I have a confession. This pumpkin spice protein puppy chow is legit addicting. You have officially been warned. But don’t fret – no sugar high to fall from!! I even have some hacks to make this entire recipe sugar free… you know you are excited.
I made protein puppy chow for Christmas last year. I used chocolate peanut butter, it was pretty much amazing. But this year, I’ve been ALL ABOUT THE PUMPKIN (spice), and I’ve been daydreaming about combining these two flavors. Dave has a peanut allergy, so I knew I needed to look somewhere else for inspiration for this recipe. This was originally going to have sunbutter, but lets be honest, Dave doesn’t like me touching his sunbutter, especially when it’s for “recipe testing”.
So I decided to use my personal favorite… coconut butter! Have you tried it? It’s lusciously creamy, and the flavor is slightly sweet – perfect for this recipe! And the best part, it hardens when cold, so with your leftover coconut butter you should make carrot cake quinoa bites or chocolate shells for your ice cream!
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I highly recommend buying a big jar of coconut butter – I usually find it mixed in with all the other nut butters – it’s even at my local Harris Teeter now! If you don’t want to invest in a large jar, just grab one of these smaller creamed coconut boxes. So, just pour the contents of the packaged container in a mason jar, microwave for 30 seconds then stir to mix for at least 30 seconds. This way the coconut oil on the top gets mixed into the butter, creating that luscious texture you are looking for in coconut butter.
My secret ingredient… white chocolate chips. I couldn’t resist! If you want to keep this recipe low in added sugar, you will need to use all coconut butter. But if you are up for a bit of indulgence… add the white chocolate chips – you won’t be sad you did! I discovered my love for pumpkin and white chocolate when I made the same pumpkin white chocolate cookies for Dave 3 times in a row and then he suggested we have white chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes the same Saturday morning. Yeah, it’s that good.
So if you find yourself looking for a crunchy, sweet, pumpkin spice, vegan, gluten free snack, that you can feel good about feeding your kids, look no further!
Pumpkin Spice Protein Puppy Chow
Ingredients
- 3 tbs. coconut butter
- 3-4 tbs white chocolate chips - melted (or 2 tbs. coconut butter for sugar-free option)
- 6 cups Rice Chex
- 1 tbs. pumpkin pie spice - divided
- 1/2 scoop vanilla vegan protein powder - I used Raw Fusion, vanilla bean
Instructions
- In a small bowl,combine the coconut butter and white chocolate chips. Microwave for 20 seconds to melt the white chocolate chips. Stir until combined and fully melted.
- Add 1/2 tbs. of pumpkin spice to the melted white chocolate and coconut butter. Stir to combine.
- In a large bowl (preferably one with a lid), add the 6 cups Chex cereal.
- Pour white chocolate mixture over the Chex cereal and stir to mix well. I use a large spoon and my hand for this!
- Once all the Chex cereal is covered, add the remaining pumpkin pie spice and vanilla protein powder.
- Cover and shake to distribute the protein powder. If you don't have a lid for your bowl, stir well! Alternatively you could put this in a gallon sized zip lock bag and shake well!
Nutrition Information
What about you?
- What’s your favorite fall snack?
- Do you have a go-to party snack you love to make?
Sarah Grace
yesssss, LOVE IT. Love my protein snacks, and love my pumpkin..so this is a WINNER :)
xo,
Sarah Grace
Creatively Homespun
This looks fab!!!! Way to bring it! :-) Thank you for linking up to Creative K Kids’ Tasty Tuesdays Linky Party. I have pinned all your recipes to our Tasty Tuesday’s Pinterest Board
Lisa @ Fun Money Mom
I have to admit, I thought this was really for your puppy at first. However, it looks really delicious and I can’t wait to try it! Thanks so much for sharing at Share The Wealth Sunday!
xoxo
Lisa
Heather
Yummy! I can not wait to try this out.
Danita Carr
This looks amazing! Perfect for parties! #SmallVictories