St. Patrick’s Day Puppy Chow is made with chocolate Chex cereal and has no peanut butter. It’s a perfect treat and super easy to make for any occasion.
Are you looking for a sweet treat for St. Patrick's Day? This puppy chow recipe is green to fit a St. Patrick's Day party and takes just minutes to make!
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Also called muddy buddies, puppy chow is square breakfast cereal coated in a chocolate or candy coating and then finished with powdered sugar top coat. It is typically made with rice or corn cereal and can be any flavor or color.
Puppy chow has remained a favorite snack treat because of its versatility to be reimagined with whatever flavors and colors are popular or fit a theme. In this recipe puppy chow is green and both minty and chocolatey at the same time. This makes it perfect for St. Patrick's Day and also for any time you want a minty chocolate party treat.
If you love mint chocolate chip ice cream, thin mint cookies, or Grasshopper Cocktails you will absolutely love this puppy chow. In addition to being sweet and minty, this puppy chow is gluten-free and also does not contain any peanut butter.
Ingredients
- Chocolate Chex Cereal - Chex is the classic square breakfast that gives this treat it's classic "puppy chow" look and chocolate Chex gives this puppy chow a chocolate flavor.
- Candy Melts in Dark Green - Candy melts are a candy coating similar to almond bark coating and are made of vegetable oil, sugar, dry milk, and flavorings including vanilla. They are smooth melting and come in a variety of colors. The darkest green will give you the best green color for this puppy chow.
- LorAnn Crème de Menthe Oil - This culinary essential oil has the best mint flavor and will flavor the candy melts without changing the texture if the melted candy. It is very strong in flavor so only the tiniest amount is needed.
- Powdered Sugar - Powdered sugar helps set the candy and gives another layer of sweetness.
Please see the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the chocolate Chex to a large mixing bowl. Set both aside.
Put the candy melts in a glass or other microwave save bowl. Microwave on 50% power for 1 minute and stir. Continue microwaving and stirring for 30 second periods until the candy is melted and smooth. Stir in the Crème de Menthe Oil.
Pour the melted candy over the chocolate Chex cereal and gently fold and mix with a silicone spatula until all of the cereal is coated with the melted candy.
Put the powdered sugar into a large, zippered, 2.5-gallon food-storage plastic bag. Add the candy-coated cereal, seal the bag and vigorously shake the bag until all of the cereal is covered in powdered sugar.
Pour the puppy chow onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and let cool and set.
Variations
You can make this puppy chow with any colored candy melts and any flavoring oil or extract. Great combinations are:
- Red Peppermint - Use red candy melts and peppermint flavoring.
- Yellow Banana - Use yellow candy melts and banana flavoring.
- Cotton Candy - Use pink candy melts and cotton candy flavoring.
- Key Lime - Use green candy melts and key lime flavoring.
As you can see any flavor is possible!
Make-Ahead and Storage
You can make St. Patrick's Day Puppy Chow up to 5 days in advance. Puppy chow keeps well in a sealed container and this version does not require refrigeration.
My Top Tips
Broken/Crushed Cereal - When measuring your cereal avoid including crushed and broken pieces which will clump together. The taste will still be good, but the puppy chow won't look as pretty.
Shake the Bag Hard - The harder you shake the plastic bag the better the puppy chow is coated in powdered sugar.
Add More Mint - I prefer a soft mint flavor, but if you like a stronger mint add up to ⅛ teaspoon of the crème de menthe oil.
Make it Sweeter - You can add up to 1 ¼ cups of powdered sugar if you like sweeter puppy chow. Please note that adding more powdered sugar will lighten the green color.
More Delicious Treats and Dishes for St. Patrick's Day
📖 Recipe
St. Patrick’s Day Puppy Chow
Ingredients
- 5 Cups Chocolate Chex Cereal
- 12 Ounces Dark Green Candy Melts
- 1/16 Teaspoon LorAnn Crème de Menthe, Food Grade Essential Oil
- ¾ Cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the chocolate Chex to a large mixing bowl. Set both aside.
- Put the candy melts in a glass or other microwave save bowl. Microwave on 50% power for 1 minute and stir. Continue microwaving and stirring for 30 second periods until the candy is melted and smooth. Stir in the Crème de Menthe Oil.
- Pour the melted candy over the chocolate Chex cereal and gently fold and mix with a silicone spatula until all of the cereal is coated with the melted candy.
- Put the powdered sugar into a large, zippered, 2.5 gallon food-storage plastic bag. Add the candy-coated cereal, seal the bag and vigorously shake the bag until all of the cereal is covered in powdered sugar.
- Pour the puppy chow onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and let cool and set.
Notes
- Red Peppermint - Use red candy melts and peppermint flavoring.
- Yellow Banana - Use yellow candy melts and banana flavoring.
- Cotton Candy - Use pink candy melts and cotton candy flavoring.
- Key Lime - Use green candy melts and key lime flavoring.
Nutrition Per Serving
All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.
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