(c) Robin Grose
Robin: I made a first version of this in October of 2016 and took it in to work. Now, Ed and I live in South Florida—a huge salad bowl of people of different cultures, cuisines, and languages—and plenty of things that might seem ordinary to folks back in the good ol’ Midwest (where I grew up) are little known here. Case in point, this autumn spice snack mix; when I took it in to share with my colleagues, no one knew what it was. They were unfamiliar with this sort of treat and freaked out a little when I called it “puppy chow.” Once they got over the name and decided to try it, though, they wolfed it down. (See what I did there? Lol)
If you, too, are unfamiliar with it, be assured that, although it’s called “puppy chow”, it is actually people chow. (It also goes by the names muddy buddies and monkey munch, depending on where you are and who is making it.) A gajillion different versions of it exist for different holidays and occasions. The colors and particular candies change, but the “base” of it all is generally some sort of breakfast cereal coated with white chocolate and powdered sugar. Ironically, I was inspired to create this variation that showcases autumn colors and flavors here in an area of the country where we don’t really even experience autumn. Go figure!
- Try my Mexican Puppy Chow, as well.
- Another great fall-weather recipe:Autumn Vegetable Chili
Note: This recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice. You can buy that already mixed or make your own blend by stirring together 4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons of ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of ground cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg. If making your own, by all means adjust these quantities to your own preferences or to what you have on hand at the time.
Autumn Spice Puppy Chow
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 14 ounces white chocolate chips or white chocolate candy coating (about 400 grams)
- 6 cups doughnut-shaped oat cereal Cheerios or similar
- 1 cup candy corn
- 1 cup pumpkin-shaped gummy candies
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup pumpkin spice chips or caramel chips
- ½ cup small red cinnamon candies such as Red Hots
- ½ cup toasted and salted pumpkin seed kernels
Instructions
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Pour the powdered sugar and the pumpkin pie spice into a large zip-top plastic bag and mix it well.
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Melt the white chocolate, using either the microwave or a double boiler on the stove. Be careful not to scorch it.
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Pour the cereal into a large glass or metal mixing bowl. Carefully pour the melted white chocolate over the cereal, then stir it, using a rubber scraper in gentle folding motions, until all of the cereal is coated.
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Scoop the coated cereal into the plastic bag. Seal the bag, then shake it around so that the cereal now becomes thoroughly coated with the sugar mixture. (You may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of the bag.)
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Pour the white-chocolate-and-sugar-coated cereal into a clean bowl. If it’s still warm, allow it to sit until cooled to room temperature.
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Add the rest of the ingredients and stir gently.
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Serve your delicious Autumn Spice Puppy Chow from the big bowl, or scoop into individual dishes or baggies. Store any leftovers in an airtight container; this will keep well for a week or so.
Recipe Notes
This type of snack easily lends itself to changes due to personal taste. Some ideas:
- Switch out some or all of the plain oat cereal for a flavored variety, such as pumpkin spice or apple-flavored cereal rings.
- Stir in some of your favorite nuts.
- Trade the chocolate chips for M&Ms in autumn colors.
- Add some Hot Tamales or other cinnamon-flavored gummy candy, either in addition to or instead of the hot cinnamon candies
- Get more bang for your buck by stirring in a few more cups of plain (non-coated) cereal together with the candies; this will give you a greater volume of mix for just a few cents more.
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