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You are here: Home / Christmas / Reindeer Food Recipe (Christmas Puppy Chow)

Reindeer Food Recipe (Christmas Puppy Chow)

Last updated on December 12, 2020. Originally published December 12, 2020 Leave a Comment

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This Reindeer Food is a fun and festive Christmas Puppy Chow recipe that’s easy to make with only 7 ingredients! Reindeer chow is a cute gift for friends, neighbors and coworkers! 

up close overhead view of reindeer food

My love for Puppy Chow (or Muddy Buddies as some call it) runs deep. I perfected the technique and ratios to make the best puppy chow ever, and I added a Christmas flair to make this Reindeer Food recipe. 

This Reindeer Chow is made with 7 ingredients including rice square cereal, pretzels, peanut butter, chocolate and more. Every piece of cereal is generously coated with chocolate & peanut butter – so every bite is pure bliss. This reindeer food recipe is easy to make and even easier to eat! Wrap it in a cellophane bag  and use this adorable printable to make cute gifts for neighbors and friends.  

overhead photo of a bowl of Reindeer Food (Christmas Puppy Chow)

Reindeer Food Recipe: Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Semisweet chocolate. I recommend using dark or semi-sweet chocolate.  In my opinion, milk chocolate makes it too sweet. If you need an allergy-friendly chocolate both Hu Kitchen and Enjoy Life Foods make great options! Since it’s being melted, you can use any form such as chips, chopped bars, discs, etc.
  • Creamy peanut butter. This reindeer food recipe can be made with any nut or seed butter if you have a peanut allergy in your family. Cashew, almond, sunflower seed butter, etc. 
  • Rice Chex Cereal. Chex is my favorite cereal to use to make this reindeer chow (or a generic equivalent)! However many people love Crispex!
  • Mini Pretzels. The pretzels are broken into smaller pieces, so you can use sticks or mini pretzels. I don’t recommend thick rods or other large varieties.
  • Powdered Sugar. I don’t recommend making substitutes for the powdered sugar in this Christmas puppy chow recipe.
  • Candy: Feel free to substitute your favorite holiday candy. I love the red and green M&Ms to give it a Christmas flair, and the peanut butter cups for taste! 

overhead view of the ingredients in this Reindeer Food Recipe (Christmas Puppy Chow)

How to make Reindeer Food

This Christmas Puppy Chow is really easy to make, but as always, we’ll walk through the steps together to ensure your success – and don’t forget to watch the video!

Combine Chex & Pretzel Pieces

Begin this reindeer chow recipe by combining the rice Chex cereal and pretzel pieces in a large bowl, then set the mixture aside. It’s important to break the pretzels into smaller pieces so there’s a salty crunch in every bite!

Melt Chocolate and Peanut Butter

Next, melt the peanut butter and chocolate together, either on the stovetop or in the microwave. Then, stir the mixture until it’s melted and smooth. 

two overhead photos showing how to make Reindeer Food (Christmas Puppy Chow)

Combine Ingredients

Pour the peanut butter chocolate mixture over cereal/pretzel mixture and stir until evenly distributed. Make sure to scrape the melted chocolate off the sides of the bowl to incorporate it into the cereal mixture. 

Chill the Reindeer Food

Next, chill the reindeer food in the refrigerator until the mixture just barely begins to set up (about 30 minutes). You can also set it outside on a cold December day. This step is absolutely critical to ensure your reindeer chow isn’t too sweet. By chilling the mixture, you will use less powdered sugar overall because it will not absorb as quickly into the chilled mixture as it would into a warm mixture. 

two overhead photos showing how to make Reindeer Food (Christmas Puppy Chow)

Add powdered sugar

Once the Christmas puppy chow is slightly hardened (but still able to be stirred), remove the mixture from the refrigerator.

Put some powdered sugar on the bottom of a separate, large bowl. Add half of the chilled mixture, then add more powdered sugar over the cereal and the remaining chocolate/cereal mixture. Using a fresh bowl will keep the powdered sugar from sticking to the chocolate on the sides.  Gently stir until the powdered sugar is evenly distributed, tossing to coat the cereal with powdered sugar.

Chill again

Chill the reindeer food again in the refrigerator until it’s set (about another 30-60 minutes). 

Add more powdered sugar

After it is chilled completely, add more powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time until the cereal/pretzel mixture is coated.

two overhead photos showing how to make Reindeer Food (Christmas Puppy Chow)

Add candy and serve

Once the reindeer chow is coated in powdered sugar to your liking, add the M&Ms and peanut butter cups and stir to combine, then transfer to a serving dish. Reserve a few to dress up the top of the serving bowl if you will be putting it out for guests and not packaging it up in bags as gifts. 

Package to give as gifts 

If desired, portion out the Christmas puppy chow into cute holiday containers, bags, etc. and give as gifts to friends and neighbors.

