Halloween Candy Recipe: Puppy Chow

Friday, October 31, 2008 - by Dan

One of my favorite candies is one you can make yourself. Commonly called Puppy Chow, this concoction – which requires little baking or time – can also be found at Christmas time with names such as Reindeer Food or Kibble. This sweet treat is a Midwest standard at church bazaars, elementary school craft shows and homemade Halloween parties, so you know it’s gotta be good.

Let me tell you from the start that Puppy Chow is some weird-looking stuff. There’s a reason it’s named after pet food. The finished snack is muddy brown with a white chalky-looking coating. But while this treat may not look very appetizing, once you get over its challenging appearance you won’t be able to stop “chowing down.” Kids love it, and can make it themselves with a little help from an adult. Even as kitchen-challenged as I am, I can whip up a batch in a pinch.

So, without further introduction, here is the recipe:

You will need:
One box of Chex Mix cereal (or Crispix, Kix, etc., about 12 cups total)
½ cup peanut butter
One 12-ounce bag of chocolate chips
1 cup powdered sugar
XL zip lock bag (those big ones used for storing sweaters)

Directions:
Pour the cereal into a large zip lock bag. You can also use a super big bowl. Dump the chocolate chips and peanut butter into a saucepan and melt the combination over very low heat. (You can also melt this in a microwave. Just keep an eye on it, and stir frequently.)

Carefully pour the peanut butter/chocolate chip mixture over cereal. Close the bag (don’t forget, or you will make a HUGE mess, trust me…) and shake until the cereal is evenly coated. Open the bag and add powdered sugar. Close the bag (ahem…). Shake it again, until all of the mixture is thoroughly coated with powdered sugar. If you need to add more powdered sugar, feel free. (The more the better, right?)

And… you’re done. Simple, right? Once you’ve made a few batches, you’ll be able to whip up a bag of Puppy Chow in 10 minutes flat.

That first time, though, the odds are good that you’ll see what you’ve created and wonder if you’re supposed to eat it or feed it to Fido. But trust me, it is very hard to resist this snack once you’ve started munching away. If there’s any left, you’ll want to store it in an airtight container to keep it from getting soggy. Puppy chow also makes a great gift for friends you don’t want to spend a lot of money on or those who’ll put just about anything in their mouths as long as someone first tells them it’ll taste good. Just add a note stating that this is for humans only: some dogs can’t stomach chocolate.

If you make some, let us know what you think!