My most recent hobby is making holiday themed puppy chow! For fall, I made a Pumpkin Spice Latte Puppy Chow that is just divine! Now for the holidays, I made this incredibly simple and delicious Peppermint Mocha Puppy Chow (or Reindeer Chow if you’re fancy), made with all the same flavors of an iconic Peppermint Mocha beverage!
This Peppermint Mocha Puppy Chow is great for holiday parties, or for snacking on throughout the week. Let’s dive into the ingredients you’ll need!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Semi-Sweet Chocolate: I like using semi-sweet chocolate chips for this recipe, but feel free to use white chocolate, dark chocolate, or even the Candy Cane Hershey’s Kisses! For a lower sugar puppy chow, use a sugar free chocolate!
Instant Espresso: This ingredient is completely optional, but I like to add it for a deeper chocolate flavor and to add a true Peppermint Mocha touch to this dessert. If you’re making this for a crowd or for kiddos, simply skip the instant espresso entirely.
Rice Chex Cereal: The best Chex for puppy chow is Rice Chex! It has the best overall texture and stays super crunchy even after a week’s time, but feel free to use another variation of Chex Cereal to fit your dietary restrictions, if needed.
Crushed Candy Canes: I absolutely love the added crunch and texture of crushed candy canes in this recipe. They give the perfect amount of sweet peppermint flavor without overpowering the dessert. I like to crush candy canes in a Ziplock bag using a rolling pin, but you could buy already crushed candy canes if you prefer.
Powdered Sugar: The powdered sugar is a key component of any puppy chow recipe! It coats the cereal and chocolate mixture together to make it an addicting and snackable treat!
Optional Add-Ins: This is where you can get as creative as you’d like! Toss in whatever add-ins you’d like to your puppy chow for additional flavor and texture! I did red and green sprinkles, marshmallow bits, and more crushed candy canes. Other great add-ins include: holiday m&ms, mini marshmallows, mini pretzels, peanuts, or Junior Mints Candy!
How To Make Peppermint Mocha Puppy Chow
Remove each candy cane from it’s plastic wrapper and place inside a Ziplock bag. Close the bag and smash the candy canes into small pieces using a rolling pin or mallet. You want the bits to be small like flaky sea salt texture not like a fine powder. Note, the candy canes are sharp and will pierce through the bag, so smash the candy canes over a paper towel or be prepared to sweep/vacuum up small candy cane bits. Once crushed, add the candy cane bits to a small bowl or plate, and set aside.
Add semi-sweet chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl, and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted, stirring between each 30 second interval. Once melted, add in the instant espresso powder (optional), and stir to combine.
Add the Rice Chex Cereal to a large mixing bowl, and then pour the melted chocolate and instant espresso mixture over the cereal. Mix gently with a spoon or spatula until all the cereal is fully coated.
Add the crushed candy canes (leave some for topping/add-ins) to the cereal and stir to combine once more.
Once the cereal is fully coated with the chocolate and crushed candy canes, add the mixture to a Ziplock bag.
Add in 1/3 cup of the powdered sugar. Seal the bag, leaving air inside the bag, and then shake until all the cereal is generously coated with the powdered sugar.
Add in the remaining 1/3 cup of powdered sugar, seal the bag leaving air inside the bag, and shake once more to coat.
Pour the Peppermint Mocha Puppy Chow into an airtight bowl, and add your optional add-ins like: red and green sprinkles, marshmallow bits, crushed candy canes, holiday m&ms, mini pretzels, peanuts, or Junior Mints Candy, etc.
Toss to combine and enjoy!
Note: Store the Puppy Chow in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week (or in the freezer for up to 2 months)
How Can I Make This Lower Sugar?
For a lower sugar Peppermint Mocha Puppy Chow:
- Use sugar free chocolate chips or chocolate bark
- Use sugar free powdered sugar
- Use sugar free peppermint candies instead of candy canes
- Use low sugar add-ins like pretzels, peanuts, or sugar free peppermint candies
How Can I Make This Dairy Free?
For a dairy free Peppermint Mocha Puppy Chow:
- Use dairy free chocolate chocolate chips
- Use dairy free add-ins like sprinkles, pretzels, peanuts, crushed candy canes
Substitutions:
If you don’t love the idea of crunching down on candy cane bits, you could add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract/oil to the melted chocolate before coating the Chex Cereal.
Opt for any Chex Cereal you’d like! I think the Chocolate Chex would go great in this recipe, or use Gluten Free Chex Cereal if you’re gluten free!
I like semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe, but you could use whatever kind of chocolate chips, bark, or baking chips you’d like!
How To Store Leftover Puppy Chow
The best way to store puppy chow is in an airtight container on the counter, or at room temperature. The puppy chow will stay good for a week.
You can also freeze leftover puppy chow for up to 2 months in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat, just remove puppy chow from freezer, and place on the counter to thaw a bit and then enjoy.
More Dessert Recipes To Try:
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Puppy Chow
- Salted Chocolate Brownies
- Easy Homemade Peach Cobbler
- Tiramisu Cheesecake
More Peppermint Mocha Recipes To Try
This Peppermint Mocha Puppy Chow is the perfect mix of chocolatey crunch and cool peppermint, making it a delicious, festive treat to share with friends and family. Whether you’re setting it out at a holiday party or packing it for a cozy snack at home, this snack is sure to bring a bit of holiday cheer to anyone who tries it. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to make and stores well, so you can enjoy it throughout the season!
Peppermint Mocha Puppy Chow
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- ziplock bag
Ingredients
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark/white chocolate
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder optional
- 5 cups Chex Rice Cereal
- 12 large candy canes crushed
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- Optional Add-ins: red and green sprinkles, marshmallow bits, crushed candy canes, holiday m&ms, mini pretzels, peanuts, or Junior Mints Candy
Instructions
- Remove each candy cane from it’s plastic wrapper and place inside a Ziplock bag. Close the bag and smash the candy canes into small pieces using a rolling pin or mallet. You want the bits to be small like flaky sea salt texture not like a fine powder. Note, the candy canes are sharp and will pierce through the bag, so smash the candy canes over a paper towel or be prepared to sweep/vacuum up small candy cane bits. Once crushed, add the candy cane bits to a small bowl or plate, and set aside.
- Add semi-sweet chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl, and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted, stirring between each 30 second interval. Once melted, add in the instant espresso powder (optional), and stir to combine.
- Add the Rice Chex Cereal to a large mixing bowl, and then pour the melted chocolate and instant espresso mixture over the cereal. Mix gently with a spoon or spatula until all the cereal is fully coated.
- Add the crushed candy canes (leave some for topping/add-ins) to the cereal and stir to combine once more.
- Once the cereal is fully coated with the chocolate and crushed candy canes, add the mixture to a Ziplock bag.
- Add in 1/3 cup of the powdered sugar. Seal the bag, leaving air inside the bag, and then shake until all the cereal is generously coated with the powdered sugar.
- Add in the remaining 1/3 cup of powdered sugar, seal the bag leaving air inside the bag, and shake once more to coat.
- Pour the Peppermint Mocha Puppy Chow into an airtight bowl or container, and add your optional add-ins like: red and green sprinkles, marshmallow bits, crushed candy canes, holiday m&ms, mini pretzels, peanuts, Junior Mints Candy, etc.
- Toss to combine and enjoy!
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