Cupcake Puppy Chow

{with no cake mix}

I’m really sorry for doing this to you.  No really, I am. Sort of.

I’m putting you in danger of the world’s most addicting snack.  If you like cupcakes, you’ll like this.  If you like white chocolate, you’ll like this.  If you like sprinkles… holy moly batman… you will LOVE this.

If you’re human, you will like this.

PS: this is NOT dog food.  Puppy Chow aka Muddy Buddies is this.

I have received many, many, many requests for a new puppy chow variety.  Last summer, I brought you S’mores Puppy Chow.  Over the holidays, I brought you Peppermint Crunch Puppy Chow.  You (and certainly I) LOVE this stuff.  It was only a matter of time until I added sprinkles.

I made this chow just last night and I couldn’t wait one stinkin’ second to share it with you.  It would be considered a crime if I made you wait.

The idea of this puppy chow came to me at work yesterday.  It’s true, I daydream about sprinkles.  I’ve seen Cake Batter/Funfetti Puppy Chow being done several times before.  Most recipes I see call for powdered cake mix.

I went off the beaten path and came up with my own version, sans cake mix. 

Today’s treat tastes like cupcakes.  Buttery, funfetti cupcakes infused with sugary sprinkles.  Slightly crunchy, very powdery, and covered in my magic “cupcake” formula.

First, make the cupcake formula.  The gooey sweet stuff to be poured all over your Chex cereal.  Begin by melting 1/4 cup butter, 3 Tbsp heavy cream, and 10 ounces of white chocolate candy melts over low heat in a saucepan.  Stir everything constantly until the white chocolate is melted.  The mixture will be buttery and “goopy” – very thick and very dense.  If you are questioning its thickness, stop.  It is supposed to be thick.

Remove the white chocolate/cream/butter mixture from the stove and stir in 2 magical ingredients:butter emulsion and almond emulsion. You can use butter extract and almond extract instead.

I used almond emulsion and butter extract, as shown in the photo below.  When exposed to high heat, the alcohol in extracts causes the white chocolate to seize, so the heavy cream is used to prevent the chocolate from seizing.  If you’d like to purchase alcohol-free based flavorings, I recommend the bakery emulsions that I linked above.

If you’d rather make this puppy chow without purchasing emulsions or extracts, simply leave them out.  The puppy chow, coated in white chocolate and sprinkles, will still taste like and look like funfetti I promise. 

Stir in 1 generous teaspoon of almond extract/emulsion and 1 teaspoon of butter extract/emulsion (pure or imitation are fine).  Things will begin to smell like cupcake batter in your kitchen at this point. 

I used almond extract/emulsion and butter extract/emulsion instead of vanilla because I find that the two mixed together bring an impeccable “batter” flavor to the recipe.  You may certainly use vanilla extract/emulsion as well (1 teaspoon), but do NOT leave out the butter or almond.

Pour the mixture over 4.5 cups of Rice Chex cereal.  Using more cereal than 4.5 cups means less cupcake white chocolate in each bite.  Since the mixture is so thick, you’ll really have to stir it into the cereal. Careful not to break the cereal as you mix it up.

Everything will be warm since the white chocolate mixture just came from the stovetop.  Wait a couple minutes before pouring on your sprinkles.  Not too long, or else they won’t stick.  Cover the coated cereal with assorted sprinkles.

Now comes the fun part!  Grab a large zipped top bag, add 1.5 cups of powdered sugar, pour in the coated cereal and shake.  Shake shake shake until all the cereal pieces are coated in sugar.  Just wait until you taste what’s inside that bag!

If you thought shaking the cereal in powdered sugar was fun, what until you take that first bite. Oh my lanta.  You have just made the best cupcake-y snack in the entire world.  I realize cupcake-y is not a word, but I can hardly focus on anything but puppy chow right now.

I like to think I have a large amount of self control, but this is something I could NOT stop picking at.  I even had a handful before breakfast this morning and again after my run. Scary  addictive. Consider this your warning.

PS: this stuff is very sweet. another warning for ya. 

An easy, no bake recipe that only takes about 15 minutes.  Dangerous, I tell you.

Put your party hats on, get your balloons ready because having this recipe is certainly something to celebrate! Now, excuse me while I go eat this for the rest of my life.

 *1/28/13: Edited to add  – the puppy chow will not be as crunchy on day two.  If you prefer your puppy chow to remain crunchy, simply leave out the butter and melt the white chocolate or almond bark according to package instructions  before adding the extracts/emulsions.

Print

Cupcake Puppy Chow

makes 4.5 cups

Ingredients

• 4.5 cups Rice Chex cereal (do not use Crispex)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter
• 3 Tablespoons heavy cream (no substitutions)
• 10 oz white chocolate candy melts or almond bark (not white chocolate chips)
• 1 teaspoon almond emulsion or extract (please see note below)
• 1 teaspoon butter emulsion or extract (please see note below)
• 2/3 cup assorted sprinkles
• 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Pour the cereal in a large bowl, set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, cream, and white chocolate. Stir constantly until the white chocolate is fully melted. The mixture will be very thick and buttery. Remove from heat. Stir in almond extract and butter extract.
3. Pour warm white chocolate mixture over cereal. Stir it all together gently, making sure not to break the cereal. Wait about 3-4 (no longer) minutes and gently fold in the sprinkles - you don't want the sprinkles to lose their color.
4. In a large zipped top bag or covered container, add the powdered sugar. Pour the white chocolate covered cereal into the large bag or container. Seal the bag or container and shake until all the cereal is coated with the powdered mixture.
5. Discard excess powder and enjoy. Store at room temperature up to 2 weeks - please see note (in red) above about the "crunch" factor.

Notes

*You can always make the puppy chow without emulsions/extracts still maintaining a funfetti look and basic flavor.

Recipe source: sallysbakingaddiction.com

© Sally’s Baking Addiction. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.

{love my new wall art from my mom. still need to hang it!}

Today’s recipe calls for butter extract.  

Butter extract is a key ingredient in my Cake Batter Sugar Cookies.  These are cake-battered, sprinkle overloaded cookies made without cake mix.

Do you love funfetti as much as I do?

Try my Easy Funfetti Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream.  A homemade funfetti cupcake that takes about 30 minutes. Easier than a box, I promise!

 Puppy Chow freak?  

Try my S’mores Puppy Chow!

Cake Batter Lover?

Try my Golden Oreo Cake Batter Blondies.