There’s something about lemon that holds a special place in my heart (& belly). This Lemon Puppy Chow recipe is sweet, tart, crunchy, chocolatey, and sugary all at the same time. I guarantee that it’ll curb whatever kind of sweet tooth you’ve got going on.
Spring Puppy Chow
Sooooo I just devoured half the bag of this Lemon Puppy Chow Recipe by myself…in one sitting. It’s the most amazing snack! Perfectly tart, perfectly sweet, it’s so hard to put down.
Typically puppy chow (aka Muddy Buddies) is a combination of chocolate and peanut butter coating the Chex cereal and finished off with a powdered sugar dusting. Although we’ll keep the idea the same, this recipe is all about sweet citrus flavoring.
We’ll use lemon cake mix and white chocolate to cover our Chex cereal for a crunch sweet treat that is so hard to resist. And if you love puppy chow, try my Oreo Puppy Chow, Funfetti Puppy Chow, or S’mores Puppy Chow, which you’ll obsess over too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Chex Cereal: I used about half a family sized box. Rice, Corn, Wheat, use whichever variety you’d like.
- Lemon Supreme Cake Mix: The dry cake mix provides flavor and that powdered coating texture we are looking for. I used the Duncan Hines one photographed above, but any variety will do.
- White Chocolate: I used Ghirardelli white chocolate chips. This acts as the glue to get our cake mix to stick to the Chex.
- Lemon Zest: OPTIONAL This adds that extra bit of fresh citrus flavoring. DO NOT just lemon juice or you’ll end up with soggy chex.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make This Recipe
1. In a microwave safe bowl, melt white chocolate in 30 second increments, stirring between each rotation. Once completely melted, add in lemon extract and stir.
2. Pour Rice Chex cereal into a gallon size storage bag. Pour melted white chocolate in the bag. Zip and gently toss until all of the cereal is covered.
3. Combine powdered sugar and dry lemon supreme cake mix in a bowl. Then, fold together. Add sugar mixture into the storage bag. Zip it back up and toss around.
Tip: Heat treat the cake mix prior to using if desired. Put the cake mix on a baking sheet and cook for 5 minutes at 350F before using to bake off the raw flour 👍🏼👍🏼
4. Let puppy chow chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the chocolate harden. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
This recipe can be stored right in the bag you made it in for 5 days in the fridge or on the counter. Just don’t throw the bag in the back of the pantry where it may get crushed and your Puppy Chow becomes Puppy Dust. However, if you’re concerned about it getting crushed, store in Tupperware.
Lemon Puppy Chow also freezes extremely well! Store in an airtight container or ziplock for up to 5 months.
DO NOT use lemon juice in this recipe in place of lemon extract or lemon zest. It will make your cereal soggy.
It’s likely your chocolate has burned or “seized” in the microwave. This is why you need to stir between each interval in the microwave. However, if you catch the burning chocolate early enough, you may be able to save it by whisking in a tablespoon of avocado or another neutral oil and mixing gently in an attempt to loosen the seized clumps.
I call this Puppy Chow, but it’s most definitely NOT meant for dogs. With all of the chocolate and sugar involved, you’ll end up with a very sick puppy if they get their paws on this treat.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and comment in the recipe card below. Thanks for visiting!
Lemon Puppy Chow
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Microwave safe bowl
- Rubber Spatula
- Measuring Cups
- Gallon sized storage bag
Ingredients
- 6 cups Rice Chex cereal
- 1¼ cup Ghirardelli White Chocolate
- ¾ cup Lemon Supreme Cake Mix
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp lemon extract
Instructions
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt white chocolate in 30 second increments, stirring between each rotation. Once completely melted, add in lemon extract and stir.
- Pour Rice Chex cereal into a gallon size storage bag.
- Pour melted white chocolate in the bag. Zip and gently toss until all of the cereal is covered. You can do this in a mixing bowl if you prefer.
- Combine powdered sugar and dry lemon supreme cake mix in a bowl. Then, fold together.
- Add sugar mixture into the storage bag. Zip it back up and toss around.
- Let puppy chow chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight prior to consuming. Feel free to add more lemon zest if you want even more lemon flavor.
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find LEMON PUPPY CHOW calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Yes let’s go!!!! I’ve been waiting for this. Cannot wait to try. It’s the perfect party favor!
Okay, this puppy chow is amazing! I made it for my family for Labor Day weekend and it was a major hit. My only modification to the recipe are to ensure you are purchasing “melting chocolate” (not just chocolate chips). I am excited to take the suggestion and try a carrot cake flavor too!
love that tart and sweet contrast of a lemon dessert. this one is so easy, too!
Talk about addicting – I love the lemon flavor!
I followed the directions and adding the lemon zest completely ruined the melted chocolate. Wondering if you should add the lemon extract to the chocolate and not the zest. This is unfortunate.
Hey Erin! I’m so sorry you’re experiencing difficulty! It sounds like your chocolate was on the verge of seizing with or without the lemon zest. Be sure to not over heat the chocolate! There is also possibility of the chocolate clumping with the addition of lemon zest if the zest is at all wet. If you choose to make it again, (I hope you do because this puppy chow is delish!) you could instead add the zest to the cake batter if it is causing you issues. I hope this helps!
At what point do you add the lemon extract?
Hi Barb! Add it with the melted chocolate. The recipe card has been updated. Enjoy:)
Excellent!!! Easy to make and super fun to eat!! I will definitely add more lemon zest next time. I am a lemon 🍋 lover
I added the zest to the melted chocolate and it was a coagulated mess. Threw it all away!
Hey Cindy, so sorry this was the case. I retested the recipe and going to remove the lemon zest to prevent this from happening in the future. I hope you’ll consider making another APOP recipe in the future. Really sorry this one didn’t work out. Best, Courtney
made this for a potluck and everyone loved it! I omitted the lemon zest (per the comments) and it was fabulous.
Lemon summer time treat cmon!!!
Your recipe calls for only 6 oz of Chex mix, which is less than 1 cup. Usually you need 8 or 9 cups. Is this a typo?
Hi Tenaya. It should be 6 cups. That was a typo and it has been corrected. Thanks!
my family really liked it 🙂
This is beyond delicious! I have only tried the updated recipe with no lemon zest (just lemon extract) and I made a second batch a couple days later because everybody wanted more! I’m going to try it in a bowl instead of a bag next because my cereal gets too crushed but that’s my fault. Overall 10/10 love this
Excellent to hear! Thank you for the glowing review, Becca!!
Everything’s tasted amazing, I’m a sucker for lemon flavored snack. Must try recipe
Can you use almond bark for the melting chocolate?
Hi Jennifer! We recommend regular chocolate as you’ll end up with almond pieces if you choose to use bark.
When I brought this to the celebration, everyone was skeptical and then no one could stop eating it!! I followed the recipe exactly and miiight add a lil more white chocolate next time cause I’m a chocolate lover, but SO dang delish! Thank you!!