The Green Earth Girl

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May 2nd, 2011

Okay, first things first – I gave in and got a twitter. If you’re curious to hear my daily food rantings, including what I’m cooking and reading, follow @aKatieWalker, I would love to actually have some followers. If not, keep reading to learn about Puppy Chow. Don’t let the name deceive you – puppy chow is a delicious human treat beloved in pre-schools across the country for its chocolate-peanut-buttery goodness. It also satisfies the dream of many five-year-olds that they are, in fact, animals (something many parents would not disagree with).  Unfortunately puppy chow, in its original form, is neither healthy nor organic. But my new, grown-up version is less obviously sweet with more interesting flavors. The kids will still love it, if the adults don’t eat it first.

The biggest challenge in converting the recipe was finding organic equivalents, especially for the checked wheat cereal (whose name shall not be mentioned here). After much searching, I found Cascadian Farms’ Multi Grain Squares, which were denser than the cereal they were conscripted to replace, meaning they didn’t get soggy during the process (organic bonus!). They also, before being slathered in chocolate and peanut butter, tasted great. I used Dagoba baking chocolate, which I’ve used before and loved. And for the peanut butter, I found a handy contraption at the local Fresh Market. I flipped a switch and peanuts were ground into fresh peanut butter for me. This peanut butter tasted so much better, so much more peanut-y because it didn’t have extra oil or sugar added in.

Katie’s Organic Puppy Chow

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh ground peanut butter

6 ounces semi-sweet organic baking chocolate

1/2 cup organic unsalted butter

1 box (9 cups) organic check cereal, wheat or rice

2 cups organic powdered sugar

Directions

1. Melt chocolate, peanut butter, and butter in a small sauce pan or double boiler over medium heat. Let cool slightly.
2. Divide cereal evenly into two gallon size zipper bags. (If making in larger batches, a garbage bag works well)
3. Once the chocolate mixture is no longer hot (you can touch it with your fingers) pour it into the two zipper bags, splitting it as evenly as possible. Seal the bags and shake until the cereal is coated.
4. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar to each bag, seal and shake again, until the cereal is covered by the powdered sugar.
5. Eat it immediately, because if you don’t, someone else will.