The delicious sweetness of glazed circus animal cookies, pink frosting, and white chocolate mixed with the satisfying crunch of Chex cereal make this recipe Food for circus animals puppies essential! Make this easy dessert recipe for your kids to eat during the winter holidays today!
I have an irrepressible sweet tooth, I can’t deny it. This candied version of the classic Midwestern snack we call “puppy food” may be a new favorite as it contains one of my favorite childhood cookies. Even better, it’s super easy to make.
Puppy Chow vs. Muddy Buddies
Depending on where you live, you may call these types of sweet Chex-based recipes by different names. Puppy Chow has been around for decades! But around 2002, Chex noticed the popularity of this sweet snack mix and began including a “Muddy Buddies” recipe on cereal boxes. You may also hear it called “muddy chew,” “monster chew,” or even “reindeer food.”
Once you dig into this easy snack combo, like this one S’Mores Puppy FoodYou’ll want to come back for more and make it for ALL occasions! It really is irresistible.
Circus Animal Puppy Food Ingredients
You only need a handful of common ingredients to prepare these delicacies. Note that the flavor profile is different than traditional puppy food, which uses milk chocolate and peanut butter. You won’t need them for this recipe.
Gather the following things:
- chex rice cereal
- Circus Animal Frosted Cookies
- White candy melts (I used Wiltons) or vanilla almond bark
- Icing sugar
- Rainbow like no other
- white chocolate chips
- Red gel food coloring (I prefer unflavored brands)
Can I use a different type of cereal in this recipe?
I love using rice cereal squares in this recipe because they are a great base for any other flavor due to the mild flavor of the rice. However, any type of cereal square would do.
Is Circus Animal Puppy Chow gluten-free?
Many of the ingredients in this recipe are gluten-free. Wilton Rice Cereal, Candy Melts, and White Chocolate Chips are gluten-free. Powdered sugar is usually gluten-free, but sometimes uses wheat starch to prevent it from clumping, so check the ingredients list.
However, traditional frozen circus animals are not gluten-free. If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, try finding Lieber’s Frosted Animal Crackers, sold at many Kroger stores. You can also look at any local specialty grocery store.
How to make puppy food
Here is a simple recipe that you can prepare to have these sweets in your mouth before your craving runs out!
The first step is to place the Chex cereal in a large bowl and set it aside. Pulse 1 ½ cups glazed animal crackers in a food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. If necessary, you can put them in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin.
Chop or crush the remaining circus cookies into small pieces and set aside for later.
In a separate microwave-safe bowl or double boiler, melt the melted white chocolate according to package directions. Then pour the melted caramel over the rice cereal and use a rubber spatula to mix evenly. The mixture will be hot, so don’t use your hands.
Top mixture with circus animal cracker crumbs and sprinkles, followed by powdered sugar. To help evenly coat the cereal, I like to add the cereal mixture to a large Tupperware container with a lid before sprinkling on the mixtures and powdered sugar. Then, close the lid tightly and shake until everything is coated and well combined.
If you don’t have a large enough container, you can use large plastic bags. Just close it and shake it well to combine everything.
Add the remaining frosted and chopped animal cracker pieces. Serve the puppy food as is or decorate it with pink icing following the next step.
Make Pink Icing Mix for Puppy Chow
To make the pink frosting, melt ⅓ cup white chocolate chips according to package directions and add a few drops of red gel food coloring until desired color is reached. Spread the puppy food on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then drizzle the melted white chocolate over the puppy food before serving and enjoy! This could be the children’s gift of my dreams!
Storing Leftover Food for Circus Animal Puppies
This candy will keep well in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature, or for 2 to 3 months in the freezer. Eat some now and save some for Valentine’s Day!
Other dessert recipes with circus animals
I wasn’t kidding when I said these little glazed cookies are a favorite childhood treat. They are delicious as part of these. Circus Animal Cracker Dream Bars. I also can’t get enough of these Rice Krispie Treats with Circus Animal Crackers!
All cereal delights
It’s so much fun to make delicious treats with your everyday cereal. If you loved this recipe, try another sweet version with Funfetti Puppy Food. How about cereal on cookies? Make these Fruity Pebble Cookies to give it a crunchy fruity touch. For a chocolate treat, these No-Bake Peanut Butter Smores Cookies Make great use of Golden Graham cereal. And of course, we have all kinds of variations of Rice Krispie Treats you can find. here. Which is your favorite?
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Food for circus animals puppies
The delicious sweetness of glazed circus animal cookies, pink frosting, and white chocolate mixed with the satisfying crunch of Chex cereal make this recipe Food for circus animals puppies essential! Make a batch of this today for your kids to snack on during winter break!
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Instructions
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Place chex cereal in a large mixing bowl. Crush 1 ½ cups frozen circus animal cookies to fine crumbs in a food processor or crush in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin. Chop or crush the remaining animal crackers and set aside.
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In a separate bowl, melt melted white chocolate according to package directions. Pour the melted chocolate over the Chex mixture and use a spatula to mix evenly. Don’t try to use your hands, the mixture will be hot)
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Top mixture with circus animal cracker crumbs and sprinkles. Continue with the powdered sugar. To coat evenly, you can shake the mixture into a Ziploc bag or large Tupperware container.
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Add the rest of the frosted and chopped circus animal cookies. Serve as is or decorate with pink icing following the next step.
To make pink chocolate frosting
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Melt ⅓ cup white chocolate chips according to package directions and add a few drops of red gel food coloring until desired color is reached. Drizzle over the top of your puppy food before serving and enjoy!
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To store, keep slimy friends in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature or up to 2-3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Calories: 640calories | Carbohydrates: 97gram | Protein: 6gram | Fat: 25gram | Saturated fats: 10gram | Polyunsaturated fats: 6gram | Monounsaturated fats: 6gram | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 496mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 2gram | Sugar: 45gram | Vitamin A: 566UI | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 11mg
