The chocolate mixture starts glossy and loose, then turns thick as it meets the cool cereal. I learned to fold gently at that point; stirring too hard breaks the crisp squares before the powdered sugar has a chance to cover them. This Reindeer Food Christmas Puppy Chow gets its holiday look from red and green sprinkles and M&M’s, but the familiar chocolate-peanut butter coating is what makes each handful taste like classic puppy chow.
The order matters more than it might seem. Sprinkles go onto the chocolate-coated cereal while the surface is still tacky, and the powdered sugar goes on in a sealed bag so it can tumble around every square. After the coating has set, the M&M’s go in last. That keeps the candy shells bright and intact instead of mixing them into warm chocolate.
Once the sugar settles into the little corners of the cereal, the pieces are crisp, lightly sweet, and easy to scoop into a bowl for sharing.
Kitchen Note
Give the coated cereal the full 20 minutes to cool before adding the M&M’s. If the coating is still warm, the candy shells can lose their clean colors against the chocolate.
Save this Reindeer Food Christmas Puppy Chow for a crisp chocolate coating, powdered sugar on every square, and a bright red-and-green finish.
Why the Sugar Goes on After the Chocolate, Not Before
Powdered sugar sticks because the cereal has a fresh, tacky layer of chocolate-peanut butter coating. Add the sugar too early, and it clumps against the wet coating instead of forming the fine, pale layer that makes puppy chow easy to pick up. The sealed-bag shake helps here: cereal pieces tumble past one another, and the sugar reaches their sides and corners without a lot of hands-on stirring.
The sprinkles take a different route. They need that tacky chocolate surface to stay put, so I fold them in before the cereal goes into the bag. The candy-coated M&M’s are different again; they don’t need to stick to the coating, so they wait until the puppy chow has cooled and set.
Think of the finish as three separate jobs: sprinkles cling to the warm coating, powdered sugar covers it, and M&M’s bring the final color and crunch. Keeping those jobs in order gives you a more even coating and avoids turning the candies into streaks of color.
What Each Ingredient Adds to the Puppy Chow Coating
- Rice Chex cereal — The airy, ridged squares give the coating plenty of edges to grab onto while staying crisp under the chocolate. Keep the pieces intact as you fold; crushed cereal absorbs more coating and makes the finished mix denser. A different Chex-style cereal can work in the same volume, but the shape and crunch will change.
- Semisweet chocolate chips — Semisweet chocolate keeps the coating from tasting overly sweet once the powdered sugar and candy are added. Standard baking chips work well here, so there’s no need for a specialty chocolate. Milk chocolate chips are a workable swap if you prefer a sweeter, softer chocolate flavor.
- Creamy peanut butter and unsalted butter — Peanut butter gives the chocolate coating its familiar roasted flavor, while butter loosens the melted mixture enough to fold over the cereal. Creamy peanut butter coats more evenly than a chunky style; if using salted butter instead, expect a slightly saltier finish. Avoid peanut butter with a visibly separated oil layer unless you’ve stirred it completely smooth first.
- Vanilla extract and powdered sugar — Vanilla rounds out the chocolate, and powdered sugar gives the cereal its dry, snow-dusted finish. Granulated sugar won’t coat the same way, so powdered sugar is worth keeping for this step. Sift it if yours has hard lumps; those can cling to the cereal as white patches.
- Red and green sprinkles and M&M’s — The sprinkles add holiday color to the coating, while the M&M’s bring a crisp candy shell and a more substantial bite. Use sprinkles you like looking at, since their color stays visible on the chocolate. Keep the M&M’s aside until the puppy chow has cooled.
Coat the Cereal Without Breaking the Squares
Melt the Chocolate Mixture in Short Bursts
Put the chocolate chips, creamy peanut butter, and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each one, until the mixture is smooth; it usually takes about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Stirring between bursts spreads the heat through the chips and helps prevent hot spots. Stop once no chips remain and the mixture looks glossy rather than continuing to heat it.
Fold the Coating Around the Rice Chex
Set the cereal in a large mixing bowl, stir the vanilla into the melted chocolate, then pour the mixture over the cereal. Fold from the bottom up with a broad, gentle motion so the squares keep their shape. The coating will look thick at first, but it should spread across the cereal as you turn the mixture. If you stir quickly or press down, the squares break and the finished mix loses its airy crunch.
Get the Sprinkles and Powdered Sugar to Cling
Scatter the red and green sprinkles over the chocolate-coated cereal and fold just enough to distribute them. Transfer the mixture to a 2-gallon resealable bag, add the powdered sugar, seal the bag, and shake until the cereal is evenly coated. Hold the seal closed and turn the bag as you shake so the sugar doesn’t collect in one corner. When the pieces look evenly dusted, spread them on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
Let the Coating Set Before Adding Candy
Leave the puppy chow on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, until the coating is set. The surface should feel dry rather than tacky when you gently touch a piece. Stir in the M&M’s after that cooling time, distributing them through the cereal without crushing the squares. If you add the candy while the coating is still soft, the colors can smear and the candies may stick together.
Two Easy Ways to Adapt the Holiday Mix
Make It Peanut-Free With Sunflower Seed Butter
Replace the creamy peanut butter with the same amount of smooth sunflower seed butter. It gives the chocolate a similar creamy base, though the finished coating tastes less like classic peanut butter puppy chow. Stir the seed butter until smooth before melting it with the chocolate and butter.
Make It Dairy-Free
Use dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips and stick-style plant-based butter in place of the chocolate chips and butter. Keep the remaining ingredients the same, including the creamy peanut butter. The coating may taste a little different depending on the chocolate and butter you choose, but it will still set into a sweet, crisp shell.
Storage and Reheating
- Room temperature: Keep the cooled puppy chow in an airtight container for up to 1 week. The cereal stays crispest when the container is sealed between servings.
- Freezer: It freezes well for up to 2 months in an airtight freezer bag or container. Thaw it while still sealed at room temperature to limit condensation on the powdered sugar.
- Reheating: Don’t reheat it; warmth softens the chocolate coating and can make the cereal lose its crunch. If frozen, let it come to room temperature in its sealed container before opening.
Questions That Come Up While Making Reindeer Food Puppy Chow
Reindeer Food Christmas Puppy Chow
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Put the Rice Chex cereal in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine the semisweet chocolate chips, creamy peanut butter, and unsalted butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until smooth, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
- Stir the vanilla extract into the melted chocolate mixture.
- Pour the mixture over the cereal and gently fold until the cereal is evenly coated.
- Sprinkle the red and green sprinkles over the cereal and gently fold to distribute.
- Transfer the coated cereal to a 2-gallon resealable bag, add the powdered sugar, seal, and shake until the cereal is evenly coated.
- Spread the puppy chow on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and cool for 20 minutes, until the coating is set.
- Stir in the red and green M&M's.
