Is there a better combination than chocolate and peanut butter?  This recipe is a “healthified” version of typical puppy chow, but no less satisfying!  Crunchy and sweet with nothing but chocolatey peanut butter.  This recipe though, is much higher in protein and much lower in sugar than the typical.  Good thing, because this snack is very addicting!  I took it to work in a ziplock bag and munched on it while sipping coffee. Perfect!

Here it is:

Peanut Butter Love Puppy Chow

Makes 10 servings. Requires about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients:

½ cup  natural peanut butter

½ cup  chocolate hazelnut spread

¼ cup  vegetable oil-based tub butter

9 cups  rice chex

½ cup  PB2 (powdered peanut butter)**

½ cup  chocolate PB2

Directions:

1. Put 2 Tbsp of the butter in a small bowl with the peanut butter and microwave for about 20 seconds. Stir until well combined.
2. Put 2 Tbsp of the butter in a separate small bowl with the chocolate hazelnut spread and microwave for about 20 seconds. Stir until well combined.
3. Divide the rice chex in equal amounts into two separate large mixing bowls.
4. Pour the peanut butter mixture over one portion of the rice chex and pour the chocolate hazelnut spread over the other portion.
5. Stir each bowl of rice chex until mixtures are evenly coated over the cereal.
6. Add PB2 to a gallon-sized ziplock bag and chocolate PB2 to a separate gallon-sized ziplock bag.
7. Pour the peanut butter-coated chex into the chocolate PB2 bag and pour the chocolate hazelnut-coated chex into the regular PB2 bag.
8. Seal the bags and shake until cereals are evenly coated in the powders.
9. Pour contents of both bags into a large mixing bowl and combine.
10. Best when stored in air-tight container and refrigerated for 2 hours. Could add other mix-ins, such as chocolate-covered peanuts, plain peanuts, chocolate chips, etc.

Nutrition Facts: Serving size: 1 rounded cup: 305 calories, 14.5 grams of fat (4 grams of saturated fat), 375 mg sodium, 35.5 grams of carbohydrate (2 carb choices), 3.5 grams of fiber, 13.5 grams of sugar, 9 grams of protein

Nutrition Facts for typical puppy chow recipe: 390 calories, 18 grams of fat (9 grams of saturated fat), 325 mg sodium, 55.5 grams of carbohydrate (4 carb choices), 2 grams of fiber, 35 .5 grams of sugar, 4.5 grams of protein

**PB2 is a powdered form of peanut butter.  Most of the fat is removed, leaving mainly the protein content.  Usually found right be the regular peanut butter in the grocery store. This is the reason why this recipe is so much higher in protein than the regular version.  Instead of coating in powdered sugar, the cereal is basically coated in powdered protein!