One thing that comes around every winter are those wonderful chocolate oranges that you have to smash to get apart. I’m one of those people who loves this combination year ’round so any chance for chocolate orange desserts and I am there. If you’re the same way then you just might enjoy this chocolate orange puppy chow (AKA Chex mix).

The base of this tasty, crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth snack is Chex cereal. You can use other cereals, but the taste and texture of Rice Chex lends itself to all kinds of flavorings with ease. Plus it’s gluten-free which can make holiday entertaining that little bit easier.

The other important ingredient here is the chocolate you choose. The dark melting chocolate is the best for this application and I like the wafers. It’s smoother and less likely to seize up on you when you add in the flavorings of orange juice and orange zest.

For this recipe I used the zest that comes in a jar and I did this for a couple of reasons. The jarred variety is drier so it adds less moisture to the delicate melted chocoalte. It’s also small and uniform in size to help avoid some of the clumping that can happen with any puppy chow recipe.

Your chocolate will stiffen a bit when you add the flavorings, but if you work quickly on a large jelly roll sheet and two serving spoons you’ll be able to coat each cereal piece evenly.

Then quickly add the cereal and the powdered sugar to a 1-gallon freezer bag. Toss it all together to coat each and every corner of the Chex in powdered sugar.

After that all that’s left to do it enjoy the rich, smooth chocolate with the bright orange flavor.

To me, chocolate and orange is as classic as chocolate and peanut butter and this puppy chow celebrates just how special that combo is. It’s perfect for sharing at family gatherings, too!