I knew I needed a holiday version of a puppy chow and obviously, chocolate came to mind. Now I have seen white chocolate peppermint versions and I have seen milk chocolate peppermint versions. However, this one combined the best of both worlds! I recently discovered on Instagram that Hershey’s came out with a new chocolate spread and I was eager to get my hands on some. Much to my delight, I found a jar in my local grocery store. This was the perfect ingredient for this puppy chow.
I combined the Hershey’s spread with white chocolate chips (hence the double chocolate) and also melted some Andes Peppermint Chips together with it. I really wanted that peppermint flavor to be mixed in with the chocolate. For this recipe, I also used both chocolate Chex and vanilla Chex. I actually had no idea that vanilla Chex even existed until last weekend.
Let me tell you a little story. Last Friday night, my boyfriend and I left work late and decided to get some food. After dinner (around 9:30 pm) I suggested we go grocery shopping because we had no food. Secretly, I needed to buy my weekend baking ingredients! We lapped the store and filled our cart. When I got to the checkout, I unloaded all my groceries and the cashier began to ring me out. Right when she was almost done, I tried to swipe my credit card too many times and I froze the whole system and it had to be restarted. That took a good 15 minutes while we just stood there browsing the magazine section and patiently waited. I wasn’t about to unpack a full cart of groceries and re-ring the whole dang thing.
Lucky the cashiers on the night shift were super friendly. While we were waiting, my boyfriend casually mentioned that he saw Vanilla Chex cereal – since we had already purchased 2 boxes of Chocolate Chex and 2 boxes of Rice Chex (we kind of love this cereal). He said that he was going to tell me about the Vanilla Chex earlier (knowing that I was doing a puppy chow), but that I “usually already know these types of things”- so he neglected to tell me. Say WHAT? I immediately sent him back to get a box and now I knew this recipe was going to be killer. Long story short, the Vanilla Chex, although not “NECESSARY” for this recipe, does come highly recommended if you can find them. Of course, you could use all Chocolate Chex or a combination of chocolate and Rice Chex. Either way, you need to make this.
- 5 C Chocolate Chex cereal
- 4 C Vanilla Chex cereal
- 1 C White chocolate chips
- ½ C Andes Peppermint Chips
- ½ Chocolate Hershey’s Spread
- 6 tbsp Butter
- ½ tsp Peppermint extract
For the coating
- ½ C Andes Peppermint chips, chopped
- 1 ½ C Powdered sugar
- In a microwave-proof bowl, combine white chocolate chips, Andes chips, and chocolate Hershey’s spread, and melt in the microwave for 30-second increments until the chocolate is melted.
- Add peppermint extract and vigorously mix with a spatula until all ingredients are well blended. If you think your mixture is still too thick, add additional melted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- In an extra large bowl, combine chocolate and vanilla Chex cereal. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the top of the cereal. Use a spatula to gently fold the chocolate into the cereal. Try to coat the cereal as evenly as possible.
- Take ½ C Andes Peppermint Chips and grind in a food processor into smaller pieces. Shake over chocolate-coated cereal and gently mix.
- In a large Ziploc bag, pour in the powdered sugar. Empty the cereal mix into the Ziploc bag, seal it and shake the heck out of it. The idea is to coat the cereal all over.
- Spread out on a cookie sheet and allow it to cool. You can also refrigerate to help speed up the process.
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. It is best enjoyed the same day.
Julianne is the face of the Beyond Frosting blog. Her first passion is snowboarding and her second passion is baking. Food evokes emotion and she loves making people happy with food. Baking is her avenue for creativity. Julianne’s favorite desserts are cupcakes and cheesecakes.
Blog: Beyond Frosting
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