Nutty Chow for a Sweet-Cuterie Platter

When I was looking for easy sweets to add to a sweet-cuterie platter, I came across recipes for 'Muddy Buddies' and 'Puppy Chow.' Honestly, neither of those names make sense to me. But I did find that this a popular treat in the Midwestern states. One of my foodie friends from the Midwest cautioned: "In case you call it 'puppy chow' on your blog, be prepared for people to comment that since it has chocolate, it's not appropriate to feed to dogs." Oye. Really? No kidding. Another friend commented that she thought 'muddy buddies' was the name that Chex cereal coined when they shared the recipe. So, yeah, both those names are out for me.

I liked that this had just a few ingredients. So, I made a batch and am calling it 'nutty chow' since mine includes both hazelnut-chocolate butter and peanut butter. Also, most of the recipes I read included using a microwave and I don't have one. So my process is a stovetop one.

Ingredients

• 8 cups Chex™ cereal (I used a wheat chex)

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• 1/4 cup hazelnut-chocolate butter or spread

• 1/4 cup peanut butter or spread

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• decorative sprinkles for serving

Procedure

1. Place chocolate, nut butters, and butter into a large pot. Over low heat, melt the ingredients. Stir into a smooth mixture.

2. Fold in the vanilla.

3. Stir in the cereal until fully coated. Add in the powdered sugar and toss to coat completely.

4. Let cool completely. And store in an airtight container.

5. When ready to serve, spoon the nutty chow into a serving dish and top with decorative sprinkles.

NOTE: If you add in the sprinkles before serving, they will get tossed around and covered in powdered sugar...then they won't be visible and pretty!