Root for your favorite football team with this Tampa Bay Buccaneers Puppy Chow!
I love making fun game day recipes, especially for big games like the Super Bowl.
And I try to make them themed as much as possible!
This puppy chow is a perfect mix between dessert and a snack, full of Tampa Bay Buccaneers colors, and is gluten free.
This puppy chow, also called muddy buddies, is traditionally made with chocolate and peanut butter.
I use candy melts to give the snack mix the great, vibrant colors.
It can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept in an air tight container.
Although I do recommend making the puppy chow as close to when you want to serve it as you can, since some of the moisture from the candy melts will slowly start to soften the cereal.
Feel like something has gone wrong?
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!Â
No fine mesh strainer? Try a regular strainer (colander).
Have faith!
Supplies
Get red candy melts, orange candy melts, bright white candy melts, and black candy melts online. You can also find them at your local craft store.
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.
I do not recommend using white chocolate as it is very difficult to melt. And when you add food coloring to it, it can seize up and get lumpy from the moisture.
Any plain Chex cereal is perfect here based on what you like.
The candy melts do make them extra sweet compared to a traditional puppy chow.
You could balance this with some salty things to mix in the chow, like pretzels or other salty snacks.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Puppy Chow
Ingredients
- 4 cups rice Chex cereal divided
- 1 cup bright white candy melts divided
- .4 ounces black candy melts (Four .1 ounce discs, to make the gray)
- 1/2 cup orange candy melts
- 1/2 cup red candy melts
- 1 1/3 cup 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). Divide the white into two bowls, 1/2 cup each. Add the black discs to one of the white bowls, which is how you will make the light gray.
- 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 1/2 cup of Chex cereal. 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 coated 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 white and black candy melts next, starting with just 2 black candy melts. When the candy melts are melted together, make your gray darker if desired by adding more black before adding the cereal. For the gray, use 1 cup of Chex cereal and fresh powdered sugar.
- Repeat the process with the orange candy melts next, using 1 cup of Chex cereal and fresh powdered sugar.
- Repeat the process with the red melts next, using 1 cup of Chex cereal and fresh powdered sugar.
- Mix the colors of Chex mix together, or keep separate, and serve. The puppy chow can be stored in a container or bag for up to 2 days.
