Gluten-Free Vegan Valentine’s Day Puppy Chow

This Gluten-Free Vegan Valentine's Day Puppy Chow is an easy recipe to make in under
30 minutes with only 6 ingredients. It's made with 100% vegan powdered sugar and they are naturally colored making them the perfect plant-based holiday-themed no-bake dessert!

Gluten-Free Vegan Valentine "Puppy Chow" Muddy Buddies

Ingredients

• 5 cups Van's "Cinnamon Heaven" Gluten-Free Cereal

For the chocolate mixture:

• 1/2 cup organic peanut butter
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon organic refined coconut oil

For the white coating:

• 1/4 cup organic vegan powdered sugar

For the red coating:

• 1/4 cup organic vegan powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon organic beetroot powder

Instructions

• Prepare a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Set aside.

Prepare the cereal:

• Add the cereal to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Prepare the chocolate mixture:

• Add all the ingredients for the chocolate mixture to a small saucepan and melt it on the lowest heat setting. Stir until everything is melted and smooth, taking care to not let it burn.
• Remove the chocolate mixture from the stove and pour it over the cereal pieces that are in the large mixing bowl.
• Gently stir everything together until all the cereal pieces are covered with the chocolate mixture and the chocolate is evenly distributed. Depending on the size of the cereal pieces you use, you may need to add a little more cereal. You don't want the cereal pieces to be overly coated with the chocolate mixture, so add an extra 1/4 cup of cereal at a time until they are lightly coated, but only as needed.

Prepare the white + red coating:

• Add the powdered sugar for the white coating to a small bowl then set aside.
• Add the powdered sugar + beetroot powder for the red coating to a small bowl and stir until well combined then set aside.

Assembly:

• Transfer the chocolate-coated cereal pieces to the prepared cookie sheet and spread them out evenly so they aren't touching each other.
• Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes to allow the chocolate mixture to cool.
• Remove the cookie sheet from the refrigerator after the chocolate mixture has cooled completely.
• Divide the cereal in half and transfer it to (2) medium-size mixing bowls.
• Sprinkle 1/2 the white powdered sugar over the cereal pieces in the first bowl and then sprinkle 1/2 the red powdered sugar over the cereal pieces in the second bowl, then gently toss to evenly distribute the powdered sugar in each bowl. This will help to keep them from sticking together in the next step.
• Place the two mixing bowls in the refrigerator for another 5-10 minutes.
• Remove the two mixing bowls from the refrigerator and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of the powdered sugar onto the cereal pieces (white powdered sugar for the white pieces and red powdered sugar for the red pieces) then gently toss the cereal pieces until the powdered sugar is evenly distributed in each bowl.
• Store in an air-tight BPA-free container.

Notes

Peanut Butter. I’ve made these with both peanut butter and cashew butter. Feel free to substitute the peanut butter with your favorite organic nut butter.

Chocolate. I use Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chocolate chips to keep the recipe vegan and gluten-free, but feel free to use darker chocolate if you prefer less sugar.

Cereal. See my recommendations at the beginning of the post for healthy non-GMO and organic vegan + gluten-free options. Feel free to use whichever brand you prefer.

Coconut Oil. I add this to the melted chocolate to make it smooth, but it can be omitted if you prefer. If you don't like the taste or smell of coconut oil, use organic refined coconut oil which has zero coconut taste or smell.

Powdered Sugar. To keep this recipe truly vegan, you would need to make sure you use a 100% “vegan” powdered sugar or make your own using “vegan” sugar, as animal bone char is used to whiten powdered sugar.

Serving Size: This recipe makes approximately (5) cups. Serving size shown is 1/2 cup for a total of (10) servings.

https://thehealthyfamilyandhome.com/gluten-free-vegan-valentines-day-puppy-chow/