Reindeer Chow (Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Puppy Chow)

This crunchy, sweet and delicious snack mix is perfect for the holidays. Reindeer chow, or dark chocolate candy cane puppy chow, is perfect for giving and eating!

      Chocolate and peppermint are a classic holiday flavor combination. This reindeer chow is a fun way to get that yummy flavor in a no bake and super fun snack mix. It is hard to stop eating it once you get started, so be warned!


      First of all, let me start off by saying you should not feed this to reindeer or puppies. I have gotten very concerned comments on past puppy chow posts about how dangerous it is to feed chocolate to your animals.

     That is just the name we grew up calling this snack mix. Some people know it as muddy buddies or other names. It basically refers to chocolate covered cereal that is usually dusted in powdered sugar.

     In our family, puppy chow is a perfect holiday treat. While we love the original chocolate and peanut butter version, we also love to change it up.

    The brownie batter puppy chow I shared early in this blog's life was one of the first recipes that really got noticed on Pinterest.  It is still popular to this day.

      Then I made some red velvet puppy chow last year for Valentine's Day and it was fun as well. It had sprinkles, pretzels and hint of red to make it fun and festive.

      This version might rank among my new favorites though.  I love the added crunch the bits of candy cane give and it just feels like Christmas.

      Of course if you don't like dark chocolate, you can opt for something else.  Semi-sweet chips or milk chocolate would be wonderful as well.  But there is something about the dark chocolate and candy cane mix that really called to me.

      You are welcome to unwrap and crush candy canes if you'd like.  You could also pulse them in your food processor a bit to make it easier.

      However, if you check out the Christmas candy section of your grocery store there is likely a bag of candy cane bits there.  That saves you the hassle and mess of unwrapping and breaking them up yourself!

    This batch of reindeer chow went to work with me.  Now I need to whip up some more for home.  I know that batch won't last long either.

    Have you tried any fun variations of puppy chow? What are your favorite sweet snack mixes?

chocolate peppermint snack mix, Christmas muddy buddies, dark chocolate candy cane snack mix

Christmas, snacks, chocolate

American

Yield: 12 servingsAuthor: Cooking With Carlee

Reindeer Chow (Dark Chocolate Candy Cane Puppy Chow)

This crunchy, sweet and delicious snack mix is perfect for the holidays. Reindeer chow, or dark chocolate candy cane puppy chow, is perfect for giving and eating!

prep time: 5 minscook time: 5 minstotal time: 10 mins

ingredients:

• 6 cups chex cereal, we used the rice version
• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup crushed candy canes
• 2 cups powdered sugar

instructions

1. Put the powdered sugar and 1/4 cup of candy cane bits in a gallon zippered plastic bag and set aside. 
2. In a large microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and vegetable oil in 30 seconds at a time.  Stir between each trip to the microwave and continue cooking a bit at a time until it is smooth. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. 
3. Stir in 3/4 cup of candy canes and the cereal until coated.  Put chocolate coated cereal in the bag with powdered sugar. Zip tightly and shake to coat.
4. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve. 

https://www.cookingwithcarlee.com/2018/12/reindeer-chow-dark-chocolate-candy-cane.html

Copyright: Cooking With Carlee 2018

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