Description
This festive Reindeer Food Recipe, also known as Christmas Puppy Chow, is a delightful holiday snack mix combining crunchy Rice Chex cereal, mini pretzels, and festive red and green M&Ms, all coated in a rich peanut butter and dark chocolate mixture and dusted with powdered sugar. Perfect for sharing during the holidays or as a fun treat for gatherings, this recipe is simple to make and sure to bring holiday cheer.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Mix
- 5 cups Rice Chex Cereal
- 1 ½ cups mini pretzels, broken into pieces
Chocolate Peanut Butter Coating
- 1 ½ cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
Coating and Candy
- 2 cups powdered sugar, divided
- 1 ½ cups red and green M&Ms
- 1 cup mini peanut butter cups
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together the Rice Chex cereal and broken mini pretzels, ensuring even distribution of the pieces.
- Melt Chocolate and Peanut Butter: Gently melt the semisweet or dark chocolate chips with creamy peanut butter using either a stovetop double boiler or microwave, stirring frequently until smooth and fully combined.
- Mix Wet and Dry Components: Pour the melted peanut butter-chocolate mixture over the cereal and pretzel mixture. Stir carefully to coat all pieces evenly with the chocolate mixture.
- Chill to Set Up: Place the coated mixture in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, allowing it to slightly set but not harden completely.
- Initial Coating with Powdered Sugar: Prepare a large clean bowl with ½ cup of powdered sugar at the bottom. Add half of the chilled mixture, sprinkle another ½ cup powdered sugar over it, then add the remaining cereal and chocolate mixture on top. Gently stir and toss until the powdered sugar evenly coats the mixture.
- Final Chilling: Return the mixture to the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes to allow the coating to set firmly.
- Additional Sugar Coating: Remove from refrigerator and add more powdered sugar in ¼ cup increments, tossing gently each time until the mixture is sufficiently coated to your liking.
- Add Candy: Fold in the red and green M&Ms and mini peanut butter cups, mixing gently to distribute them without breaking.
- Serve and Store: Transfer the Christmas Puppy Chow to a serving bowl for immediate enjoyment. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days.
Notes
- Chocolate: Use semisweet or dark chocolate for the best balance of sweetness. Milk chocolate tends to make the mixture overly sweet. Allergy-friendly brands like Hu Kitchen or Enjoy Life Foods work well too.
- Nut Butter: You can substitute creamy peanut butter with almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or other nut/seed butters for allergy or taste preferences.
- Cereal: While Rice Chex is preferred, Crispex or similar rice-based cereals can be used as alternatives.
- Pretzels: Mini pretzels or pretzel sticks broken into smaller pieces are best. Avoid thick rods or large pretzel varieties for better coating and texture.
- Powdered Sugar: It’s recommended not to substitute powdered sugar since it provides the signature coating and texture.
- Candy Substitutions: Customize with your favorite holiday candies to vary flavors and colors, keeping the festive spirit alive.
- Storage Tips: Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days, in the refrigerator for 1 week, or freeze up to 1 month while maintaining freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/24th of recipe (approx. 1 cup)
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
