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    Home » Recipes » Holiday » Halloween » Cinnamon Witch Bits {Puppy Chow}

    LAST UPDATED: October 3, 2018 • FIRST PUBLISHED: October 22, 2013 By Toni Dash 6 Comments

    Cinnamon Witch Bits {Puppy Chow}

    Jump to Recipe

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Cinnamon Witch Bits puppy chow

    Before I began food blogging the only Puppy Chow I had heard of was made by Purina and it was indeed for dogs. Once blogging I have uncovered foods I never knew existed, Puppy Chow being one of them. It looked cute but since it was based on a coated cereal I looked no further due to the gluten content.

    I am obsessed with Halloween at the moment. Like I need a 12 step program obsessed. I’m plotting out the remaining blogging days until Halloween with a bit of sadness like I’ve heard brides have after planning their weddings for two years once it’s done (I eloped to Fiji and was married in a native wedding, in native garb on a beach; my wedding planning consisted of answering 5 questions on a fax and writing a check so I can’t relate to the wedding let down).

    Cinnamon Witch Bits puppy chow- from side

    I’ve added this year to my collection of spooky recipes with main dishes, drinks, sweets and felt a little snack was in order. I liked the Puppy Chow idea with a twist. I found myself wondering what type of snacks a witch would eat….

    For fun I looked up Puppy Chow on Wikipedia. I realized why it had slipped by West Coast and Rocky Mountain radar as it’s a very Midwest regional treat. There are multiple versions of Puppy Chow based on the cereal type used; Muddy Buddies is the official name if using Chex, and Sweet Minglers if using Crispix. Who knew?! Typically the cereal is coated with a melted chocolate and peanut butter mixture, and then tossed in confectioner’s sugar.

    My tween and I set out on an early morning quest to pull together a Halloween-inspired version of Puppy Chow for Witches (and humans of course). I had cinnamon in mind since Witches themselves are not particular sweet but have a bite. We were delighted to find gluten-free Chex cereal in a Cinnamon flavor. As you’d expect from mainstream breakfast cereals, it’s sweet; like, maybe-for-dessert-instead-of-breakfast sweet. Perfect for our Witch Bits.

    Cinnamon Witch Bits puppy chow from above

    Instead of chocolate, Pumpkin Spice Kisses caught our fancy and coupled with some butterscotch chips made a perfect coating. We wanted to add some extra items that might appeal to a Witch’s palate. I asked my tween ‘What do Witches eat do you think?’  Without skipping a beat he answered ‘Children’. We headed off to find some Sour Patch Kids, Worms and Red Hots seemed witchy too.

    I think our version is sure to sweeten up even the most wicked of witches! And delight little ghosts and goblins too.

    Cinnamon Witch Bits puppy chow in colander

    Cinnamon Witch Bits puppy chow

    Cinnamon Witch Bits {Puppy Chow}

    Witch Bits are a seasonal take on traditional Puppy Chow using cinnamon cereal coated with a mix of Pumpkin Spice Kisses and Butterscotch chips. Interlaced with candy any witch is sure to love makes this an easy, fun treat for any Halloween celebration.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Save Recipe Recipe Saved! Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings: 14 cups
    Calories: 276kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
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    Ingredients

    • 9 cups Cinnamon Chex Cereal (gluten-free) (approximately 1 ½ 13.5-ounce boxes)
    • ¼ pound (4 tablespoons) unsalted Butter
    • ½ cup Butterscotch Baking Chips
    • 1 package (10 ounces) Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses, unwrapped
    • 1 ½ cups Confectioner’s Sugar
    • Extra bits: Caramel Apple Sugar Babies (1-5 ounce box), Sour Patch Kids (2 3.5-ounce boxes), Hot Tamales (1-5 ounce box), Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers (1-5 ounce bag)

    Instructions

    • Place Chex in a large bowl.
    • In a double boiler (or in a metal bowl placed above a saucepan of boiling water) melt the butter.
    • Once butter is melted, add the butterscotch chips, stirring constantly until fully melted.
    • Add the Kisses and stir constantly until fully melted. Remove from heat immediately and pour over the Chex cereal. Toss to fully coat the cereal.
    • Place coated cereal in a 2 gallon zippered plastic bag. Pour in confectioner’s sugar, seal, to shake aggressively to fully coat the cereal. Turn the bag upside down and sideways to ensure all the sugar is absorbed onto the cereal.
    • Pour the mixture in a single layer onto wax paper. Allow to dry and harden (approximately 30-45 minutes). Note: an alternative to using a 2 gallon bag is to divide the mixture evenly between two 1 gallon zippered plastic bags, adding ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar to each bag and proceeding with the coating steps indicated above.
    • Place in a bowl and toss in extra candy.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 252mg | Potassium: 151mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 635IU | Vitamin C: 5.1mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 12.2mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @boulderlocavore or tag #boulderlocavore!
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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutrition Coach and the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavore®. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her seasonal recipes bring excitement to the dining table for both gluten-free and gluten diners. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Betsy @ Desserts Required says

      October 23, 2013 at 5:52 pm

      5 stars
      What a fun recipe. Your pics are fab!

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        October 24, 2013 at 9:17 am

        Thanks Betsy! It’s a fun recipe…..a bit addictive!

        Reply
    2. Valerie | From Valerie's Kitchen says

      October 23, 2013 at 8:51 am

      I saw this on Instagram and ran over hoping it would be here, and it is! How fun 🙂 I’m pretty obsessed with Halloween myself so I’m thrilled to see all these goodies here. What a great post!

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        October 23, 2013 at 10:39 am

        Thanks Valerie! I feel we are in the throes of the excitement with parties this weekend and the fun day next week! I’ll be posting a recipe round up in a few days that offers lots of easy, fun options for get togethers and for noshing on Halloween itself!

        Reply
    3. Rachel @the dessert chronicles says

      October 22, 2013 at 6:59 pm

      This is such a fun play on puppy chow! I love it!

      Reply
      • Toni Dash says

        October 23, 2013 at 10:37 am

        Thanks Rachel! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I love the cinnamon and spice flavors for fall! Thanks so much for commenting.

        Reply

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    About Toni Dash

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I’m a Certified Nutrition Coach and my goal is to MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER with delicious, well-tested recipes and travel tips! More About Me …

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