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Recipes

How to Make Puppy Chow Using Leftover Candy Canes

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at IU chapter.

Once the holiday frenzy hits — either right at the start of November, or later, for the more stubborn people out there — it’s time to start decking the halls. This includes buying a ridiculous amount of candy canes, even though you know you’ll never actually eat them. Thankfully, this puppy chow recipe will change your candy cane game.

In case you didn’t know, puppy chow is for humans, not for dogs. I’m not sure why anyone would think that it would be remotely safe (or logical) to feed cereal covered in chocolate and sugar to a dog, but, apparently, there has been some confusion about the name. Hence, Chex coined the name “Muddy Buddies.” But I stand firmly with Team Puppy Chow (there’s even a Facebook page dedicated to it).

Regardless of the name debate, pretty much everyone on the planet agrees that puppy chow is the most addictive snack ever, and there are so many possible flavor combinations. This peppermint crunch variation is not only a great way to use up that copious supply of candy canes, but it’s also perfect for holiday parties and gift bags. So go ahead and chow down.

Peppermint Crunch Puppy Chow

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: minutesTotal time: 10 minutesServings:6 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Photo by Meredith Ross

    Measure out the cereal into a large bowl.

  2. Photo by Meredith Ross

    Melt the white chocolate using a double boiler, or by microwaving in 30-second intervals.

  3. Photo by Meredith Ross

    Pour melted chocolate over cereal and fold until cereal is covered.

  4. Photo by Meredith Ross

    Fold in crushed candy canes.

    #SpoonTip: You can crush the candy canes however you want — put them in a plastic bag and break them up with a rolling pin or hammer, pulse them in the food processor, tap dance on them, etc.

  5. Photo by Meredith Ross

    Pour the powdered sugar into a large Ziploc bag. Add cereal mixture, seal the bag, and shake until completely coated. Discard excess powdered sugar and enjoy.

Meredith Ross — born in Winston-Salem and raised in Virginia Beach — graduated with highest honors from Indiana University in December 2016 and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She majored in English with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in folklore & ethnomusicology. Proud of her Italian heritage (and mild obsession with tiramisu), she spent her final semester studying abroad in Florence. When she's not writing or dancing around the kitchen while baking, you can find her exploring Charlotte's food scene and hanging out with her cat, Violet.