This Easy 20 Minute Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix is a variation on a classic sweet cereal treat. This simple, microwaveable recipe is an easy one to do with kids. Corn cereal is lightly coated with a blend of melted white chocolate, peanut butter and pumpkin spice seasoning. It is then tossed in just the right amount of powdered sugar. Salted peanuts and colorful chocolate candies are then added to the cereal mixture.
If you grew up in the Midwest, chances are you are familiar with some version of this puppy chow recipe (or perhaps you knew it as muddy buddies). Whatever the name, this recipe is an easy way to engage kids in the kitchen around the holidays.
This festive snack mix can be made at Thanksgiving. I like to call it Turkey Bait for fun, but you could just as easily switch up the candy colors and call it Reindeer feed or some other silly name. Heck, make a game of it and let the kids come up with their own name and start a new family tradition at your house.
Jump to RecipeA snack by another name
Puppy chow, muddy buddy munch, reindeer chow – are just a few variations that this homemade, Midwest holiday confection is known by. If you grew up in Michigan, you probably had a family puppy chow recipe of your own. Although the name and ingredients may vary, the base typically starts with a crisp cereal (usually corn or rice squares), a coating made of chocolate and peanut butter and a generous dusting of powdered sugar – a very generous dusting, indeed.
I often talk about the odd ways recipe inspiration comes to me, and this recipe has a story of its own. My husband and I were visiting his parents one afternoon right before Thanksgiving when a rafter of wild turkeys strolled through their yard. We joked about which one would be best for Thanksgiving dinner. A bait pile was suggested for catching the right one and the idea for this recipe for Easy 20 Minute Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix was born – hence the nickname, “turkey bait”.
Easy 20 Minute Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix – Sufficiently sweet, crunchy, and festive
Similar to a classic puppy chow recipe, this mix begins with peanut butter and uses white chocolate to build a neutral base. Pumpkin spice seasoning is added to incorporate familiar fall flavors into this seasonal snack mix. Finally, salted peanuts and chocolate candies round out this easy sweet.
In terms of sweetness, this version uses considerably less powdered sugar (1/2 cup) as compared to similar recipes I came across that called for up to four times that amount. In developing this recipe, I started out using double the amount of powdered sugar, but the sweetness was overwhelming and prompted me to take a couple activated charcoal pills with a very tall glass of water before brushing my teeth. A 1/2 cup of powdered sugar is sufficient to keep the cereal from sticking. It also allows the peanut butter flavor and pumpkin spice seasoning to shine through.
So, how did we manage to get the sugar down so much? I will tell you. Once the cereal is coated in the chocolate and peanut butter mixture, it’s important to allow it to cool and harden for 15 minutes. The powdered sugar does serve a purpose. It helps keep everything from sticking together in one big glob. However, by allowing the coating to firm up on its own first, we are able to reduce the amount of powdered sugar needed to prevent sticking considerably. This recipe isn’t as snow white as some versions, but I rather like the fall colors of this mix.
Time well spent in the kitchen with kids
I don’t remember a time when my daughter wasn’t in the kitchen with me. When she was in her high chair, I’d slip her something new to try and watch her face as she experienced foods for the first time. Some things she’d gobble up right away. Others were slyly slipped or outright tossed to our dog, who was usually more than happy to help clean up whatever fell on the floor.
The time she spent in the kitchen was more than just a way to introduce her to new foods. Cooking together became a way to learn. We learned colors. We learned the difference between sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory. Baking was her first lesson in fractions (1/4 cup goes into a 1 cup measure four times and so on). She got to experiment in the kitchen. I can’t tell you how many rolls of banana sushi she and her daddy made together. Yes, it was exactly how it sounds – bananas wrapped in seasoned sushi rice and nori — and they were all “delicious”! Parents, raise your hands. You know exactly what I’m talking about.
I like to think those early years were a sort of foodie gateway for her. Any recipe that encourages children to get in the kitchen and play is a wonderful thing in my book. This recipe for Easy 20 Minute Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix is just one way to accomplish that. If you’re looking for something fun to do with the kiddos – especially when they are bursting with holiday excitement and anticipation – this version of a puppy chow recipe will keep them busy.
If you have a really little one, check out my post on Edible Finger Paint, in which tinted vanilla pastry cream becomes a tasty medium for little painters. It’s another way to bring children into the kitchen and to, frankly, play with their food.
NOTE: No Turkeys were captured or consumed using this mix as bait. That would just be silly.
Easy 20 Minute Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy12
servings5
minutes1
minute15
MinutesThis recipe yields approximately 6 cups of mix. A serving size is 1/2 cup.
Ingredients
- For the candy coating
1/2 cup white chocolate melts
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (you can use chunky peanut butter as well)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice mix
- For finishing the snack mix
5 cups corn Chex cereal
1/2 cup dry roasted, salted peanuts
1/2 cup plain chocolate candies – sort colors according to holiday
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Directions
- In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the white chocolate, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and pumpkin spice seasoning. Microwave ingredients for 15 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir. Return the bowl to the microwave for another 15 seconds and repeat the process until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is completely combined. Approximately 1 minute total.
- Add 5 cups of corn Chex cereal to the bowl and gently stir until the cereal is completely coated in the candy mixture. Spread out on a baking sheet or parchment paper to cool for 15 minutes.
- Once cooled, transfer the cereal mixture to a gallon-size zipper bag or place in a bowl with a tight fitting lid. Cover the mixture with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, close the bag (or container) and shake gently to ensure the cereal is completely coated with the powdered sugar.
- Transfer the mixture to a container for storage and mix in the peanuts and chocolate candies.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Notes
- Can I use a different cereal? This recipe was developed with the flavor of corn Chex, but I also tried rice Chex in early versions with good results. Although I prefer the flavor of corn cereal for this recipe, you can use rice or other flavors as well.
- Can I add more pumpkin spice seasoning? I landed on 1/2 tsp. of pumpkin spice seasoning in this mix because I found that at 1 tsp. the spice flavors start to really fight with the peanut butter instead of complimenting each other. You can increase the pumpkin spice to taste, but I recommending starting at 1/2 tsp. and adding 1/8 tsp. at a time when melting the candy coating in order to achieve the desired amount of spice.
