Christmas Exchange: Cookies and Cream Puppy Chow

The Christmas season is officially upon us. It's hard to believe it's already that time of year again, seriously wasn't it just Halloween? I love Christmas time. Everyone seems a little bit nicer, I love all the twinkling lights and I get to bake to my hearts content! I spent the afternoon up to my eyeballs in cookie dough and puppy chow and my house smelt AMAZING. Seriously baking is better than any air freshener or candle out there. 

It's been a tradition since my freshmen year of college that the week after Thanksgiving my friends and I have our Christmas exchange. The rules are simple, you cannot buy a gift for anyone it has to be homemade. Buying ingredients or supplies are allowed, but just plain buying a gift isn't. It's a really fun way for us to show our love to one another and express ourselves. I love baking so I bake treats for everyone, others do arts and crafts kinds of stuff there's all kinds of things and it's a lot of fun.

This year I threw a twist on puppy chow. Last year it was a major hit with my friends so I made a GIGANTIC batch this year with some really fun cookies for each of the girls. I also made a few extra sets to give to some of my friends that aren't part of the exchange. While the puppy chow was cooling my mom kept stealing some and finally told me to get it away from her because she would eat the entire batch if it wasn't out of sight soon! It's always a sign of a great recipe when someone can't stop eating it!

Cookies Puppy Chow

• 5 cups GF Chex cereal
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 8-10 Oreos broken into pieces
• *1/3 cup butter
• *1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Cream Puppy Chow

• 5 cups GF Chex cereal
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 8-10 Oreos broken into pieces
• *1/3 cup butter
• *1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

(*NOTE: You can leave out the butter and peanut butter and just use chocolate chips and white chocolate chips, however I have found that the peanut butter and butter combo makes the puppy chow creamier and help the powdered sugar stick better than chocolate alone)

In two microwave safe mixing bowls add chocolate baking chips in one bowl white chocolate chips in the other, broken oreos, butter, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Microwave one bowl at a time for one minute, take out stir, then microwave for thirty seconds, take out stir again making sure all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Microwave for an additional thirty seconds.

Then take contents of mixing bowl and pour into one of the Ziploc bags. Seal Ziploc bag, double check to make sure the bag is tightly sealed, then shake! Shake for one to two minutes until all the chex cereal is coated in the liquid chocolate and crumbled oreos. 

After all the chex is coated in the liquid chocolate and peanut butter mixture, open the Ziploc bag and pour in the powdered sugar. Seal the bag back up and shake! Shake hard, not too hard to break open the bag, but hard enough to coat all the cereal with the powdered sugar. Rotating the bag around helps distribute the powdered sugar around.

Once all the chex is coated in powdered sugar pour the puppy chow onto a lined baking sheet to cool. 

Repeat steps with the other bowl of chocolate. Spread this mixture on a separate lined baking sheet and all to cool.

Once the puppy chow is cool mix I mixed in additional crumbled oreos in each mixture and red and green M&M's into the cream puppy chow. Do not add the M&M's in while the puppy chow is warm or the M&M's will melt.

In a giant mixing bowl combine cookies and cream mixtures. I placed mine in containers in a box with a set of funfetti chocolate chip sugar cookies (I'll post that recipe soon) for the traditional Christmas exchange with my friends.