Chef notes
This sweet centerpiece will add festive flair to your Christmas table. It's as much fun to make as it is to eat.
Swap option: You can substitute almond butter for peanut butter allergies. You can also add in a little peppermint extract to give your puppy chow a refreshing flavor. And when it comes to decoration, the sky is the limit.
Ingredients
- 8 cups rice Chex
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 bag jumbo or extra-large marshmallows
- Black icing pen
- Pretzel sticks, broken in half
- 1 Strawberry Fruit Roll-Up
- White cookie icing
- 2 orange Starburst chews
- 8-inch lollipop sticks (can cut down to vary height in display)
- Red and green M&M's
- Coconut flakes
- Foil–wrapped chocolate Santas
- Candy canes
- Marshmallow snowmen
- Edible glitter
Preparation
For the puppy chow:
1.Place cereal in a large bowl and set aside.
2.In a microwave proof bowl, melt white chocolate, butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Microwave for about 30 seconds, then stir, then 10 seconds more, repeat until smooth. Add in extract, if desired.
3.Pour melted chocolate mixture over cereal and stir until well coated.
4.Dump mixture into a large plastic bag, or a plastic container with a lid, and add the powdered sugar to thoroughly coat. Shake until covered (kids can get in on the fun by mixing this in smaller batches).
5.Dump onto a cookie sheet to let cereal cool. Place in the freezer to let chocolate coating firm up.
For the marshmallow snowmen:
1.To make a face, take one jumbo marshmallow and, using the icing pen, draw 5 or 6 dots to create a mouth and 2 dots for eyes
2.To create a carrot-shaped nose, use a small sharp knife to create tiny slivers of orange Starburst (about 1 centimeter long). To attach the "carrot," create a small slit on the snowman face in between the eyes and mouth and push the nose into place. Set aside to dry.
3.To make the body, use the icing pen to draw 2 or 3 buttons on another jumbo marshmallow.
4.To make the red scarf, cut slices of the Strawberry Fruit Roll Up, about 5 inches long and 1/4-inch thick. Create fringe by making tiny cuts about 1/4-inch long on each end of the Fruit Roll Up strips.
5.Take a plain jumbo marshmallow and slide it onto a lollipop stick. Next, take a little bit of white icing and apply it to the top of the bottom piece to help the next layer stick. Take a "body" piece and slide that on top of the plain marshmallow. Add a little more frosting to the snowman "body" and slide the "face" onto the lollipop stick.
6.Create two little slits in the side of the middle body marshmallow and stick in the pretzel "arms."
7.Finish the snowman by taking the Fruit Roll Up scarf and wrapping it around the base of the "face." You may moisten the rollup with a little bit of water to help it stick to itself.
To assemble:
Spoon heaping cups into serving dish and sprinkle with M&Ms and coconut flakes. Stick marshmallow snowmen and candy canes into the planter. Decorate with more M&Ms and dust the while scene with edible glitter.
