How to make Puppy Chow

So you just finished an online assignment and you look at your watch and sigh.  It is 11:00pm which means the campus dining facility has just closed. While your stomach is rumbling with hunger you desperately search your room for something to eat, preferable something sweet and close to homemade. As any college student you are pressed for money, so that takes out the option of take out or delivery. Closing the fridge in frustration you begin to wonder what you could make in your dorm with only a microwave. Searching through your dorm you start to find things like peanut butter, Chex cereal, and chocolate chips. All of a sudden a memory from home hits you-- Puppy Chow the familiar go to treat! Puppy chow is an easy to make sweet and salty combination snack. It also is an inexpensive and easy snack to make that only requires a microwave. Your hunger problem is solved by knowing how to make puppy chow, by giving you an alternative to campus dining with the limited resources you have as a college student.

Supplies needed

• ·         Microwave
• ·         Large Microwavable bowl ( Make sure that the bowl fits in the microwave)
• ·          2 large zip lock bags ( Make sure they have a good seal, or you and your room will be covered in powder sugar)
• ·         Measuring cups (1 cup, ½ cup, and ¼ cup, a multiple measurement cup can be used also as long as it has the needed measurements)
• ·         Spatula (small flexible plastic tool with a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, and spread food)
• ·         4 cup Chex Cereal ( the store brand is appropriate) 
• ·         1 cup chocolate chips
• ·          1/2 cup CREAMY peanut butter  (crunchy will make for a strange texture)
• ·         1/4 cup butter
• ·          1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• ·         2 cups powdered sugar( may need more just have a whole bag in reserve in case you need more)
• ·          butter knife
• ·         Oven mitt

Step 1 Gathering and combining materials

It is now time to begin mixing together the materials for you puppy chow. Put 1 cup of chocolate chips, ¼ cup of butter ( the lines on the butter stick will indicate where ¼ of a cup is just simply use a butter knife and cut there), ½ cup of CREAMY peanut butter ( use the spatula for getting the peanut butter out of the jar) and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla into the microwavable bowl.
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This is how your bowl should look at this point

Step 2: Cooking/ Melting

After the placing all the materials in the bowl it is now time to start the cooking process. Microwave the materials, just combined in the bowl for,1 minute. Using an oven mitt (the bowl could be hot) take the bowl out of the microwave, using the spatula stir the mixture, if the mixture is smooth ( the chocolate chips aren’t chips and the butter is no longer in a cube) then the melting process is over, if not then put the mixture back in the microwave in for 30 seconds and then once again to stir the mixture and check to see if its melted. Repeat the 30 second  cooking and stirring until it is melted (make sure not to overcook the mixture, the chocolate will burn) ( see photo for correct consistency)

            

In the microwave                                                After 1 minute, before mixing

After stirring, this is constancy your should have

Step 3: Mixing in the Chex

Now that your puppy chow chocolate mixture is at the correct consistency its time to add in the chex. Add 1 cup of Chex at a time to the mixture, stir in the cereal, when all 4 cups have been added and are properly covered with the chocolate mixture (see photo for correct coverage) you are done mixing

Step 4 Adding the Powered Sugar

Now it is time to place the chocolate covered cereal into a bag and add in the powder sugar. Fold the top over on the zip lock bag and use the spatula to scoop ½ of the Chex mixture into the bag, do the same process in the second bag (this will allow for a better coverage of powdered sugar).  Add 1 cup of powder sugar into each bag. Close and seal the bag ( Make sure the bag is sealed tightly)

    

Before mixing in powder sugar
              

Step 5 Shake the bag

Now the fun starts, time to shake up some puppy chow. Take the SEALED bag and shake it as to cover with powder sugar after about 3 minutes of shaking check to see the coverage of powered sugar, compare the coverage with the photo below. If the coverage is comparable you are done, if not add ½ cup of powdered sugar, SEAL the bag, and continue to shake for another 3 minutes, repeat this process until the coverage is correct and comparable to the photo

Step 6 Enjoy Your Puppy Chow!

This process is a fool-proof alternative to the late night or really anytime hunger of a college student. Three college students tested the process and successfully made puppy chow in a dorm room (the microwave in the dorm kitchen didn’t work) with materials "borrowed" from home. This is a cheap and convenient alternative to expensive pizza and other delivery options. This sweet and salty snack brings back to joy of childhood, solving homesickness and hunger.