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Reindeer food recipe: Chex puppy chow in powdered sugar with red and green M&Ms in a blue bowl

Reindeer Food

Chex and crushed pretzels coated in melted chocolate and peanut butter, shaken in powdered sugar, with Christmas M&Ms and mini Reese's cups. No oven needed.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes
Servings: 20 servings (½ cup each)
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American

Ingredients
  

  • 5 cups Chex cereal
  • 2 cups mini pretzels crushed
  • 1½ cups creamy peanut butter or SunButter for peanut free
  • 1½ cups chocolate chips
  • 2 cups powdered sugar plus more as needed
  • 1 cup Christmas M&Ms
  • 1 cup mini Reese's cups

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Microwave-safe bowl
  • Measuring cups
  • Spatula
  • Large bowl with a lid (or a gallon zip-top bag)
  • Zip-top bags for storing or gifting

Method
 

  1. Pour the Chex into a large mixing bowl.
  2. Crush the mini pretzels in a zip-top bag and add them to the Chex.
  3. Put the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth.
  4. Pour the chocolate over the cereal and pretzels and fold with a spatula until every piece is coated.
  5. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  6. Put about half the powdered sugar in a large bowl with a lid, add the chocolate mix, then the rest of the powdered sugar. Lid on and shake until it's all coated. Add more powdered sugar if it still looks sticky.
  7. Toss in the M&Ms and mini Reese's cups.
  8. Store in an airtight container or bag it up for gifts.

Notes

Peanut free: use 1½ cups SunButter (sunflower seed butter) in place of the peanut butter, leave out the mini Reese's, and check the labels on your chocolate chips and M&Ms.
Cookie butter works too, but it's really sweet, so use only 1 cup.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
For little ones, whole candies and hard pretzel pieces can be a choking risk.