My talented hubby helped me design this cute label you can print out and add to your bags of reindeer food!

Click here to download and print a page with 8 reindeer food tags! 

Store Reindeer food

Store this reindeer food in an airtight container (or bag) for up to 1 week at room temperature. 

front photo of a bowl of Reindeer Food (Christmas Puppy Chow)

If you like this recipe, try these!

Here are some more delicious recipes perfect to make at Christmas time!

  • This is the best puppy chow recipe you will ever eat, ever. 
  • Cookies: Some of our favorite cookies include, Cut-out sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, peanut butter blossoms,  double chocolate cookies, the best chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, and these peanut butter cookies. 
  • Hot chocolate. This peppermint hot chocolate is the perfect way to warm up this holiday season, also try our Homemade hot chocolate recipe and peanut butter hot chocolate. 
  • Candy. Another great addition to a cookie platter is homemade candy. Our homemade almond toffee is the best. Also try these Oreo balls, Chocolate peanut butter balls, and candied pecans or candied almonds. 
  • Bars: Bars are so much easier to make than cookies (in my opinion) because it’s a spread and bake situation. We love these chocolate peanut butter bars, chocolate chip cookie bars, and these chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars. 
  • Check out our roundup of all of our favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes!

up close photo of Reindeer Food (Christmas Puppy Chow)

IF YOU MAKE SOMETHING FROM JOYFOODSUNSHINE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS! DON’T FORGET TO RATE THIS RECIPE AND LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW! ALSO, FOLLOW ALONG WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE AND  TWITTER FOR MORE RECIPE INSPIRATION AND A GLIMPSE INTO OUR EVERYDAY LIFE!

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Reindeer Food Recipe (Christmas Puppy Chow)

This Reindeer Food is a fun and festive Christmas Puppy Chow recipe that's easy to make with only 7 ingredients! Reindeer chow is a cute gift for friends, neighbors and coworkers! 
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword christmas puppy chow, reindeer chow, reindeer food, reindeer food recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 24 Servings
Calories 365kcal
Author Laura

Equipment

  • glass batter bowl
  • measuring cups

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
  • 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
  • 5 cups Rice Chex Cereal
  • 1 ½ cups mini pretzels broken into pieces
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 ½ cups red and green M&Ms
  • 1 cup mini peanut butter cups
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine rice Chex cereal and pretzel pieces.
  • Melt peanut butter and chocolate together, either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
  • Pour peanut butter chocolate mixture over cereal/pretzel mixture and stir to combine.
  • Chill in the refrigerator until the mixture just barely begins to set up (about 30 minutes).
  • Remove the mixture from the refrigerator.
  • In a separate, large bowl, put ½ cup powdered sugar on the bottom of the bowl. Add half of the chilled mixture, then add another ½ cup powdered sugar over the cereal and the remaining chocolate/cereal mixture.
  • Gently stir until the powdered sugar is evenly distributed, tossing to coat the cereal with powdered sugar.
  • Chill the mixture again in the refrigerator until it’s set (about another 30-60 minutes).
  • Add more powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time until the cereal/pretzel mixture is coated.
  • Add M&Ms and peanut butter cups and stir to combine.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Semisweet chocolate. I recommend using dark or semi-sweet chocolate.  In my opinion, milk chocolate makes it too sweet. If you need an allergy-friendly chocolate both Hu Kitchen and Enjoy Life Foods make great options! Since it's being melted, you can use any form such as chips, chopped bars, discs, etc.
  • Creamy peanut butter. This reindeer food recipe can be made with any nut or seed butter if you have a peanut allergy in your family. Cashew, almond, sunflower seed butter, etc. 
  • Rice Chex Cereal. Chex is my favorite cereal to use to make this reindeer chow (or a generic equivalent)! However many people love Crispex!
  • Mini Pretzels. The pretzels are broken into smaller pieces, so you can use sticks or mini pretzels. I don't recommend thick rods or other large varieties.
  • Powdered Sugar. I don't recommend making substitutes for the powdered sugar in this Christmas puppy chow recipe.
  • Candy: Feel free to substitute your favorite holiday candy. I love the red and green M&Ms to give it a Christmas flair, and the peanut butter cups for taste! 

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 240mg | Potassium: 225mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 146IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 3mg

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine! 

 

You might also like:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cranberry Goat Cheese Appetizer
Vegan Peanut Butter Eggs

Filed Under: Chocolate, Christmas, Dessert, Peanut Butter, Recipe Videos, Recipes Tagged With: chocolate, christmas, dessert, peanut butter

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About Laura

 

Hello I’m Laura! I am a former chemistry teacher turned wife and mom of five beautiful babies with one on the way in 2021! I’m a green smoothie addict, lover of the outdoors, and a peanut butter & nap enthusiast! Click here to read more >>

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