Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Puppy Chow

Simple 6-ingredient puppy chow made with white chocolate-coated crispy cereal, tossed in sweet strawberry cake mix, sprinkles, and powdered sugar, with a final drizzle of dark chocolate!

Ahhh…the first day of February. I don’t know about you, but I’m so ready for this winter business to be over with. And now that January 2016 is officially dunzo, I’m feeling livelier and more anxious than ever for spring to finally be in the air.

And yet, we still have at least ONE more month to get through before we’re even close to basking in the sun’s warm rays and long evening nights. Lucky for you though, February’s a month filled with love, appreciation, and most importantly….CHOCOLATE!!! Which brings me to….

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Puppy Chow!

With Valentine’s Day just a couple of weeks away, it’s time to start thinking of what you’re going to make for your sweetheart on this oh-so-special day of the year. Or in my case, what I’M going to make for MYSELF on this oh-so-special day of the year.

Who needs a boyfriend/husband/soulmate/love of their life, anyway?

Not me….

That’s for darn sure……..

So this Valentine’s Day, you’ll most likely find me lounging in my adult onesie, binge-watching Full House reruns while fantasizing about my future husband, John Stamos, and stuffing my face with this addictively sweet substitute for a boyfriend.

So why is this the perfect snack to drown your sorrows–I mean, make for your “love bug” this Valentine’s Day? Well not only is it super easy to make (just 6 ingredients!), but it’s also one of those treats where you can make and keep half (or more) for yourself without your loved one knowing a thing.

I say this because one taste of these crunchy, chocolate-coated squares of powdered sugar ecstasy will have you seriously considering rushing to the nearest store to buy one of those overpriced heart-shaped boxes of chocolates to replace the puppy chow you’d rather horde all for yourself. 

However, if you can resist the temptation, it MUST be true love…

Just a couple things to note about this recipe. When it comes to the sprinkles, I would recommend using nonpareils (the tiny confetti-looking balls) instead of the flatter-shaped sprinkles, like the hearts I used.

I added a mix of these pink nonpareils (pictured above) and multi-colored hearts and noticed that the nonpareils were much more visible than the hearts which disappeared after being shaken in the cake mix and powdered sugar. You might consider adding some sprinkles (such as the heart-shaped ones) immediately after drizzling the chocolate on top so that they have something to stick to and you can still see them.

You’ll also notice that I threw in a few of those pink strawberry-flavored wafer cookies which I cut into cute bite-sized triangles. 

If you want to leave them out, that’s totally fine. However, they definitely add more to this mix, both flavor-wise and appearance-wise.

And instead of serving your ordinary ho-hum snacks like chips and pretzels at your upcoming Super Bowl party this weekend, why not make a batch of this?

It may look a little too pink and girly for those manly macho football men, but as soon as they toss a handful in their mouth, they’ll quickly forget how pink and “girly” this treat might look.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Puppy Chow

Simple 6-ingredient puppy chow made with white chocolate-coated crispy cereal, tossed in sweet strawberry cake mix, sprinkles, and powdered sugar, with a final drizzle of dark chocolate!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 8 Cups

Ingredients

  

• 1 ½ cup strawberry cake mix
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 (12 oz) bag pink Candy Melts
• 6 cups chex cereal squares
• ⅔ cup sprinkles*
• strawberry wafer cookies (optional)
• 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Instructions

 

• In a large ziploc bag, add the cake mix and powdered sugar; set aside.
• In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat the candy melts in the microwave until smooth. Add the chex cereal and sprinkles, and stir until evenly coated.
• Pour chex mixture into the large ziploc bag, seal, and shake to coat. Discard excess powder, then pour puppy chow onto large baking sheet and scatter into an even layer. Sprinkle the optional wafer cookies over the puppy chow.
• Heat the chocolate in the microwave until smooth, then use a fork or spoon to drizzle over the puppy chow. Allow chocolate to set up before transferring puppy chow to a large bowl for serving.
• Store puppy chow in a sealed airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

*I would recommend using nonpareils (the little ball-shaped sprinkles) since they don't disappear once shaken in the powdered sugar.