Lemon Puppy Chow

Lemon Puppy Chow (aka Muddie Buddies) is a super fun citrus twist on a classic! Sweet vanilla and lemon flavor all wrapped up in an easy-to-eat snack! Don’t miss my traditional Puppy Chow or S’mores Puppy Chow! (In case you are wondering, this is human food, not dog food.) 🙂

Lemon Puppy Chow

So you might be wondering what the heck this crazy creation is? Let me break it down for you. Chex cereal coated in vanilla chocolate (although not technically chocolate) that has been flavored with lemon extract and a wee lil’ bit of lemon zest. That concoction is then coated in confectioners sugar. Nowthen the real test begins… can you stop with one handful? Nope!

How to Make Lemon Puppy Chow

Five simple ingredients make up this treat!

Chex cerealvanilla candy coatinglemon extractlemon zest (optional)confectioners sugar

IMPORTANT: You CANNOT use white chocolate morsels in lemon puppy chow, the extract will make it seize instantly and be a giant mess and waste of ingredients. You can add the extract and zest right to the melted “chocolate” and stir until incorporated. Just to reiterate, this won’t work with white chocolate morsels.

Pro Tip: If you only have white chocolate morsels, try omitting the lemon extract and adding 1/4 cup of dry lemon pudding to the confectioner’s sugar. This will be the flavoring.

Start by melting the vanilla candy coating. Once it is fully melted and smooth, you can add the lemon extract and zest. Stir well. Now pour the chocolate over the cereal and stir with a spatula.

Pour that onto a cookie sheet and spread into a flat layer so that every piece can dry. (We sometimes skip this step and eat right out of the bag 😇)

If you happen to have extra zest you can sprinkle the rest of it over the puppy chow. I was not a huge fan of this as lemon zest can be a tad bitter, but it does add a little color so folks know what they are getting. Speaking of color…

Food Color in Lemon Puppy Chow: Yay or Nay?

If you want a BIG pop of color, you can add yellow food coloring. When you are adding the lemon extract to the chocolate candy melts, add in 1-2 drops of yellow food color. (Or as much as you would like.) Stir well and then continue the recipe as instructed.