Description
This cheerful holiday snack is a playful twist on classic Puppy Chow, made with just 7 simple ingredients. It comes together quickly, tastes incredible, and makes an adorable homemade gift for coworkers, neighbors, and friends.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
- 5 cups Rice Chex cereal
- 1 ½ cups mini pretzels, roughly crushed
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cups red and green M&Ms
- 1 cup mini peanut butter cups
Instructions
- Start by placing the Rice Chex and broken pretzel pieces into a large mixing bowl and set it aside.
- In a separate heat-safe bowl, warm the peanut butter and chocolate together. You can melt them over low heat on the stove or microwave in short bursts, stirring until smooth.
- Pour the warm chocolate-peanut butter mixture over the cereal and pretzels. Gently stir until everything is coated evenly.
- Slide the bowl into the fridge for about 30 minutes, just long enough for the coating to begin firming up.
- Once lightly set, remove the bowl from the refrigerator.
- Grab a clean, oversized bowl and sprinkle ½ cup of powdered sugar across the bottom. Add half of the chilled cereal mixture, then dust another ½ cup of powdered sugar over it. Add the remaining cereal mixture.
- Using a soft hand, toss everything together so the powdered sugar coats the chocolate mixture.
- Chill again for another 30–60 minutes, or until fully set.
- Once chilled, add more powdered sugar as needed—about ¼ cup at a time—until the cereal mixture is completely covered to your liking.
- Stir in the M&Ms and peanut butter cups.
- Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy immediately, or package it up for gifting.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 5–7 days.
Notes
Chocolate
- Dark or semisweet chocolate is best since it keeps the mix from becoming overly sweet. Any shape or form works—chips, chopped bars, or melting wafers. For those who need an allergy-friendly option, brands like Hu Kitchen and Enjoy Life Foods melt beautifully.
Peanut Butter
- Creamy peanut butter gives the best texture, but any nut or seed butter—almond, cashew, sunflower seed butter—can step in without an issue.
Cereal
- Rice Chex delivers the classic crunch, though Crispix and similar cereals are great alternatives.
Pretzels
- Mini pretzels or pretzel sticks are ideal once broken into small bits. Thick rods or oversized styles don’t blend as well.
Powdered Sugar
- Stick to classic powdered sugar here—there isn’t a substitute that creates the same coating effect.
Candy Add-Ins
- Feel free to personalize your mix with your favorite holiday candies. The red-and-green M&Ms add a festive touch, while the peanut butter cups add richness.
Storage & Freezing Tips
- Keep your Reindeer Food in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temp, about 1 week in the fridge, or up to 1 month in the freezer.
- Thaw frozen portions before serving so the texture returns to its perfect crunch.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 0.5 cup
- Calories: 365 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 240 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 3 mg