Healthier Puppy Chow
A healthier version of Puppy Chow (aka Muddy Buddies) made with homemade powdered sugar that will satisfy your craving for this classic treat.
Puppy Chow is one of my favorite guilty pleasures and I always tend to crave it during the holidays. I love anything with chocolate but when you add the extra crunch and, of course, the extra sugar, it’s downright heaven – so hard to stop eating it.
This year was no different. I’ve been CRAVING Puppy Chow (side note: I just recently realized that not everyone calls this Puppy Chow! That it’s also called Muddy Buddies! I’m so curious if Puppy Chow is a midwest thing!) for weeks now. I almost bought some, but I didn’t. I decided to just make some to control the ingredients and extra additives.
In my plans to make my own, I forgot to buy powdered sugar. But that led me to start thinking about how I could possibly make it healthier.
Now I’m not going to say that this is a health food, far from it. But I do love taking our favorite treats and making them just a bit healthier for us. I’m all about balance, and sometimes the sugar-filled favorite is all you want. And that’s okay too. But remember to indulge in moderation.
Ah, moderation. That’s the keyword that so often we forget about when it comes to treats and the not-so-healthy foods. So just look at this as your friendly reminder to be mindful when eating treats and indulge in moderation (it’s not an everyday thing!).
Okay, back to the recipe! I was determined to make a healthier version and decided to find a better-for-you powdered sugar if that even existed. Thank goodness for Google because I was inspired by a Paleo Powdered Sugar recipe from Joy Food Sunshine. I didn’t have one of the two ingredients for her powdered sugar so I decided to experiment and came up with my own version.
Healthier Powdered Sugar for the Healthier Puppy Chow Recipe
Don’t be intimidated by this at all. It’s actually one of the easiest things you will ever do. Plus, it’s only two ingredients and all you need is a blender to make it. The two ingredients you need are coconut sugar and gluten-free all-purpose baking flour.
Add the two ingredients to a high-speed blender. Blend for 30-45 seconds or until it becomes a powder consistency and you’re done. Easy, right? I thought so too.
A little tip: make sure you let the powdered sugar settle a little bit before taking the lid off the blender or you will get a big cloud of sugar in your face. But hey, there could be worse things!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe is very similar to the classic Puppy Chow recipe but just a few tweaks to make it a bit healthier so you don’t feel like you’ve got a complete sugar rush. All you need for this healthified puppy chow are a few key ingredients:
Chex cereal
Chocolate Chips
Peanut Butter
Coconut Oil
Coconut Sugar
Gluten-Free Baking Flour
Just six simple ingredients to make one of my all-time favorite treats. If you want to make it a bit healthier make sure you grab chocolate chips that don’t have any added sugar or a dark chocolate bar will work too. You can also coat the cereal with less powdered sugar.
Also, remember to read your labels and grab a peanut butter that doesn’t have any added sugar or oils. It should only say “peanuts” or “peanuts and salt” under the ingredients label. This is another extremely easy way to reduce sugar and make something a little healthier. It’s all about baby steps because they all add up.
Paper Bag or Ziplock Bag
This so isn’t important but I really am curious if you grew up making Puppy Chow in a paper bag or ziplock bag?! I grew up always making it in a brown paper bag. My siblings and I would all take turns shaking it. I personally think it’s easier to mix up in a paper bag because it’s bigger and can stand up on its own making it easier to pour the cereal mixture into. But I also realize that’s just what I grew up doing so there’s that! Comment below to share how you mix the powdered sugar and cereal because I’d love to know.
Whichever you choose, just make sure you have either a brown paper bag (pick one up next time you’re at Aldi) or a 2-gallon ziplock bag.
Make It Your Own
Puppy Chow is usually smothered in powdered sugar, which is probably why it’s so freaking good and also so addicting! I used a tad bit less powdered sugar and because the homemade powdered sugar isn’t as thick it soaks into the chocolate mixture a bit more than if you were to use regular powdered sugar. I think it tastes the same but if you don’t like that it’s not fully covered or white you can always add more powdered sugar.
Don’t forget to post and tag your recreations on Instagram so I can see what you’re making! I love seeing you enjoy healthier treats like this one.
Healthier Puppy Chow Recipe
For the Powdered Sugar:
1 cup coconut sugar
3 tbsp 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour
Add coconut sugar and flour to a high-speed blender and blend for 30-45 seconds until it becomes a light, powder consistency. Let sit for 1-2 minutes to settle before taking the lid off.
For the Puppy Chow:
8 cups Chex cereal
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter, no sugar or oil added
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
1 homemade powdered sugar recipe, see above
Directions:
In a large bowl, add the cereal and set aside.
In a medium glass bowl, add the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and coconut oil. Microwave for 30-60 seconds, stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds or until smooth and well blended.
Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and stir until the cereal is evenly coated. Add cereal mixture to a brown paper bag (or 2-gallon zip lock bag).
Add powdered sugar and shake until the cereal is evenly coated.
Spread mixture onto waxed paper to cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Healthier Puppy Chow
Kara Swanson
- total time: 13 to 15 minutes
Servings: use your own discretion :)
Ingredients:
For the Powdered Sugar:
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour
- Add coconut sugar and flour to a high-speed blender and blend for 30-45 seconds until it becomes a light, powder consistency. Let sit for 1-2 minutes to settle before taking the lid off.
For the Puppy Chow:
- 8 cups Chex cereal
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup peanut butter, no sugar or oil added
- ¼ cup coconut oil, measure out when melted
- 1 homemade powdered sugar recipe, see above
Directions:
- In a large bowl, add the cereal and set aside.
- In a medium glass bowl, add the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and coconut oil. Microwave for 30-60 seconds, stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds or until smooth and well blended.
- Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and stir until the cereal is evenly coated. Add cereal mixture to a brown paper bag (or 2-gallon zip lock bag).
- Add powdered sugar and shake until the cereal is evenly coated.
- Spread mixture onto waxed paper to cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
