Salted Dark Chocolate Puppy Chow

In general, puppy chow is at the top of the list of “foods I’m never, ever allowed to have in my house”.  Because I will eat it ALL—I love it.  But I think this specific recipe may literally be my favorite food in the world.  It is that good.  Life-changing, even.

When I first saw this recipe on Food 52, I was obsessed, and couldn’t wait to try it out. I’ve always loved puppy chow (or “muddy buddies”), but sometimes it’s a bit too sweet for me.

The dark chocolate twist was right up my alley (I’m definitely dark vs. milk), and I knew the sea salt would add a perfect balance to what can sometimes be an overly sweet snack.

I also made a few changes based on my own preferences…I decreased the amount of powdered sugar and increased the peanut butter (and the chocolate chips, a little) to tailor it to my exact tastes.  And I done good. Now *this* is what I call a Sunday night…

I took this into work (okay fine, what I hadn’t already eaten the night before) and we devoured it in no time flat. 

How to make salted dark chocolate puppy chow

Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Pour the cereal into a large bowl and set aside.

Pour the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a microwavable-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in-between to bring it to a smooth, melted consistency. It’s important to do this in small time increments, or you can scald/burn the chocolate (which tastes nasty). Speaking from experience…

Once it’s melted, add the vanilla and salt.

Pour the melted chocolate-peanut butter mixture over the cereal, and stir GENTLY until coated. You definitely want to make sure that all the pieces get coated, but it doesn’t have to be totally even—I love the pieces that are all thick and clumpy.

Pour into a 2-gallon, resealable plastic bag and add the powdered sugar. Gently shake until well-coated. And by “shake”, I mean basically just gently turn it upside down and right side up.

Do not actually shake—these aren’t beignets. I only had one-gallon bags, so just did two batches.

Spread the puppy chow onto the lined baking sheet and allow to cool and set. Tell yourself you won’t eat it yet. Even though you know it’s a lie.

You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Pshh…like there will ever be enough leftover to go in the fridge.

Share. But only with people you REALLY like…

Other crave-able snacks you’ll love:

• Easy, Awesome Caramel Popcorn
• Copycat Honey Mama’s Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Truffle Bars
• 5-Ingredient Healthy Chocolate, Date, & Tahini Truffles
• Spicy Unleavened Cheese Straws (with GF option)

Salted Dark Chocolate Puppy Chow

• 9 cups of Corn Chex (or similar)
• 1 1/4 cup of bittersweet (or other dark) chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup of creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1  1/4 cups of powdered sugar

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Place the cereal in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Pour the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a microwavable-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in-between to bring it to a smooth, melted consistency. It’s important to do this in small increments, or you can scald/burn the chocolate (which tastes nasty). Then add the vanilla and salt.
3. Pour the melted chocolate-peanut butter mixture over the cereal, and stir GENTLY until coated. Personally, I love the pieces that have more and are kind of clumped, so it doesn’t have to be totally even.
4. Pour into a 2-gallon, resealable plastic bag and add the powdered sugar. Gently shake until well-coated. I only had one-gallon bags, so just did two batches. Spread onto the lined baking sheet and allow to cool and set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (please, like it will even make it to the fridge…).

Adapted slightly from Food 52

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