high in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval. This should take about 1 ½ - 2 minutes total. Stir chocolate until smooth.16 ounces white baking chocolate, vanilla candy coating or vanilla almond bark, 10 ounces Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
- Add cereal and ¾ of crushed candy canes to bowl with melted chocolate. Stir well to coat cereal, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure all chocolate has been mixed and all the cereal is coated.12 ounces Rice Chex cereal, ½ cup Peppermint candies
- Add powdered sugar to cereal and chocolate mixture and stir until fully coated. Sprinkle with remaining crushed candy canes.1 ½ cups powdered sugar, ½ cup Peppermint candies
- Allow to sit at room temperature until chocolate has hardened, about 20-30 minutes.
Notes
- Be sure to use white baking chocolate, vanilla candy coating, or vanilla almond bark for this recipe. I do not recommend using white chocolate chips, as they do not melt well.
- Puppy Chow will keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or in the refrigerator for longer. Store in tightly sealed container or ziptop bag.
- Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction and Shugary Sweets.
Nutrition
Comments
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
Can you believe I have never made this kind of treat?? It sounds and looks so addictive!! I still need to make treats for my neighbors this year too, so I foresee this in my future!
Kim
I think it's in the cards for you to make up a batch for yourself and your neighbors, for sure!
Jennifer Smith
Definitely my new go to for Holiday gifting AND snacking!! ❤💚 Thanks Kim XO
Kim
I'm so glad to hear that! It's so so good! And addictive 🙂
Thuy
Made some for gifting. Brought it in to work. A coworker called it peppermint crack! 👍
Easy and quick recipe.
Kim
awesome! this is probably one of my favorite holiday treats!