Peanut Butter Puppy Chow

There is no food combination I love as much as chocolate and peanut butter. Might have something to do with growing up in the Buckeye state! Any recipe that combines these two amazing ingredients is top tier in my book.

Then we come to puppy chow. I remember this treat from when I was little – a mythical, magical I’d occasionally enjoy at friend’s parties. I never remember making this at home – which is probably good because even standard puppy chow is addictive all on its own.

While looking for a holiday-snack last Christmas, I stumbled across a post that added peanut butter and other mix-ins to the standard puppy chow recipe. Using this as a guide, I created my own blend of Peanut Butter Puppy Chow – the perfect treat for the chocolate peanut butter lover in your life. I made it again this year for the 4th of July. Grab a Peanut Butter M&M blend that best fits your event colors or the holiday!

The peanut butter melted into the chocolate adds amazing flavor that ties so perfectly with peanut butter M&Ms and mini Reese’s. The mini pretzels add a hint of salt that both offsets and balances the sweetness in the rest of the treat. I highly recommend using both Reese’s Mini Unwrapped cups and Snyder’s Itty Bitty Minis pretzels: the extra mini nature of these two treats makes sure you can get a bit of everything in a single handful.

This stuff is DANGEROUS! I could snack on it all day and still enjoy the combination of flavors. It’s a great treat to bag up and send to friends or to put out as an appetizer or dessert your next gathering. It’ll be their new favorite snack – so go ahead and make a double batch to be safe!

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Peanut Butter Puppy Chow

Yields 1 gallon bag puppy chow

Ingredients

• 6 cups Rice Chex cereal

• 1 cup chocolate chips, semisweet

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

• 1 10-oz bag Peanut Butter M&M's – this recipe is perfect for seasonally colored mixes, like Christmas or 4th of July

• 2 cups Reese’s Mini Unwrapped peanut butter cups

• 2 cups Snyder’s Itty Bitty Minis pretzel twists

Instructions

1. Add the chocolate chips and peanut butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.

2. Pour the rice cereal into a large bowl. Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and use a spatula to gently toss the cereal in the chocolate until completely coated. Try not to crush the cereal while mixing.

3. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a resealable gallon sized plastic bag. (If doubling, use two bags – do not try to mix all cereal in one)

4. Add the chocolate coated cereal (If doubling, split the cereal as evenly as possible). Seal, then shake until cereal is coated in the powdered sugar/cocoa mixture.

5. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray. Spread the cereal out on the paper. Place in fridge and allow chocolate to chill and set.

6. Once cooled, add to a large serving bowl and gently mix in the M&Ms, Reese’s and pretzel twists.

7. Store in an airtight bag – mix can also be frozen.