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We don’t skimp on the chocolate or peanut butter in this puppy chow recipe. Whether you call it puppy chow or muddy buddies, the bottom line is, this no bake treat is seriously easy, incredibly tasty, and alway a huge hit with a crowd.
What is Puppy Chow Chex Mix?
This homemade puppy chow recipe is crunchy rice chex cereal coated with a mixture of chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter, then tossed in powdered sugar. Some people call it reindeer chow because it’s white and a popular easy dessert recipe to serve during the holiday season.
I have eaten a lot of “human puppy chow” in my life, and so I was excited to put my own subtle tweaks on this recipe until I felt it was share-worthy. When you make a big batch of puppy chow for your friends or family, don’t be surprised when it goes quick and then everyone is begging to know how you made it!
Why you’ll love this Recipe for Puppy Chow
There are so many reasons to love this great recipe. Here are just a few of them:
- A chocolate-peanut butter lover’s dream
- Just 5 simple ingredients
- Ready in 10 minutes
- Perfect for customizing to taste and for different holidays
- No baking required
Ingredients for Homemade Muddy Buddies
Just because it’s the best puppy chow recipe, doesn’t mean it has to be complicated. The simplicity makes the ingredients shine! There are just 5 common ingredients in these muddy buddies:
- Rice Chex Cereal
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Creamy peanut butter
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
How to make Muddy Buddies
This easy puppy chow recipe only takes 10 minutes to make! Get the full recipe with measurements and ingredients in the recipe card below.
- Prep cereal in bowl. Pour the cereal into a very large mixing bowl. Set it aside.
- Combine and cook chocolate, peanut butter and butter. In a medium-sized saucepan over low heat, combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips, creamy peanut butter, and unsalted butter. Stir continuously as the ingredients begin to melt. Continue to stir until the mixture is smooth and fully melted, ensuring that it doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Once the mixture is fully melted and smooth, remove it from the heat.
- Add mixture to bowl with cereal. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the Chex cereal in the large mixing bowl. Gently and carefully fold the chocolate mixture into the cereal until all the cereal pieces are evenly coated. Be cautious not to crush the cereal pieces.
- Coat cereal pieces in powdered sugar. In a large paper bag or a large zip-top plastic bag, add half of the powdered sugar. Carefully transfer half of the chocolate-coated Chex cereal into the bag with powdered sugar. Seal the bag and shake it vigorously to coat the cereal evenly with powdered sugar. Ensure that every piece of cereal is coated. Repeat with the other half of the ingredients. Adding more powdered sugar as needed to fully coat the cereal.
- Cool and set. After coating with powdered sugar, spread it out on a baking sheet or wax paper to allow it to cool and set. This should take about 15-30 minutes.
- Enjoy! Once the puppy chow has cooled and the chocolate has set, it’s ready to enjoy. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Variations on this recipe for Muddy Buddies
I love to make puppy chow custom for every holiday or occasion, like my Valentine’s Day puppy chow and my Easter Bunny Bait puppy chow.
There are so many different varieties of muddy buddies, and the best part is that you can easily adjust this muddy munch to your own preferences. Here are some ideas for different ways to make this puppy chow snack mix:
- To make gluten free puppy chow, be sure to use gluten free approved rice or corn chex cereal.
- Add candy. Have some extra M&Ms, sprinkles around your house? You can easily mix in any of your favorite candies.
- Make this sweet treat a little salty. If you want a sweet and salty flavor combination, just add some pretzels.
- Add nuts. If you’re a nut lover and want to add a little more crunch, add your favorite nuts. Just be careful if you plan to have your kids share this treat with their friends at school!
Serving and gifting Chex Mix Puppy Chow
This is the perfect recipe to serve at parties, give as a gift, or use for bake sales. I love to put a very large bowl out at parties (key words: very large – this stuff goes fast!). This also goes perfect in a lunch box or a little ziploc bag for a snack.
One of my favorite ways to gift puppy chow is to place portions in clear bags and tie them with pretty ribbons for the occasion, or use a Christmas tin or even a small gift bag with a zip log bag inside of tissue paper to gift this during the holidays.
Storing Chex Mix Muddy Buddies
Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for up to 1 week or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze puppy chow. To do so, store it in a ziplock bag or freezer safe container for up to 3 months in the freezer. To thaw, place the container or bag on the counter overnight.
More Puppy Chow Recipes
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Recipe for Puppy Chow (Muddy Buddies)
Ingredients
- One 12 oz box Rice Chex Cereal, about 10.5 cups
- 1 ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2-2.5 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Pour the cereal into a very large mixing bowl. Set it aside.
- In a medium-sized saucepan over low heat, combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips, creamy peanut butter, and unsalted butter. Stir continuously as the ingredients begin to melt. Continue to stir until the mixture is smooth and fully melted, ensuring that it doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Once the mixture is fully melted and smooth, remove it from the heat.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the Chex cereal in the large mixing bowl. Gently and carefully fold the chocolate mixture into the cereal until all the cereal pieces are evenly coated. Be cautious not to crush the cereal pieces.
- In a large paper bag or a large zip-top plastic bag, add half of the powdered sugar. Carefully transfer half of the chocolate-coated Chex cereal into the bag with powdered sugar. Seal the bag and shake it vigorously to coat the cereal evenly with powdered sugar. Ensure that every piece of cereal is coated. Repeat with the other half of the ingredients. Adding more powdered sugar as needed to fully coat the cereal.
- After coating with powdered sugar, spread the puppy chow out on a baking sheet or wax paper to allow it to cool and set. This should take about 15-30 minutes.
- Once the puppy chow has cooled and the chocolate has set, it’s ready to enjoy. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
