Root for your favorite H-Town team with this Houston Texans Puppy Chow. Made in team colors of red, dark blue, and white. Swarm!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Find full quantities and details in the full recipe card below.
Chex Cereal the plain cereal, not the flavored snack – any flavor/grain is fine but I like to use Rice because it is a light flavor and gluten free
Black Candy Melts – you only need a few of these if you want to make the gray to represent silver in the mix. And you only need a few. Otherwise, you can skip them and just do red, blue, and white.
Red Candy Melts – If you think this red is too bright, you could add a few black candy melts to the red as well to make it darker. Start with 2 or 3, and add more as needed. Remember, the color will be just a touch darker when dried (and with the powdered sugar on top).
Royal Blue Candy Melts – if you have the black candy melts and want the blue to be a little on the darker side, you can add 4 black discs to the blue to get a more navy inspired color
Bright White Candy Melts – Regular white has a little yellow tint to it, so bright white is best to use. You can also find candy melts at your local craft store.
Powdered Sugar
Can I use white chocolate and color it?
I do not recommend using white chocolate and trying to color it, because white chocolate does not melt very well and it takes a lot of coloring to make bold colors.
If you want an alternative to candy melts, you could use the white almond bark and add coloring. Gel coloring is best as regular food coloring has high liquid which can affect the chocolate.
Instruction Overview
Melt your candy melts according to package directions. This can be done in the microwave, but reduce the power. If it is too strong and too hot, the candy will not melt properly.
Then toss the cereal with the candy melts gently to coat.
Immediately place in a large resealable bag with powdered sugar and shake!
Now at some point in the process, you are probably going to think at least one of the following (if not all, like I did):
- There is NO WAY that little amount of candy melts will cover all this cereal!
- OH NO the cereal is BREAKING!
- WHY DO THEY ALL LOOK WHITE! I MESSED UP! I CAN’T SEE THE COLOR!
But it’s okay, all of the above are FINE. The candy melts DO cover that much cereal, just keep stirring.
The cereal might break a little but that’s okay! Just be gentle.
And the colors look pretty white when they come out of the bag. But shaking them in the fine mesh strainer gets rid of all that extra powdered sugar and you will see the color!
Modifications and Substitutions
White chocolate is not recommended as it does not melt well and seizes when coloring is added.
Use any variety of the Chex cereal as desired.
If these are too sweet on their own, you could mix them with something salty like little pretzels or peanuts.
Kim’s Tips
Work from the lightest color to the darkest in case any leftover candy melt on the bag, sugar, or bowls transfers.
Increase batch size based on how much you want to have!
More Game Day Recipes
We have a TON of game day recipes (check out our full collection – there are so many good ones!).
Here are just a few of our favorites!
Game Day Recipes
Houston Texans Puppy Chow
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- 1 Large Ziploc Bag maybe more if you cannot get it clean for the next color
- 4 Small Bowls for mixing colors with cereal
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups rice Chex cereal divided
- 1/2 cup red candy melts
- 1/2 cup royal blue candy melts
- 1/4 cup bright white candy melts
- 1 cup powdered sugar divided
Optional
- black candy melts only needed if you want to make a darker blue – or black food coloring – see note 1
Instructions
- Place each color of candy melts in separate bowls that are large enough to mix the cereal in for each color (I like to use deep soup bowls).
- Place 1/3 cup powdered sugar in a quart or gallon sized resealable plastic bag.
- Melt the lightest color (white) of candy melts in the microwave as per package directions. Stir frequently to encourage melting.
- When fully melted, immediately mix in the Chex mix. (1/2 cup of cereal for white). Gently toss with a spoon to fully coat.
- Immediately transfer the cereal to the plastic bag with the powdered sugar. Seal and shake. Gently massage the bag from the outside to encourage the cereal to separate, but gentle enough so they do not break.
- Pour the bag contents into a sieve (fine mesh strainer) over another bowl. Shake to remove excess sugar.
- Pour the cereal out on a parchment paper or silicone baking mat lined baking sheet to dry. If there are any pieces that were stuck together, you can pull them apart, dunk them into the discarded sugar, and shake again.
- Let the candy melts that was left behind in the bag dry for a few minutes, then you can crinkle up the bag to remove the candy melts and make it ready for the next color.
- Repeat the process with the blue candy melts next, using 1 cup of Chex cereal and fresh powdered sugar.
- Repeat the process with the red candy melts next, using 1 cup of Chex cereal and fresh powdered sugar.
- Mix the colors together, or keep separate, and serve. The puppy chow can be stored in a container or bag for up to 2 days.
Notes
- To get a darker blue like the true Texans color, adding 2 black candy melt disks will get you a darker color. If preferred, you could use a drop of black food coloring at a time. Since you are not adding much food coloring, it should not affect the consistency.
