Halloween Puppy Chow

You can't go wrong with puppy chow and this recipe is no exception... it puts a great fall/Halloween spin on the classic recipe. You essentially make two separate batches of puppy chow and then mix them together; this makes a HUGE batch of puppy chow, I made it for a potluck so the big batch worked out well but if you were making this for a smaller party or just for your family, I would suggest halving the recipe. I found this recipe on a blog called Your Cup of Cake.

Halloween/Fall Puppy Chow

Ingredients for the white chocolate puppy chow:

• 9 cups of rice cereal squares (Chex -- almost a full box)
• 1 cup of white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar

Ingredients for the dark chocolate puppy chow:

• 9 cups of rice cereal squares (Chex -- almost a full box)
• 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp of cocoa powder

Other ingredients:

• Peanut butter candies (Reese's Pieces) 

Directions:

1. Prep two baking sheets by lining them with parchment or wax paper for easier clean-up. 
2. Measure out the Chex into a large bowl. 
3. Starting with the white chocolate mix: In a small microwave-proof bowl or measuring cup, melt the white chocolate chips, peanut butter, and regular butter. Generally start with 1 minute, stir, then microwave in 30 second intervals as needed, stirring in between intervals. The mixture should be smooth but be careful not to burn it. 
4. Stir in the vanilla extract to melted mixture then pour over Chex.
5. Gently stir the mixture so that Chex is about evenly coated. 
6. Transfer coated Chex to a large Ziploc bag. 
7. Add powdered sugar to bag, seal, and shake the mixture until Chex is evenly coated. 
8. Dump the mixture out on the lined baking sheet to allow it to cool. 
9. Repeat steps 2-8 for the dark chocolate mix but use the semi-sweet chocolate chips instead. Also, add cocoa powder to the Ziploc bag when you add the powdered sugar. 
10. After the mixes have had time to cool on their separate baking sheets, combine them together into a very large bowl and add the peanut butter candies. Enjoy!

The separate mixes cooling