Dried cranberries, white chocolate, crystallized ginger and orange flavors give this a winter holiday flavor blast. Addictive and easy to eat by the handful, you can call it puppy chow, muddy buddies, whatever you want – because no matter what, it’s delicious!
This is most definitely the easiest recipe I have on the site that emulates the flavor of Starbucks’ famous holiday treat. You only need 20 minutes before you can dive in and accidentally on purpose eat it all.
P.S.: I make so many cranberry recipes over the holidays, I find it worth it to buy dried cranberries in bulk(aff link). Same goes for white chocolate, and my personal favorite is Ghirardelli white chocolate chips(aff link). Highly recommend.
How this is different from traditional puppy chow
Unlike traditional puppy chow, there’s no peanut butter or chocolate present – just white chocolate to coat the Chex mix pieces, and then coated in powdered sugar. However, the white chocolate gets the addition of orange extract and ground cinnamon to ensure it’s sticking to every piece.
You’re going to want the biggest bowl you can find, because it gets more and more challenging as you add ingredients. If you watch the video in this post, you’ll notice that I most definitely need a bigger boat. I mean, bowl.
Maybe I should add that to the wedding registry. Of which, according to my little countdown calendar thing on my phone we only have 91 days until the wedding. Sweetbabyjesus, it’s comin’ up quick.
But you know what? I’m not nervous about it at all. There’s no stress, no nerves, no worries. I’m just excited, because we’re treating this like a big party with a bunch of our favorite people.
Speaking of parties, bring this to the next one on your calendar and watch how quickly you become everyone’s best friend.
Fair warning: You’ll then be asked to bring this to every party you attend from here on out. It’s a delicious burden to bear.
After you’ve made this recipe, please leave a comment below with a rating – and if you came from Pinterest, add a photo to the Pin of what you make to the pin to share your experience!
Dried cranberries, white chocolate, crystallized ginger and orange flavors give this a winter holiday flavor blast. Addictive and easy to eat by the handful, you can call it puppy chow, muddy buddies, whatever you want – because no matter what, it’s delicious!
Prep a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Melt white chocolate candy melts according to package directions (typically meaning to microwave at 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring after each until smooth.
Add orange extract and ground cinnamon, stir to combine.
Pour Chex into a large bowl and pour in your melted white chocolate mixture. Carefully stir and/or toss to combine and thoroughly coat.
Add powdered sugar and stir/toss to combine and coat.
Pour onto one of the prepared baking sheets and let set for at least 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine prepared Chex mixture with cranberries, ginger, white chocolate chips and orange peel (if using). Stir and/or toss to combine.
Store in an airtight container until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Oh what a timing, I have my puppy chow recipe ready to be posted and I see yours now. Perfect for holiday season. Looks absolutely gorgeous!
Natalie
Monday 19th of November 2018
This sounds so festive and so fun. My kiddo loves to snack and I bet he will be thrilled when I make him this. I'm saving this recipe to try. Beautiful mix of flavors. I love it.
Jagruti Dhanecha
Monday 19th of November 2018
Oh wow..I am sure my kids will go crazy for this! all the holiday flavours are just so amazing in this recipe.
Carrie Ditton
Sunday 18th of November 2018
What a wonderful blend for a holiday snack! I love everything you added into your puppy chow!
Julie
Sunday 18th of November 2018
I'm so intrigued by the crystallized ginger in there! I've never had a cranberry bliss bar (I don't drink coffee, so I never bother to go to Starbucks) -- is ginger a prominent flavor in "cranberry bliss"? It sounds so good!
Hi there! I’m Leslie and I use baking as an outlet for relieving stress and anxiety to provide you with easy to follow homemade recipes and a little humor. About Leslie >>
Jyothi (Jo)
Monday 19th of November 2018
Oh what a timing, I have my puppy chow recipe ready to be posted and I see yours now. Perfect for holiday season. Looks absolutely gorgeous!
Natalie
Monday 19th of November 2018
This sounds so festive and so fun. My kiddo loves to snack and I bet he will be thrilled when I make him this. I'm saving this recipe to try. Beautiful mix of flavors. I love it.
Jagruti Dhanecha
Monday 19th of November 2018
Oh wow..I am sure my kids will go crazy for this! all the holiday flavours are just so amazing in this recipe.
Carrie Ditton
Sunday 18th of November 2018
What a wonderful blend for a holiday snack! I love everything you added into your puppy chow!
Julie
Sunday 18th of November 2018
I'm so intrigued by the crystallized ginger in there! I've never had a cranberry bliss bar (I don't drink coffee, so I never bother to go to Starbucks) -- is ginger a prominent flavor in "cranberry bliss"? It sounds so good!