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RecipeNutty Puppy Chow

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
  • Calories: 160
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Total Fat: 9 g
    • Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
    • Saturated Fat: 3 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg
  • Total Carbohydrate: 19 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 2 g
  • Total Sugar: 9 g
    • Natural Sugar: 1 g
    • Added Sugar: 8 g
  • Sodium: 130 mg
Can’t stop, won’t stop… eating this snackable puppy chow! Be forewarned: It’s addictive in the best possible way. Each chocolate-peanut buttery bite is super light and crispy and packed with irresistible flavor that makes your taste buds excited for more. (Imagine if a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and Kit Kat Bar had a baby… omg, I’m telling you.) While I stay somewhat true to the traditional recipe, there’s a few things I do to lighten up the sugar load while inserting extra nutrition. First, I pull wayyyyy back on confectioner’s sugar since you really only need a dusting at the end. Next, I toss in peanuts for extra crunch, protein and fiber. Feel free to swap in any favorite nut – I’ve experimented with almonds, pecans, cashews and walnuts and they all taste fantastic. Sometimes I even add in a sprinkling of shredded coconut. There’s no wrong turn. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free (if you use dairy-free chocolate chips) and makes an extra-large batch, which can easily be halved if you prefer. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week or you can freeze leftovers for up to 2 months… if you have any. 😉
  • Prep time
  • Total Time
This recipe makes 16 cups
Ingredients:
  • • 2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (12oz bag)
  • • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
  • • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • • 1 cup roasted, salted peanuts (or any other preferred nut; whole, chopped or sliced)
  • • 10 cups Rice Chex cereal (one 12oz box)
  • • ¼ cup confectioner’s powdered sugar
Preparation:

Add chocolate chips and peanut butter to a very large microwave-safe mixing bowl and microwave for 60 seconds. Remove and give it a stir. Place back into the microwave for 30 additional seconds and stir again. If it’s not totally smooth and melty, continue to microwave in 15-second intervals (removing between and stirring) until you reach desired consistency.

Stir in the vanilla extract and peanuts. Then, add about 2 cups of cereal at a time, and using a rubber spatula gently stir the mixture until all of the cereal is coated in chocolate. Be careful when stirring and try to keep most of the cereal squares intact. Of course, some will crush and that’s okay. Do not try to separate all of the clumps, as the chocolatey clumps are extra delicious.  Scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure you’re utilizing all of the chocolate coating. Place the bowl in the fridge to chill for just about 15-20 minutes (if you leave it in longer, it will harden and make it more difficult to evenly distribute the confectioner’s sugar in the next step).

Once cooled, sprinkle the confectioner’s sugar over the top, stopping and stirring to evenly coat. Because you’ll be using much less confectioner’s sugar than a traditional recipe, you’ll create a dark chocolate appearance with speckles of white… rather than the signature white powdery finish.

Stash in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week. Or, you can freeze for up to 2 months.

Watch how easy it is in this video:

A serving is 1/2 cup.

Try these Cinnamon-Sugar Pepitas!