Movie Night Puppy Chow
Dark chocolate puppy chow meets the sweet-and-salty glory of popcorn snack mix to create this delicious treat that’ll be a must-make for your next movie night.
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Table of Contents
- About Movie Night Puppy Chow
- But wait, what is puppy chow?
- What are the other names for puppy chow?
- What’s in movie night puppy chow?
- What else can you add?
- How long is puppy chow good for?
- Can you freeze popcorn puppy chow mix?
- Notes & tips for this puppy chow
- More movie night snacks
- Other delicious puppy chow recipes
- How to make movie night puppy chow
- Recipe Details
About Movie Night Puppy Chow
For the perfect combination of sweet-and-salty with soft-and-crunchy, look no further than this delectable movie night puppy chow. Easy to make and fun to customize, this delicious combination of all your favorite snacks will quickly become a staple for watching your favorite movies!
But wait, what is puppy chow?
Despite the fun-sounding name, this recipe isn’t for the dogs – it’s for anyone who loves a sweet and crunchy treat with the slightest hint of salt. Some regions of the United States also call this treat muddy buddies or even monkey bunch.
Ultimately, “puppy chow” refers to any recipe made with Chex cereal that’s been coated in various sweet candies and sugars. It has roots in the central US and gets its name for resembling puppy chow – just for humans.
And no matter what flavor of puppy chow you’re making, you’ll ultimately have three types of ingredients:
- Chex cereal
- Something that’s tacky, like melted chocolate.
- Something that’s powdery, like sugar or dry cake mix.
And as far as instructions, you’ll usually follow the same three steps:
- Coat the Chex cereal with the tacky ingredients.
- Toss the coated Chex cereal in the dry ingredients.
- Let the finished puppy chow cool and harden.
What are the other names for puppy chow?
Depending on where you’re from, you might have learned to call this sweet-and-crunchy treat by another name. Here are some of the most popular:
- Monkey Munch
- Muddy Buddies
- Muddy Munch
- Reindeer Chow
What’s in movie night puppy chow?
- Dark chocolate puppy chow – Made special just to enjoy with this recipe! Includes Chex cereal, dark chocolate, and dry vanilla and chocolate fudge pudding mix as the coating.
- Movie theater popcorn – Can be either popped from a bag, purchased at your favorite movie theater, or a homemade version.
- Candy and snacks – Includes up to three cups of classic sweet and savory snacks for a movie night. This particular recipe recommends M&M’s, Peanut M&M’s, chocolate-covered pretzels, Buncha Crunch, Reese’s Pieces, and Milk Duds.
What else can you add?
The best part about this puppy chow and popcorn snack mix combination is that it’s easy to customize with all your favorite sweet or salty snacks. The recipe here provides you with some ideas to get you started, but feel free to go crazy with creating your own delicious flavor combinations.
The only thing I’d recommend is keeping the following ratio:
For every 4 1/2 cups of popcorn and 6 cups of puppy chow, add up to 3 cups of other sweets and snacks.
The above should give you the perfect mix of salty butter popcorn, crispy sweet puppy chow, and all your favorite mix-ins.
And if you’re looking for more ideas of what to add, check out this list for inspiration:
- Cheez-its
- Whoppers
- Other types of M&M’s, such as peanut butter, mint, butterscotch, etc
- Sno-Caps
- Mini Rolo’s
- Chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc
- Sprinkles
- Caramel popcorn
- Raisinets
- Kettle corn
- Junior Mints
- Cracker Jacks or Crunch ‘n Munch
- Peanuts, any type
- Bugles
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
- Pretzels
- Mini marshmallows or dehydrated miniature marshmallows
- Other types of cereal, like Cheerios, Corn Flakes, etc
How long is puppy chow good for?
Once prepared, this movie night snack and be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to five days.
Can you freeze popcorn puppy chow mix?
Bad news here, guys. Because the popcorn will become soggy from defrosting, I can’t recommend freezing this fun treat. For best results, plan on enjoying it while it’s freshly made.
Notes & tips for this puppy chow
- For a milder taste, substitute the dark chocolate candy melts for milk chocolate candy melts or white candy melts.
- If you’d rather not use the dry pudding mix for coating the puppy chow, you can substitute this for roughly two cups of powdered sugar.
More movie night snacks
Other delicious puppy chow recipes
How to make movie night puppy chow
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – Begin to make the puppy chow by melting the dark chocolate candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl until smooth.
Step 2 – Add the Chex cereal to a 13-quart mixing bowl, then pour the melted chocolate on top. Use a spatula to gently toss and coat the Chex in chocolate.
Step 3 – Add both of the instant pudding mixes to a Ziploc bag, then gently massage and shake the bag until the ingredients are combined. Working in batches, scoop in a portion of the coated Chex cereal, seal the bag, then shake to coat the cereal in powdered sugar. Repeat this step until all the puppy chow is coated.
Step 4 – Spread the puppy chow out on a flat surface (like a baking sheet) and allow it to cool, dry, and set.
Step 5 – Once the puppy chow is set, pop the movie theater popcorn per the instructions on the bag, then allow it to cool.
Step 6 – When ready to serve, add all of the following ingredients to a large bowl: prepared dark chocolate puppy chow, movie theater popcorn, M&M’s, Peanut M&M’s, chocolate-covered pretzels, Buncha Crunch, Reese’s Pieces, and Milk Duds. Use a clean spatula to gently toss and mix.
Step 7 – Serve and enjoy!
Movie Night Puppy Chow
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Puppy Chow
Popcorn Snack Mix
Instructions
For the Dark Chocolate Puppy Chow
- Set a baking sheet nearby and cover with parchment paper (optional).
- In a Ziploc bag (gallon sized), add instant vanilla pudding mix and instant chocolate pudding mix. Gently massage and toss bag to combine ingredients, then set aside.3.4 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix, 3.4 ounces instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add dark chocolate candy melts. Microwave for 30 seconds on 50% power, then stir. Continue to heat for 15-second intervals, mixing in between, until candy melts are smooth.10 ounces dark chocolate candy melts
- Add Chex cereal to a 13-quart mixing bowl. Pour melted dark chocolate on top and gently stir with a spatula until all Chex cereal is coated.6 cups Chex cereal
- Working in batches (about 1-2 cups at a time), add coated Chex cereal to prepared bag with pudding mixes, seal or twist top of bag closed, and then shake bag until Chex cereal is coated. Remove finished puppy chow and spread out on prepared baking sheet. Repeat step until all puppy chow is made. When finished, discard plastic bag and any dry pudding mix that remains inside.
- Let puppy chow cool, dry, and set, about 1 hour.
For the Popcorn Snack Mix
- Microwave popcorn according to package instructions, then set aside to cool, about 10-20 minutes.4 1/4 cups movie theater popcorn
- In a large bowl, add prepared dark chocolate puppy chow, popcorn, M&M’s, Peanut M&M’s, chocolate covered pretzels, Buncha Crunch, Reese’s Pieces, and Milk Duds. Use a spatula to gently toss and mix everything together.1/2 cup M&M’s, 1/2 cup Peanut M&M’s, 1/2 cup chocolate-covered pretzels, 1/2 cup Buncha Crunch, 1/2 cup Reese’s Pieces, 1/2 cup Milk Duds
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
