Muddy Buddies (Puppy Chow)

Muddy Buddies (Puppy Chow) is one of the most delicious popular recipes around the holiday season, but it can be made anytime! Chex mix that is filled with peanut butter flavors all wrapped up in a chocolate coating and tossed in fluffy powdered sugar for an easy snack or dessert recipe the whole family loves.

This is one of those recipes that has a crazy name it’s known for and for some more than one! We’ve heard it called reindeer chow, dog food, muddy munch, chex muddy buddies, monkey munch, but our favorites are puppy chow or muddy buddies. 

Well, whatever you decide to call it, this great recipe is simple to mix up. The best part is that you probably have everything on hand to make a big batch of puppy chow now, and it is WAY better than store puppy chow you can buy! 

Recipe Ingredients:

• Cereal: use either rice Chex cereal or Crispx cereal
• Chocolate: you will need to have semisweet chocolate chips on hand
• Peanut butter: I like to use the smooth creamy peanut butter for this original recipe
• Margarine: you will use margarine for this recipe since it melts wonderfully for this easy recipe, but you can use unsalted butter too
• Extract: use vanilla extract form the grocery store or homemade vanilla extract
• Sugar: powdered sugar is the best option to coat this classic snack mix

How to make Muddy Buddies:

1. Pour cereal into large bowl; set aside. In 1-quart, microwave-safe bowl combine chocolate chips, peanut butter and margarine.
2. Microwave chocolate chips for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until smooth, stirring after 1 minute.
3. Stir in vanilla. Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal, stirring to coat evenly.
4. Pour cereal into large plastic bag or paper grocery bag.
5. Add powdered sugar and secure; shake to coat well.
6. Add powdered sugar and secure; shake to coat well.

Variations and mix-in ideas:

You can keep this puppy chow recipe the same peanut butter goodness and melted chocolate mixture it normally is, but you can also use one or more of these options to turn this into a new delicious treat.

• Butterscotch chips
• Peanut butter chips
• White chocolate chips
• Dark chocolate chips
• Nutella
• Almond butter
• Sunflower seed butter
• Mini marshmallows (mixed in afterward)

Make it gluten-free:

Did you know this recipe can be gluten-free? You can use gluten-free chex mix to make this recipe. You could also use butterscotch chips, or dairy-free chips if you are allergic to dairy.

This really is the perfect snack for everyone.

Storage Instructions:

Counter: Store the muddy buddies recipe in a large ziplock bag or airtight container for up to a week on the counter for a yummy treat to snack on during the week.

Miscellaneous Tips and FAQ’s for making the best puppy chow recipe: 

Do I need to double-boil the chocolate:

For this recipe, it is not necessary to double-boil the chocolate. Microwaving will do fine, but be careful not to overcook the chocolate in the microwave.

What kind of peanut butter?

When making this recipe, I always use creamy peanut butter instead of chunky peanut butter. It combines better with the chocolate and because you will already get the crunch from the corn Chex cereal.

More Muddy Buddy recipes:

• White Chocolate Peanut Butter Muddy Buddies Recipe
• Candy Cane Muddy Buddies
• Andes Mint Chex Mix Muddy Buddies Recipe
• S’mores Muddy Buddies Recipe
• Easter Bunny Muddy Buddies Recipe
• White Chocolate Reese’s Muddy Buddies Recipe
• Cookies and Cream Oreo Muddy Buddies Recipe