The best part of making puppy chow is licking the bowl and spatula. I took my first stab at this recipe while my boys were gone, and it looked like I had washed my mixing bowl clean once I got done with it. Puppy Chow, a sweet mixture of cereal, chocolate and peanut butter is decadent. We do decadent. But, we’re also dietitians sometimes looking for a way to sprinkle in a little nutrition love for the sweethearts in our lives.
Puppy Chow with Mini Health Makeover
We kept the puppy chow recipe chocolate-ly and peanut-ty. But, with the brownie mix, we also added unsweetened cocoa powder (provides a dose of healthy heart-health antioxidants) + cinnamon (a spice that supports healthy blood sugars. Then, we turned it into a trail mix with whole-grain heart cereal (Kashi Honey Toasted Oats), dried cherries and pretzels. They might still pick out the puppy chow, but hey, we tried.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Friends. We think you’re sweet, and we hope you enjoy this fun, festive puppy chow treat!
Looking for more easy chocolate recipes?
Check out our favorite Dark Chocolate Date Delights!
Valentine’s Day Puppy Chow Trail Mix
Description
Sweet, salty, and festive – this cute Valentine’s Day trail mix is our absolute favorite when we’re craving a sweet treat snack!
Ingredients
- 9 c. Rice Chex cereal (about half of a family-size box)
- 2 c. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter for nut free)
- pinch of coarse, Kosher salt
- 1 1/4 c. of dry brownie mix powder
- 1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 4 c. of Kashi Honey Toasted Organic Oat cereal
- 4 c. of small pretzels
- 1 c. of dried cherries
Instructions
- Pour Rice Chex cereal into a large bowl.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave at 1-minute intervals, stirring in-between, until the mixture is smooth and creamy (don’t overheat). Stir in the pinch of salt.
- Drizzle the peanut butter and chocolate sauce over the cereal. Using a flat rubber spatula (use this instead of a spoon – spoons tend to crush the cereal), fold the mixture together until the cereal is evenly coated with the warm sauce.
- Place the dry brownie mix, unsweetened cocoa powder and cinnamon in a large Ziploc bag and add the chocolate-covered cereal (you may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your bag). Close the bag and shake gently until the cereal is coated with the dry brownie mix.
- Let the mixture cool completely. After it has cooled, add in Kashi heart cereal, pretzels and dried cherries.
- Try not to eat it all!
Notes
This keeps for several days if kept covered at room temperature!