Christmas Puppy Chow
Christmas Puppy Chow is a must-make treat for the holiday season! Loaded with chocolate and mint, it’s a sweet, crunchy treat perfect for holiday parties, movie nights, gift-giving, and everything in between. Just 7 ingredients and a few minutes are all you need!
What Is Puppy Chow?
Also known as monkey munch, muddy buddies, muddy munch, reindeer chow, and doggy bag, puppy chow is a sweet cereal-based snack popular in the United States, particularly in the Midwest regions. Although there are endless flavors and variations, most recipes begin with a base of Chex cereal, melted chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar.
It’s called puppy chow because it looks like dog food. However, the taste is far from it! Sweet, crunchy, and decadent, it’s completely delicious and a staple in our households, especially around the holiday season! In fact, we love it so much, we have several variations like our slow cooker puppy chow and cookies and cream muddy buddy recipe. However, nothing beats this Christmas puppy chow recipe loaded with chocolate and peppermint flavor!
What’s the Difference Between Muddy Buddies and Puppy Chow?
There isn’t one! Depending on where you go, the treat is known by many different names, but they all refer to the same thing.
Ingredients You Need
The ingredients needed for this Christmas puppy chow recipe are simple and tasty. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Chex Cereal – We use plain Chex cereal, but feel free to experiment with different flavors. You could also swap out the Chex for another similar crunchy rice cereal, if desired.
- Coconut Oil – This is combined with the chocolate to make it smooth and spreadable.
- Powdered Sugar – Make sure you don’t use granulated sugar! You want the powder to coat the cereal, making it extra messy and finger-licking delicious.
- Chocolate Chips – We use semi-sweet chocolate chips for melting and extra dark chocolate chips to fold into the mixture for an irresistible bold chocolate peppermint taste.
- Andes Mint Chocolate – These peppermint chocolate candies are chopped up small and stirred into the mix for added texture and a refreshing taste.
- Crushed Peppermints – Not only do these make the Christmas puppy chow look super festive, but they add a satisfying crunch and bright flavor!
How to Make Christmas Puppy Chow
Before you begin, it’s important to note that this Christmas puppy chow recipe….like all puppy chow is MESSY. But that’s part of the fun! Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Melt the Chocolate. Combine the chocolate and coconut oil in a small bowl. Heat it in the microwave for intervals of 30 seconds, stirring in between. Be careful not to scorch the chocolate!
- Coat the Cereal. Place the cereal in a large bowl, and toss it with the melted chocolate, making sure it is completely coated.
- Toss the Ingredients. Add the cereal to a large Ziploc bag along with the powdered sugar and crushed peppermints. Shake to combine and coat all of the ingredients with powdered sugar.
- Combine the Christmas Puppy Chow. Pour the mixture back into a large bowl, and combine it with the dark chocolate chips, Andes mints, and extra peppermint.
Variations
Puppy chow is super fun to make because there’s no right or wrong way to do it. So, feel free to get creative and experiment with extra mix-ins and flavors! For instance, some of our favorite variations include:
- Using colored chocolate melts.
- Swapping out the semi-sweet chocolate with white chocolate chips.
- Adding festive sprinkles.
- Drizzling extra melted chocolate on top before serving.
- Folding in more or different candies like Christmas M&M’s, Reese’s, Rolos, and even chocolate-coated pretzels.
- Mixing in chopped peanuts, pecans, or walnuts.
Storage
This Christmas puppy chow is pretty much guaranteed to disappear immediately. So, go ahead and make a double batch. Or, keep extra ingredients on hand! If you do happen to have leftovers or want to wrap your puppy chow up as a gift, it can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
More Tasty Holiday Treats
If holiday baking is your jam, you won’t want to miss out on all our other festive treats!
- Easy Christmas Crack
- Slow Cooker Candy
- Slow Cooker Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Slow Cooker Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Christmas Puppy Chow
Ingredients
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil (melted)
- 5 cups Chex Rice Cereal
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup crushed peppermint candy (plus more for garnish)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup Andes mint chocolate pieces (chopped)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the semi-sweet chocolate and coconut oil. Heat in the microwave in 30-second intervals until completely melted and smooth, stirring in between. Careful not to over heat so the chocolate does not scorch.
- Add the cereal to a large bowl. Pour the melted chocolate ontop, and gently mix to coat the cereal.
- In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, add the powdered sugar, crushed peppermint candy, and chocolate-covered cereal. Shake to toss and combine, making sure the ingredients are completely coated in sugar.
- Pour the mixture into a large bowl, and fold in the dark chocolate chips, mint chocolate candy pieces, and additional peppermint candy, if desired.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.