Don’t be fooled by its name; it’s delicious!
I don’t want to date myself, but I first had puppy chow, *gasp*, just shy of twenty-five years ago when I was a first year teacher. You’ll read more about that in the story below. Moving forward to now with kids out of the nest, in college and career, this is a recipe that I now make maybe once a year. I either have it for some sort of gathering while the kids are home or mail it to them. It works well in both situations, as it’s a nice handheld snack and ships well. Crunchy little bites of sweetness- it is quite addictive!
The original post from August 2015
This week our recipes are tied to the theme of National Dog Day. When I first thought about Dog Day, I was leaning toward some sort of hot dog recipe. However, with only our 17 year old daughter, my husband, and I at home, hot dogs aren’t a frequent meal. They’re saved for having one or two of our sons at home to enjoy those fine, cylindrical meats with my husband. Yeah, hot dogs aren’t all that exciting to me.
So, as I sat down to plan a recipe that could be dog-themed, my mind was a bit blank. I had a dog that loved peanut butter, so maybe a peanut butter treat? I also thought about taking the route that Jane did for her recipe (which will be published on Wednesday) and make it dog-shaped. Then, finally, I thought about the word dog, and that lead me to the word puppy. Well, think no more, my dear! Puppy chow.
I was introduced to this recipe when I was a beginning teacher. A student raved about her mom’s puppy chow. The name sounded less than inviting to me, but upon eating a few pieces, I discovered it was addictive. When I had kids, I made it for them, and they felt the same way.
Thus, there are two warnings that go with this recipe:
- If you don’t have strong willpower, do not make a batch while you are alone. You might eat it all.
- Don’t wear your favorite outfit while eating this. Between the powdered sugar topping and the chocolate/peanut butter coating, you’re bound to be wearing some part of this snack.
Now, go and make a batch for your National Dog Day party. (Or any other occasion as you see fit.) You also can try this other version of Puppy Chow.
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
- 4-1/2 cups corn square cereal*
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- Combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in small bowl.
- Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir.
- Microwave in additional 10 second increments, stirring after each, until fully melted and combined.
- Add vanilla, if desired.
- Pour cereal into large mixing bowl; top with chocolate mixture.
- Stir well.
- Pour mixture into gallon resealable bag and top with powdered sugar.
- Seal bag, and shake until all pieces are coated.
- Spread on baking sheet to cool. Refrigerate to speed process.
- *You also can use wheat or rice square cereal, if desired.
- **It was brought to my attention that someone might accidentally think this was a treat for dogs. It is NOT for dog and is only for human consumption.
