GIFTS FROM THE KITCHEN: "Puppy Chow"

 Image by Salvatore Vuono/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I know I promised to post at least one quick and easy homemade gift idea each week, and since the week's almost over I suppose I better get on with this week's installment.

This is another recipe that can be prepared in just a few minutes with a short list of ingredients. This is a good one for kids to help with as (unlike last week's recipe) there's no scalding hot sugar involved!

While this recipe title makes it sound like it's meant for our canine friends, it's most definitely for people - ones who love the peanut-butter-and-chocolate combo. We sometimes tag this as "Reindeer Droppings" for Christmas gifting (kids in particular will find this amusing). Whatever you call it, it won't last long!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
8 cups Crispix or Rice Chex cereal (we use Crispix)
2 cups icing sugar

Instructions:
Melt the butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a medium saucepan (or in a bowl in the microwave). Measure the cereal out into a large bowl, then pour the melted chocolate mixture over top, stirring until evenly coated. Put the icing sugar in a large plastic bag, then add the cereal and toss until well coated with sugar (you can also use a large reusable container with a tightly fitting lid for this step). Store in an airtight container. Warning: highly addictive!

If you missed last week's recipe for Candied Peanuts, you can find it here.

(Note: I will be coming back and adding photos of the actual recipes to each post as I make them; I'm making a batch of Candied Peanuts this weekend so I'll be adding that one soon!)