High Protein Puppy Chow

I’m not afraid to admit my failures. In this case, the protein puppy chow recipe before you came from at least 10 failed attempts at making high protein Kit Kat bars. I’ll continue trying, but I’m all but convinced it’s impossible without loads of fat and chocolate. Alas, this protein puppy chow is delicious in its own right.

And even better, it has a short ingredient list and requires very little skill or time in the kitchen. Also, there are several different variations you can try and a unique approach to making a high protein powdered sugar alternative.

High Protein Puppy Chow Ingredients

Before we get into the healthy puppy chow talk, I’ll say that a super simple high protein puppy chow variation is to simply melt peanut butter and chocolate of some kind together before coating Chex cereal and covering with protein powder. The lower calorie version in the recipe below requires a short stint in the oven to remove any sogginess, but the real peanut butter version is good to go without any oven time.

That said, you’ll be adding quite a bit of fat and calories going that route. So if you can spare 10 minutes for baking, the recipe below will save over 100 calories.

What’s unique, at least in my mind, about this protein puppy chow recipe is the play on powdered sugar for the final coating. In my many failed attempts at making Kit Kats and even this puppy chow, I found that protein powder and cocoa powder alone didn’t stick all that well without the fat from real peanut butter. But blending them into a powdered sugar alternative with stevia seemed to alleviate those issues.

As you can see in the photo above, you can go with a straight vanilla powdered sugar coating (bottom right) or simply add one tablespoon of cocoa powder to go with a chocolate coating (top two). In the bottom left photo, you can see the chocolate covered Chex right out of the oven. Nice and crispy!

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Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Puppy Chow

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

A healthier alternative to puppy chow with nearly 9 grams of protein and only 165 calories per serving.

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Ingredients

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Puppy Chow

• 3 C (81g) Rice Cereal (Chex)
• 1/4 C (24g) PB2 or Powdered Peanut Butter
• 2 Tbsp (28g) Dark Chocolate Chips, semi-sweet (70 cals/Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp Almond Milk, or any low-cal liquid

Puppy Chow Coating

• 2/3 scoop (20g) Protein Powder, vanilla
• 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Dark Cocoa Powder, optional
• 3 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Cal Sweetener

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Begin by adding chocolate chips and the liquid of your choice to a small bowl. Microwave for 15 seconds before stirring until smooth. (You may need a few more seconds in the microwave.)
3. Add PB2 or powdered peanut butter to the bowl and stir until smooth again. 
4. Add 3 cups Chex cereal to a large mixing bowl and cover with chocolate peanut butter mixture. Gently stir until the cereal is fully coated.
5. Bake cereal for 10 minutes or until crispy. 
6. Allow 3-5 minutes for the cereal to cool before breaking apart any clumps.
7. While the cereal bakes/cools, add protein powder, cocoa, and stevia to a food processor or blender. Blend for 30-60 seconds. We're after a powdered sugar texture here. Add finished product to a large Ziploc bag. (Optional: if you want to make this extra powdery, you can add 1-2 tsp of corn starch.) 
8. Add cooled cereal to Ziploc bag and shake until cereal is fully coated with powdered protein/sugar combo. 
9. Enjoy! Store in the Ziploc bag or airtight container for up to a week. 

Notes

• Each serving has 6 Smart Points.
• Entire recipe: 660 Calories | 34P | 102C | 13F
• Per 1/4 recipe: 165 Calories | 8.5P | 25.5C | 3.25F
• Blending the protein powder and stevia together is not required, but it greatly helps everything stick. Also, if you have more fat to play around with, you can simply melt 2 Tbsp peanut butter and chocolate chips together and add straight to the protein mix without baking as it doesn't get soggy. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 165Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Want more kinda healthy recipes?

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If you’re looking for more snack ideas, be sure to check out my Ultimate Guide to Healthy Snacking article. You’ll find over 30 simple recipes like you see in the graphics above and over 60 snack ideas in total.

And as always, if you try any of my recipes, I want to see your re-creations on Instagram. It lets me know you’re putting healthy recipes into action, and I love sharing your recipes to inspire others.