Reindeer Food Recipe (Christmas Puppy Chow) Recipe
This festive Reindeer Food Recipe, also known as Christmas Puppy Chow, combines crunchy Rice Chex cereal with pretzels and a rich peanut butter-chocolate coating, dusted with powdered sugar and mixed with colorful M&Ms and mini peanut butter cups. Perfect for holiday parties or as a sweet snack, this no-bake dessert is easy to prepare and sure to delight both kids and adults with its sweet and salty flavors.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 24 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 5 cups Rice Chex Cereal
- 1 ½ cups mini pretzels, broken into pieces
- 2 cups powdered sugar, plus extra for coating
- 1 ½ cups red and green M&Ms
- 1 cup mini peanut butter cups
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the Rice Chex cereal and broken pretzel pieces, ensuring they are evenly mixed.
- Melt Chocolate and Peanut Butter: Melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips together using either a stovetop double boiler method or microwave in short bursts, stirring frequently until smooth and fully combined.
- Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients: Pour the melted peanut butter and chocolate mixture over the cereal and pretzel combination, stirring gently but thoroughly to coat all pieces.
- Chill Mixture Initially: Place the coated mixture in the refrigerator and chill until it just begins to set, approximately 30 minutes.
- Prepare Powdered Sugar Coating: Remove the mixture from the refrigerator. In a separate large bowl, place ½ cup powdered sugar. Add half of the chilled mixture, sprinkle another ½ cup powdered sugar on top, then add the remaining cereal mixture and additional powdered sugar.
- Coat with Powdered Sugar: Gently stir and toss the mixture until the powdered sugar is evenly distributed and coats the cereal pieces well.
- Final Chill: Return the mixture to the refrigerator to chill and set for an additional 30 to 60 minutes.
- Add Additional Coating if Needed: After chilling, add more powdered sugar a quarter cup at a time, tossing gently until the desired coating is achieved.
- Add Candy Mix-ins: Stir in the red and green M&Ms and mini peanut butter cups to distribute evenly throughout the mixture.
- Serve and Store: Transfer the finished recipe to a serving bowl. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 to 7 days.
Notes
- For melting chocolate and peanut butter, stirring frequently prevents burning and ensures a smooth mixture.
- Chilling steps are crucial to help the coating set firmly around the cereal and pretzels.
- Add powdered sugar gradually to avoid the mixture becoming too sweet or clumpy.
- This recipe can be customized with different types of candies or nuts according to preference.
- Use a rubber spatula or spoon to gently mix the cereal to prevent breaking the pieces.
