Valentine's Day Puppy Chow

Nothing beats whipping up a batch of beautifully decorated heart-shaped cut out sugar cookies for your Valentine. But in all honestly, that takes a ton of time. And you all loved our candied fresh strawberries as a quick and easy alternative.

But now we are going to do one better. This quick and easy pink treat is so easy to make and perfect for sharing with your Valentine or Galantine! Plus it makes a fun pink snack for a baby shower.

You are probably wondering why you should make this puppy chow mix over others.

🧾Ingredients

This recipe has just 6 ingredients and technically one is optional! Be sure to read our notes on selecting the correct chocolate for the best result.

• Rice Chex- A rice based cereal is my preference but you can also use corn.
• Mini Pretzels- I always use Snyder's Gluten Free, my personal opinion they are better than regular. If you aren't concerned about gluten then obviously any mini pretzel works.
• White Melting Chocolate- See below for important notes.
• Powdered Sugar- You can leave the powdered sugar white or follow my tutorial for coloring the sugar red or pink using any type of food coloring.
• Valentine's Day M&M Candies
• Sprinkles- Any type you like will work. You can buy specialty holiday sprinkles or just use a mix of holiday colors.

The Best White Chocolate for Puppy Chow

The best chocolate for making muddy buddies and puppy chow is one that melts smoothly and tastes delicious. I HIGHLY recommend Ghirardelli white chocolate melting wafers. My local grocery carries them, so they really are easy to find.

Because they are specifically made for melting the chocolate never gets grainy and it has a fantastic vanilla flavor so need to add extra.

If you can't find melting wafers your options are white chocolate chips or candy melts. I don't recommend using candy melts, because honestly, they taste terrible. They melt great but the flavor is pure sugar.

The trick to evenly melting white chocolate chips is to add 1 teaspoon of oil (coconut or vegetable) for every 10 ounces of white chocolate. This will help it melt smoothly.

Color the Powdered Sugar

The final prep step is to make our pink powdered sugar (or whatever color you want). Add powdered sugar to a blender or small food processor. Add a few drops of your food coloring. I prefer to use powder but it does result in a lighter color pink.

Blend until the color is fully incorporated, adding more dye if necessary. Transfer the powdered sugar to a 1-gallon Ziploc style bag.

Note that if you want to make the sugar red a specialty red powder or gel will get the most vibrant color.

Melt the Chocolate

Place your chocolate (and oil, if needed) in a microwave-safe bowl. Start with 45 seconds and then stir. After that go in 30-second increments stirring at each interval until the chocolate is fully melted and totally smooth. It typically takes about 2 to 3 minutes in total.

Be careful not to overcook or burn the chocolate. You can use a 50% power level if you are feeling unsure.

Pour the chocolate over the rice cereal and stir until fully coated.

Mix

Place half the coated cereal into the powdered sugar bag. Seal and toss until the pieces are fully coated and pink.

Assemble

Add the pretzels to the mixing bowl with the remaining cereal. Gently stir to get the pretzel pieces slightly coated with the chocolate. Quickly lay out the mixture on your wax paper.

Add the sprinkles and M&Ms, then layer on the powdered sugar-coated cereal. Wait for 10 to 20 minutes for the mixture to cool. Then use your hands to toss, breaking up any big chunks. Transfer to your serving bowl and chow down.

💭 Variations

You can add any candies you like from cinnamon red hearts to Necco sweetheart conversation candies. Be unique! But here are the most common variations for our white chocolate puppy chow recipe.

🍓Strawberry White Chocolate Puppy Chow

Strawberries are always associated with Valentine's Day; somewhat ironic given strawberries are out of season during the month of February. That is where freeze-dried strawberries come in.

Add the bag of freeze-dried strawberries to your food processor and pulse until you have a fine grain. Mix in powder sugar until you have a full ½ cup of the mixture. Use in place of pink powdered sugar.

🥛Dairy-Free Pink Puppy Chow

To make this recipe dairy-free you can use any vegan white chocolate. But I recommend the Enjoy Life mini-chips. They are easy to find and taste great. Remember that when melting regular chocolate chips, you need to add 1 teaspoon of oil (coconut or vegetable) for every 10 ounces of chocolate.

🌡️Storage

Puppy chow can be stored at room temperature for a few days, but you can also refrigerate it and it will last for up to a week. But let's be honest, will it last that long?

My preference is to freeze it. I love cold puppy chow! Another option is to freeze it! Store it in a 1-gallon zip-top bag and pop it in the freezer. It will keep for up to three months in the freezer.

Again... it won't last that long.

More Sweet Treats

💬Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between muddy buddies and puppy chow?

They are the same thing, just different names for chocolate melted over Chex cereal and tossed in powdered sugar.

Can you dye the chocolate instead of the powdered sugar?

To color white chocolate, you need a specialty coloring powder that is made without water. Water causes melted chocolate to become grainy. These specialty chocolate coloring powders are not available in regular grocery stores. Therefore, it is much easier for most home cooks to color the powdered sugar using regular food coloring than to color the chocolate.