To pin my projects to Pinterest, hover over the picture and a Pin-it Button will magically appear.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Sweet Saturday: Cupcake Muddy Buddies

Happy Saturday, my dear friends! At long last, a sweetened Saturday. :o) I miss baking a lot and am happy to get back to it soon. Just being in the kitchen makes my heart dance! Today's sprightly treat is actually from January, but it was never posted due to busy bee weeks and then being sick. Here's hoping for a nice long string of Sweet Saturdays! :o)

Muddy Buddies... also known as Puppy Chow and Chex Mix. Puppy Chow is my favorite name, but I opted against using it for the subject to play it safe. This is NOT for puppies! ;) I had never previously strayed beyond the normal puppy chow flavor of melted white chocolate with cereal, M&Ms, etc. But this... this, my friends, is puppy chow that tastes like cupcakes. 

Not only that, but it's loaded with my beloved sprinkles. Instant joy. :o)
In only 15 minutes, this funfetti cupcake-flavored treat is complete. Many recipes for this flavor of puppy chow call for cake mix, which always steers me away. But a sweet, sprinkle-loving genius named Sally nailed the flavor without requiring the cake mix. I wanted to hug her.

Is this treat insanely sweet? Yes! And your kitchen will smell like you're baking cupcakes, which is never a bad thing. This is easy to whip up and whimsically delightful to serve to loved ones. :o) (And I couldn't stop munching on it.)

I wish you a beautiful, sprinkle-filled weekend! :o)

Notes:
 *Do NOT omit the required extracts! They are essential to creating the cupcake flavor.
 *The mixture will be very thick. Do not question it or think you messed up, as that is how it should be. :o)
 *The puppy chow will not be as crunchy on day two (which personally was fine with me). If you prefer it to remain crunchy, simply leave out the butter and melt the white chocolate or almond bark according to package instructions before adding the extracts/emulsions.
 *Although the recipe says NOT to use white chocolate chips, that's what I used since I had them on hand. It worked perfectly.

Cupcake Puppy Chow
Yield: 4.5 cups

Ingredients:
4.5 cups Rice Chex cereal (do not use Crispex, as it's not sturdy enough)
¼ cup salted butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream (no substitutions)
10 ounces white chocolate candy melts or almond bark (not white chocolate chips)
2 teaspoons almond emulsion or extract (please see note below)
1 teaspoon butter emulsion or extract (please see note below)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional (I used it and loved it)
⅔ cup assorted sprinkles
1½ cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Pour the cereal into a large bowl; set aside.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter, cream, and white chocolate. Stir constantly until the white chocolate is fully melted. The mixture will be very thick and buttery. Remove from heat. Stir in almond extract, butter extract, and vanilla extract (if using).

Pour warm white chocolate mixture over cereal. Stir it together gently, being careful not to break the cereal. Wait about 3-4 minutes (no longer) and gently fold in the sprinkles- you don't want the sprinkles to lose their color.

In a large zipped-top bag or covered container, add the confectioners' sugar. Pour the white chocolate covered cereal into the large bag or container. Seal the bag or container and shake until all the cereal is coated with the powdered mixture.

Discard excess powder and enjoy. Store at room temperature up to 2 weeks- please see note above about the "crunch" factor.

** You can always make the puppy chow without emulsions/extracts and still maintain a funfetti look and basic flavor.

Source: Sally's Baking Addiction

9 comments:

  1. Looks delicious Karen, thank you for the recipe.
    I am pleased that you are starting to feel better now. It sounds like you had a really nasty bug. Hopefully you will be fully recovered soon.
    Take care and I hope you have a wonderful weekend
    Hugs Sue

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad you are on the mend, my friend. This sounds and look really yummy. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Never heard of this treat, will have to give it a try...
    It sure looks yummy, something I could keep stash in a tight container while I'm in my crafty space blog hopping and munching away at...LOL!
    TFS Karen -enjoy your wonderful St. Patty's weekend!
    Are you doing any desserts in green?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am so glad you are feeling better my sweetest friend!! Just in time for spring to arrive (at least I hope it will be arriving soon!!) Yay, Sweet Saturday!! And oh yum, this sounds so delicious!! I could eat a pound of it!! You really make me want to bake more!! Thank you so much for the recipe...I'm printing it out and adding it to my list of things to try!! I hope you are having a fabulous weekend!! Have a great evening!! Huge HUGS my dear friend :)

    Lisa
    A Mermaid's Crafts

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Karen,
    My heart is filled with such JOY to know that you are feeling better.I am doing a HAPPY dance with a smile from ear to ear!And how YUMMY is this..lol.Yes I also miss you baking.I enjoy all the Yummy sweets that you make.These would fit GREAT in this Icing bags that I have left.LOVE it!
    Sending you my love,hugs and smiles,
    Migdalia
    Your angelic friend

    ReplyDelete
  6. This looks so yummy, Karen! You always have the most creative recipes! My daughter would love this recipe because she loves cupcakes (me too)! Hope you have a great day! :)

    Karen
    craftedwithlovebykaren.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. *leaps into my Sunshine's bloggy because I smell something super delish* Hmm. I wonder what that heavenly aroma could be. *faints the second I see what it is* It's FUNFETTI SWEET SATURDAYNESS!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!! *devours it all up in record time* TEE HEE!

    Oh my goodness, sis. I am drooling because I can only look but can't taste these amazing little gems. Do you know how amazing those are? *faints* I NEED SOME NOW!!! Tee hee! I can't believe you made it cupcake flavoured! SQUEEEEEEEEEEE!!! How did you do it?! Every tiny piece is sooooooo adorable! *hugs them all* WHEEEEEEEE!!!

    You just made all our weekends sparkle extra bright with this funfetti surprise, Sunshine. Can we bake more of these right now? *begs*

    I LOVE YOU MY SWEET SATURDAY CHEF SPARKLES!!!

    *forever rainbow funfetti squishies*
    ~~~ Christina :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks scrumptious!! I make this a lot for my kids and a treat for the girls at work. We love munchin' on it:) So super good!!
    Thanks for sharing your recipe...mine is a little different then yours so I am anxious to try it. Your recipes never fail:) Thanks for sharing your amazing recipes!

    Sherrie K
    http://sherriescraps.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ohhhh, these do look yummy - and how wonderful that they are so quick and easy to make! This is another treat I've never heard of! (Well, I've heard of Puppy Chow - but not your kind which, I'm quite sure, is far more delicious than the original!!)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving some love! Have a beautifully blessed day. :o)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Blogging tips