Cake Batter Puppy Chow

I’ve been pretty lucky with nailing new cooking techniques on the first try.

That is, until yesterday.

No matter how hard I tried—I could not melt white chocolate.

I started with 8 oz. white chocolate morsels directly in a pan with my flavoring add-ins (butter, almond extract and butter extract). Boy, was that a mistake. I felt like I was stirring play doh for hours.

I scrapped that batch (it wasn’t even white anymore, it was light brown) and ran to the grocery store to buy another bag of white chocolate morsels. After attaining the bag, I googled how to melt white chocolate…and all I could find was using something called a “double-boiler”.

I don’t have a double boiler! I don’t even know what a double boiler is! I watched a couple of useless YouTube tutorials and made a make-shift double boiler of my own. Apparently, white chocolate has a very low melting point (something around 144 degrees?) and so it can seize much easier than any of the other chocolate (milk, dark). Also, it doesn’t help that white chocolate isn’t actually chocolate to begin with. So, getting white chocolate chips to turn into a thin, luscious sauce is nearly impossible.

My make-shift double boiler consisted of my tiniest pan and a glass bowl that fit over it. I poured about 1″ of water into the bottom of the pan and let it boil. I put the morsels and flavorings into the glass bowl, turned down the heat, and stirred.

It seized again.

At this point I was about to give up. I was screaming endless streams of utter profanity alone in my kitchen. If any of neighbors heard me, they’d like to think I was insane. I imagined throwing both my bowl and pan into the parking lot. I asked God, “why me? Why can’t I melt chocolate like a normal person?”

Third try.

I used up the last bit of white chocolate I had and grabbed another glass bowl from the cupboard. I repeated the process I did before but took the bowl off the heat while a few morsels remained unmelted. It was still play-doh like, not a thin sauce like I had hoped. Frustrated, defeated, and near tears—I made a split-second decision to add in some melted butter I had.

It worked!

The white chocolate started to thin out and looked more like it should. It was still a bit grainy and very fluffy, but it would work for what I needed it for.

Why did I endure all of this torture? For this cake batter puppy chow, of course.

I wanted to make a nice airplane snack for Rob & I, and this recipe set off lightbulbs in my head. I love, love, love regular ‘ole peanut butter-chocolate puppy chow, and this rainbow sprinkle bedazzled recipe was right up my alley.

However delicious this recipe is (it is 100% ADDICTING) I will probably never make it again because I absolutely cannot put myself through the torment of melting white chocolate….

Cake Batter Puppy Chow

• 4 cups rice Chex cereal
• 8 oz. white chocolate morsels
• 2 TBS. butter, plus more if needed
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 tsp. butter extract
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup white cake mix
• 1 cup rainbow sprinkles

1. Pour cereal into a large bowl. Pour powdered sugar and cake mix into a large gallon bag or grocery sack. In whichever fashion you prefer, melt white chocolate morsels (either in the microwave, double boiler, or over low heat) along with butter and both extracts.
2. Pour melted chocolate over cereal. Using a spatula, stir cereal until every piece is well coated with chocolate, being careful not to break any pieces.
3. Add sprinkles to the cereal mix and stir until well combined. Pour cereal into gallon bag containing the cake mix and sugar, seal and shake. Shake well so that each piece is coated in sugar.

Seriously, this stuff is addicting. It’s hard to not stop once you start eating it!

I had bought some hemp twine and sandwich baggies at the store to put the chow in so that everyone has their own personal bag of the snack mix. It’s a real easy, yet cute, way to transport this puppy chow!

PS: I had no idea that butter extract existed. I’ve bought my fair share of weird extracts (root beer, anyone?), but butter extract? Sure enough, Walmart carried the stuff. Give it a good whiff when you open it—it’s like super condensed butter smell. It’ll knock you off your feet, that’s for sure!

PPS: This recipe is *surprisingly* gluten-free! Just grab some gluten-free white cake mix and you’re set!

-Leen