Puppy Chow Chocolate Chip Cookies

My question is: why haven't we been putting Puppy Chow in cookies sooner?  Or have we and I'm just missing out on a whole movement?  I'd like to believe I'm the one starting a movement here friends.

Take something deliciously sweet and chocolately and crunchy and encase it in buttery gooey cookie dough.  Bake 9-11 minutes.  JUST TRY TO IMAGINE THE RESULTS.  Let your mind go there.  Warm, melty, gooey, crunchy.

All in a cookie.

Would you believe this was my first time making Puppy Chow?  Not that it takes much culinary skill but I just never really got around to it.  And my mom certainly never made it growing up.  We were a Rice Krispie Treat family.  No exceptions.  If my mom was gonna dedicate approximately 15 minutes to making dessert once every 4 months, it was gonna be Rice Krispie Treats.

There was no room for Puppy Chow.

So whenever I tried Puppy Chow (mostly through friends at school during classroom parties), I was like "what is this wizardry?!"  I was mystified.  I seemed to think that the chocolate was somehow injected in the center of each individual Chex square.  It must have taken hours!

Yeah, that's not how it works.  I could not have been more incorrect.  Thank goodness.

So I'm now firmly riding the fence as a Rice Krispie Treat devotee and a Puppy Chow lover.  Let's all hold hands and find World Peace now.

Here's the recipe!

Puppy Chow Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes approximately 18 cookies

For the Puppy Chow

• 4 1/2 cups Chex cereal
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips 
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

For the cookies

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1.  First make the Puppy Chow: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Add the cereal and stir gently to fully coat.  Pour the powdered sugar in a large plastic bag and add the coated cereal.  Seal the bag and shake vigorously to coat well in powdered sugar.  Set aside.  

2. Make the cookies: Raise the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicon mat. Set aside. 

3. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the butter and sugars until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thick. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed and glossy. Gradually add the flour and mix until a dough forms (it may look crumbly at first, but it will come together). Then add 2 1/2 cups of the Puppy Chow (there will be leftovers!). Gently fold into the dough.  It's ok if some gets crushed while others stay whole.  Texture baby.  
4. Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, divide the dough and shape each portion into a ball with your hands. Leave about 2 inches between cookies.
5. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. The centers should be soft and look slightly underdone. Do not over bake! Let cool about 3-5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Enjoy!

Recipe an Annie's City Kitchen original