Share this spooky snack with the Halloween witches in your life! This Witch Hat Puppy Chow Snack is loaded with festive cereal, candy, and tiny chocolate witch hats.
This post was created for Dixie Crystals by BigBearsWife; the recipe and text are my original work.
I love planning Halloween treats, and this year I started brainstorming ideas early. With the goal of having seasonal content ready ahead of time, I spent extra time perfecting playful, easy-to-share snacks—this Witch Hat Puppy Chow Snack is one of my favorites.
This mix is a celebration of Halloween colors and textures: crunchy cereal coated in a chocolate-peanut butter glaze, dusted with powdered sugar, and then studded with candy corn, candy pumpkins, extra chocolate chips, and adorable little witch hats made from Bugles and candy melts.
The base is classic puppy chow: cereal tossed with a melted mixture of chocolate, peanut butter, and butter, then coated in powdered sugar. For a festive twist I use three different Halloween cereals—Count Chocula, Franken Berry, and Boo-Berry—for color and flavor variety.
After coating the cereal, I add more chocolate chips for extra richness and a cup of Indian candy corn for the orange, yellow, and white pops. I also stir in a handful of candy pumpkins for texture and seasonal flair; feel free to adjust the amount to taste.
The finishing touch is the tiny witch hats. These little decorations are made by assembling Bugles with candy melts to form a cone and brim, then piping an orange ring around the brim to look like a hatband. They’re charming and surprisingly simple to make.
I adapted the idea from holiday-themed party mixes I’ve made in the past, turning the same technique into something perfect for Halloween. The hats make the mix festive and great for parties, classroom treats, or gifting in cellophane bags.
Below you’ll find a clear ingredient list and step-by-step instructions so you can recreate this snack at home. The recipe yields about 12 cups and is easy to scale if you need more for a party.
Ingredients For Witch Hat Puppy Chow Snack Mix:
Witch Hats
- 35 Bugles (choose ones with roundish openings on the bottom)
- 24 oz black candy melts
- 1/2 cup orange candy melts
Puppy Chow
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (for melting) + 1 cup chocolate chips (for stirring in)
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/3 cup Count Chocula cereal
- 1 1/3 cup Franken Berry cereal
- 1 1/3 cup Boo-Berry cereal
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup Indian candy corn
- Candy pumpkins, a handful (optional)
Ingredient amounts and full directions are below with a print option.
How To Make Witch Hat Puppy Chow Snack Mix:
- Prepare Witch Hats: Reserve 35 black candy melt disks. Melt the remaining black candy melts according to package directions until smooth.
- Place the reserved candy disks on parchment or foil on a flat surface. Dip the large end of a Bugle into the melted black chocolate and set it onto a disk. Repeat for all Bugles and let them sit about 5 minutes so the pieces attach.
- If needed, remelt the black chocolate so it’s pourable. Dip each Bugle and disk assembly into the melted black chocolate to fully coat, tapping off excess.
- Let the witch hats harden for about 10 minutes.
- Melt the orange candy melts according to package directions. Transfer to a piping bag or a plastic sandwich bag with a small corner snipped. Pipe a ring of orange around the rim of each hat to form the hatband. Allow to harden completely.
- Prepare Puppy Chow Base: In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine 1/2 cup chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until fully melted and smooth.
- Place all three cereals into an extra-large bowl. Pour the chocolate-peanut butter mixture over the cereal and gently toss to coat evenly.
- Put the powdered sugar into a gallon-sized resealable bag. Add the coated cereal, seal the bag, and shake until all pieces are dusted with powdered sugar. Spread the coated cereal on a flat surface to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled coated cereal, the remaining 1 cup chocolate chips, Indian candy corn, and candy pumpkins. Stir gently to mix.
- Fold in the witch hats or sprinkle them on top just before serving so they remain crisp and decorative.
Witch Hat Puppy Chow Snack Mix
Witch Hat Puppy Chow Snack Mix
12 cups
20 minutes
2 minutes
22 minutes
Ingredients
Witch Hats
- 35 Bugles, pick ones with roundish openings
- 24 oz black candy melts
- 1/2 cup orange candy melts
Puppy Chow
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (for melting) + 1 cup chocolate chips (to stir in)
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/3 cup Count Chocula cereal
- 1 1/3 cup Franken Berry cereal
- 1 1/3 cup Boo-Berry cereal
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup Indian candy corn
- Candy pumpkins, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the witch hats following the steps above: assemble Bugles on candy melt disks, coat with black candy melts, then pipe an orange ring for the hatband once set.
- Make the puppy chow base by melting chocolate chips with peanut butter and butter, then tossing the cereal with the melted mixture.
- Coat the cereal with powdered sugar in a resealable bag and let it cool.
- Combine the coated cereal with the remaining chocolate chips, candy corn, and candy pumpkins. Add the witch hats last so they remain crisp.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12
Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 520Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 102mgCarbohydrates: 105gFiber: 4gSugar: 74gProtein: 3g
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment or share a photo on social media with the hashtag #bigbearswife — I love seeing your creations!
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