Protein Puppy Chow Without Protein Powder

After numerous rounds of testing, we've finally perfected protein puppy chow without protein powder! It's crispy, filled with clusters, and the absolute ideal sweet treat. Plus with only 4 ingredients, kids love it and can help make it.

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 261kcal

Ingredients

1 cup (146g) milk chocolate chips *see notes for using semi sweet or dark
½ cup (58g) peanut butter powder
⅓ cup (76g) water
4.5 cups Chex

Coating

½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
½ cup (58g) peanut butter powder

Instructions

Mix ½ cup (58g) peanut butter powder with ⅓ cup (76g) water in a small bowl. It should result in a very thick peanut butter.
Put 1 cup (146g) milk chocolate chips into a large microwave safe bowl and melt in the microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Stir in-between rounds. It takes me 4 rounds for the chocolate to melt.
Combine the peanut butter and chocolate chips in the large bowl. Then, carefully add the 4.5 cups Chex and stir gently until the cereal is fully coated.
Pour the coated Chex into a large ziplock bag. Then, add the ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar and ½ cup (58g) peanut butter powder. Shake the bag until the cereal is fully coated.
IMPORTANT: Pour the puppy chow onto a sheet tray and put it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. This step ensures the cereal remains crispy and doesn't get soggy. Once it's at room temperature, it starts to soften quickly, so it's best kept in the freezer, NOT in an airtight container.

Video

Notes

* If using semi-sweet or dark chocolate, you will need to microwave it with 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil. Milk chocolate has a higher fat content, so it melts and mixes better with our pb powder peanut butter. Without that, we need to add fat back in in other ways.

Can I use creamy peanut butter instead? Kind of. You can use it for the base but not the powdered sugar portion. This recipe uses peanut butter powder because it has a higher protein content than natural peanut butter. It's also mixed with powdered sugar, which you couldn't do with creamy peanut butter.

Important Notes

Mixing separately: Mixing peanut butter powder with water separately ensures an even coating and creamy consistency. If you don't do this, the water separates from the hot chocolate and causes the Chex to turn soggy.

Microwave in rounds: It's important to microwave the chocolate chips in 30-second increments while stirring in between. This will prevent the chocolate chips from burning in the microwave.

Storage: If you're lucky enough to have leftovers, we recommend keeping it in the freezer. You don't need to put it in an airtight container (in fact it's best if it's not in one). We just keep it on the sheet tray in the freezer for up to 1 week. It tastes great straight from the freezer!

Nutrition