Description
This Dallas Cowboys Puppy Chow is a colorful, festive snack mix featuring rice Chex cereal coated in vibrant royal blue, gray, and white candy melts, then dusted with powdered sugar. Perfect for game day or any Cowboys fan celebration, it combines sweet, crunchy cereal bites coated with smooth candy melts in the team’s signature colors.
Ingredients
Cereal
- 2.5 cups rice Chex cereal (divided)
Candy Melts
- 1/2 cup royal blue candy melts
- 0.6 ounces black candy melts (six 0.1 ounce discs) - optional for darker blue and gray
- 3/4 cup bright white candy melts (divided into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup)
Coating
- 1 cup powdered sugar (divided)
Instructions
- Prepare Candy Melts Bowls: Place each color of candy melts into separate, large enough bowls for mixing cereal. Add all 6 black candy discs to the royal blue candy melts bowl for a darker blue color. Add 2 black discs to the 1/2 cup of white candy melts for making gray candy coating.
- Prepare Powdered Sugar Bags: Pour 1/3 cup powdered sugar into a quart or gallon sized resealable plastic bag. This will be used to coat the cereal coated with candy melts.
- Melt Lightest Candy Melt: Melt the lightest white candy melts (1/4 cup) in the microwave following package directions, stirring frequently until smooth and fully melted.
- Coat Cereal with White Candy Melt: Immediately mix 1/2 cup of rice Chex cereal into the melted white candy melts. Gently toss with a spoon to fully coat each piece of cereal.
- Coat with Powdered Sugar: Transfer the coated cereal to the powdered sugar bag. Seal and shake gently, massaging the bag to separate pieces and evenly coat with sugar without breaking the cereal.
- Sift Excess Powdered Sugar: Pour the contents of the bag into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl to shake off excess powdered sugar for a light coating.
- Dry the White Coated Cereal: Spread the coated cereal on parchment paper or a silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet to dry. Separate any stuck pieces, dunk in leftover powdered sugar if needed, and shake again.
- Clean Bag for Next Use: Let any residual candy melts in the bag dry for a few minutes, then crinkle the bag to remove hardened candy melts, making it ready for the next color coating.
- Melt Gray Candy Melts: Prepare gray candy melts by mixing 1/2 cup white candy melts with 2 black candy discs and melt in the microwave. Add more black candy melts if a darker gray is desired. Melt completely.
- Coat Cereal with Gray Candy Melt: Mix 1 cup rice Chex cereal into the melted gray candy melts. Follow the same powdered sugar coating, sifting, and drying steps as done with the white coated cereal.
- Melt Blue Candy Melts: Melt the royal blue candy melts mixed with 4 black candy discs in the microwave to achieve a darker blue shade. Use more black candy melts if desired. Melt completely.
- Coat Cereal with Blue Candy Melt: Coat the remaining 1 cup of rice Chex cereal with the blue candy melts mixture. Proceed with powdered sugar coating, sifting excess sugar, and drying as with previous colors.
- Combine and Serve: Once all colors are dry, mix the white, gray, and blue coated Chex cereal together or keep them separated. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container or bag for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Black candy melts are optional but recommended for achieving darker, more authentic Dallas Cowboys colors of blue and gray.
- Be gentle while shaking the powdered sugar bag to avoid breaking the cereal pieces.
- If cereal pieces stick together after drying, pull them apart and toss again in powdered sugar for separation.
- Store the puppy chow in an airtight container for freshness up to 2 days.
- You can adjust the amount of black candy melts added to customize the darkness of the blue and gray colors.
