Muddy Buddies (Puppy Chow)
- By Amy Dong
- Published Dec. 14, 2023
- Updated Apr. 11, 2024
These Muddy Buddies (Puppy Chow) are guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser with snack lovers of all ages! They feature crispy cereal coated in a combination of melted chocolate and peanut butter, tossed in powdered sugar, and ready for your favorite add-ins.
In This Article
Why This Recipe Stands Out
If you’re looking for a snack that’s easy to make and absolutely delicious, look no further than muddy buddies:
- Easy: With simple, everyday ingredients, this recipe is incredibly easy to put together and is one of our favorite desserts that requires 10 ingredients or less.
- Versatile: You can switch up the M&M colors like we did in our Chewy M&M Coconut Cookies or add other treats like candied nuts or pretzels for a personalized touch.
- Fun: The process of shaking the cereal in a bag with powdered sugar is not just easy, but also a fun activity to do with kids.
- Delicious: The combination of peanut butter, chocolate, and crunchy cereal coated in powdered sugar is simply irresistible.
- Friends and Family: It is a hit at parties and gatherings and can easily be doubled or tripled for larger crowds.
- Keeps Well: Store it in an airtight container, and it stays fresh for up to one week (if it lasts that long!).
- Unique: You have the option of adding a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to these puppy chow that will give it a delicious snickerdoodle flavor!
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Chex Cereal – The base of our muddy buddies, Chex cereal provides a wonderful crunch to every bite.
- Powdered Sugar – This ingredient coats the cereal, giving it a sweet, irresistible finish.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – They add a rich, chocolatey flavor to the mix.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – It brings a smooth, nutty taste that pairs perfectly with the chocolate.
- M&Ms – These add a pop of color and extra sweetness. Feel free to mix up the flavors and colors to suit the occasion.
- Ground Cinnamon – To amp up the flavor, add some ground cinnamon to the mix – it will liven up your puppy chow!
Substitutions And Variations
We know everyone has their own unique tastes, so why not cater to them? With this simple muddy buddies recipe, you can easily switch things up. Check out some of our favorite substitution ideas and variation possibilities:
- Chocolate: The recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips, but don’t be afraid to experiment with milk chocolate, white chocolate, or even dark chocolate chips like we used in our 3-Ingredient Crockpot Chocolate Almond Clusters.
- Flavor Boost: If you’re making this for a holiday, consider adding a tsp of ground cinnamon to the mix for a festive twist.
- Extra Add-Ins: Not just limited to M&M’s, you can add candied nuts, pretzels, or even chocolate-coated blueberries for extra crunch and flavor.
- Peanut Butter: While the recipe uses creamy peanut butter, you could also try crunchy or even a different nut butter like almond or cashew for a different texture and flavor profile.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- Divide powdered sugar into freezer bags and set it aside. Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring. Add vanilla.
- Use a rubber spatula to mix Chex cereal with the melted peanut butter mixture in a large bowl.
- Divide the cereal mixture evenly into freezer bags containing powdered sugar.
- Shake bags until cereal is thoroughly coated with powdered sugar. Serve tossed with M&M’s of your choice.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
Muddy buddies are a delicious treat that can be made even more convenient with a bit of prep work. Take a look at our favorite prep-ahead tips for this recipe:
- Add Sugar to Bag: Have two gallon-sized freezer bags ready with some powdered sugar to easily toss the puppy chow in them when it’s time.
- Premix Chocolate Mixture: You can melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter ahead of time. Just remember to remove it from heat promptly to avoid it becoming clumpy. Store it in an airtight container and when you’re ready to use it, gently reheat it until it is smooth again.
Commonly Asked Questions
You can use either plain corn or rice Chex cereal for this recipe. Both types will work well and give you the desired crunchy texture.
Absolutely! While we’ve used semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe, you can also use milk chocolate or white chocolate chips. It is all about your personal preference.
No worries! If you don’t have two gallon-sized freezer bags, you can also use a large paper bag. Just make sure it is big enough to shake up the cereal mixture.
Yes, you can! Feel free to add any other add-ins you’d like such as candied nuts, pretzels, or chocolate-coated blueberries. They all make delicious additions to this recipe.
Simply substitute the peanut butter with any other nut butter or seed butter of your choice.
Yes! You can freeze this puppy chow recipe in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Muddy Buddies can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week. However, they’re so delicious they probably won’t last that long!
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Muddy Buddies (Puppy Chow)
Ingredients
- 9 cups Chex Cereal, plain corn or rice
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, see notes
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup M&Ms , any color of your choice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, optional
Instructions
- Divide powdered sugar into two gallon-sized freezer bags. Set aside.
- In a heavy saucepan over lowest heat, melt together chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter, stirring frequently until just melted. Remove from heat promptly (if your'e not careful, it will quickly go from nicely melted to clumpy.) Stir in vanilla extract.
- In a large bowl, use rubber spatula to mix Chex cereal with the melted peanut butter mixture.
- Divide cereal mixture evenly into the freezer bags containing powdered sugar. Shake bags until cereal is thoroughly coated with powdered sugar. If needed, add more powdered sugar to coat.
- Serve tossed with M&M's of your choice. Store in airtight container for several days (but it probably will get eaten well before that).
Notes
- Before you start, make sure to measure out your Chex Cereal so it’s ready to go; this will help keep the process smooth and mess-free.
- To prevent your chocolate from seizing, melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter on the lowest heat possible and remove it from the heat as soon as it’s just melted.
- When stirring in the vanilla extract, do it off the heat to avoid any chance of the chocolate mixture becoming clumpy.
- Shake the coated cereal in two gallon-sized freezer bags with powdered sugar in batches if needed; this ensures that all pieces get a fair share of the sweet coating.
- Customize your Muddy Buddies for any occasion by choosing M&Ms in colors that match the theme, or add in extra treats like candied nuts or pretzels for an extra crunch.
- Store your Muddy Buddies in an airtight container to keep them fresh, but let’s be real—they’re so delicious, they probably won’t last long enough to need storing!
Nutrition (per serving)
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