Celebrate baby and mom-to-be with this It’s a Girl! Puppy Chow! A gluten free sweet and salty snack made in girly colors with candy melts. Perfect for a baby shower!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This It’s a Girl! Puppy Chow is a perfect way to celebrate baby and mom in fun, girly colors.
Based on the classic Muddy Buddy recipe, this colored party food is a great balance of sweet and salty. Perfect as a snack, appetizer, or dessert!
Ingredients
- 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)
- Pink candy melts
- Purple candy melts
- Bright white candy melts
- Powdered sugar
Candy melts are pretty sweet, but they provide the perfect color for colored puppy chow.
You can get pink candy melts, purple candy melts , and bright white candy melts for the muddy buddies online or at your local craft store.Â
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.
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 these are too sweet on their own, you could mix them with something salty like little pretzels or peanuts.
Equipment
This is the equipment you need for the recipe:
- Medium Bowls
- Measuring Cups
- Spoons
- Large Resealable Bag
- Fine Mesh Strainer (or strainer in general)
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 DO 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! Have faith!
Modifications and Substitutions
Swap out or add any colors based on the shower colors or nursery theme! Some stores (and online) have a dark pink candy melt that pairs well with the light pink.
White chocolate is not recommended as it does not melt well and seizes when coloring is added.
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!
FAQs
Why do they call puppy chow?
The classic puppy chow resembles dog food, hence the name.
What is the difference between Muddy Buddies and puppy chow?
They are the same thing! Muddy Buddies is the name that Chex launched the recipe under.
How long does puppy chow last?
It is best eaten within two days. Store in an air tight container.
It’s a Girl! Puppy Chow
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
- Medium Bowls
- Spoons
- Fine Mesh Strainer or strainer in general
- Large resealable bag
Ingredients
- 3 cups rice Chex cereal divided
- ½ cup bright white candy melts
- ½ cup pink candy melts
- ½ cup purple candy melts
- 1 cups powdered sugar divided
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 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 pink candy melts next, using 1 cup of Chex cereal and fresh powdered sugar.
- Repeat the process with the purple 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.
