Come learn How to Make Muddy Buddies! Classic Chex cereal treat with delicious add-ins for a fun & tasty dessert snack mix that everyone loves!
We love eating Muddy Buddies around here and you’ll see a lot of incredible variations on this snack all over this site! But nothing beats the basic combination because that’s where it all started and where we can choose to add new ingredients to make more unique combinations and concoctions come from.
What are Muddy Buddies?
Muddy Buddies are a snack known by many names, most commonly referred to as puppy chow or if it’s the holidays then you may see it called reindeer chow too! The basic muddy buddy recipe is a simple combination of Chex cereal, peanut butter, melted chocolate, and powdered sugar. (plus a few other basic ingredients). It’s crunchy, savory, sweet, and oh so comforting in every bite!
Basic Muddy Buddy Ingredients
-Chex Cereal: With 9 cups of Chex mix cereal we can create the base of this crunchy snack mix. You can use any variety but the plain ones like corn or rice taste best.
-Chocolate Chips: You will need 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips and they’ll be melted down for the coating. You can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate depending on what you have on hand.
-Peanut Butter: Just 1/2 cup of peanut butter is enough to flavor this snack mix pretty well. I like to use creamy peanut butter, but you can use crunchy if desired.
-Butter: You can use 1/4 cup of butter or margarine in this mix. This helps to add a little flavorful richness and creamy taste.
-Vanilla: Just a teaspoon of vanilla is enough to help flavor this cereal pretty well. Use higher quality vanilla for a stronger vanilla flavor in every bite.
-Powdered Sugar: This is the candy coating on the outside of every piece of cereal. It gives a unique appearance and gives a burst of sweetness the moment it touches your tongue. We will need 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar to cover all of the cereal we’re working with.
Optional Add-In’s
If desired you can add in anything you want to make this muddy buddy recipe taste even better. Below is a simple list of a few examples but feel free to add whatever you want!
- Mini Oreos
- Mini Nutter Butters
- M&M’s
- Peanut Butter Chips
How to Make Muddy Buddies
Measure out and pour your Chex cereal into a large mixing bowl.
In medium sized bowl, melt your chocolate chips, peanut butter, and margarine in the microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir well and then microwave for an additional 30 seconds.
Add in the vanilla and then mix again until smooth.
Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and then stir carefully until it’s well mixed.
Pour the Chex mix into a 2 gallon sized Ziploc bag and then add in the powdered sugar.
Zip the top of the bag closed and then shake until it’s all well coated.
Place the cereal on a wax paper lined baking sheet and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
If adding in any of the optional add-ins, then place them and the cereal mixture into a large bowl and mix to combine.
Keep the Muddy Buddies stored in an airtight container when not being eaten. Enjoy!
Classic Muddy Buddies
Ingredients
- 9 cups Chex cereal
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Optional Add-in's
- 4 oz mini oreos
- 4 oz mini nutter butters
- 1 cup m&m's
- 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Place Chex cereal in a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium glass bowl, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and margarine in the microwave on high for 1 minutes. Stir well.
- Microwave an additional 30 seconds, add the vanilla and mix till smooth. Pour chocolate over chex and stir carefully till well mixed.
- Pour the chex into a 2-gallon ziplock bag, add the powdered sugar. Zip closed and shake until well coated.
- Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Add all the ingredients: chex, oreos, nutter butters, m&m’s and peanut butter chips to a large mixing bowl and combine well.
- Store in air tight container.
Nutrition
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Can I freeze Muddy Buddies?
Muddy Buddies are freezer friendly! Simply make them and let them set. Then store the cereal mix in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a few weeks. Thaw on the counter and then do a second round of powdered sugar coating and they’ll taste as good as new!
Are Muddy Buddies Gluten Free?
They aren’t always gluten free, but they can be made that way. Chex cereal brand offers a variety of gluten free cereal options that you can use in any muddy buddy recipe. With gluten free cereal and gluten free ingredients or add-in’s you can easily convert this recipe to be diet or allergen friendly.
Why is it called puppy chow?
Muddy buddies are often called puppy chow simply because of the rather unusual appearance of the cereal once mixed together. Some say that it looks like dry dog food. As unappealing as that may seem, this cereal mix has nothing to do with actual dog food, and dogs shouldn’t eat it either! It’s strictly for human consumption and tastes incredible.
More Chex Mix Recipes:
- Lemon Muddy Buddies
- Harvest Chex Mix
- Strawberry Valentine Chex Mix
- Funfetti Chex Mix
- White Chocolate Gingerbread Chex Mix
- Reindeer Food
- Gooey Holiday Chex Mix
- Banana Cream Pie Muddy Buddies
- White Chocolate Chex Mix
- Mint Muddy Buddies
- Strawberry Lemonade Chex Mix
Homemade muddy buddies are a simple snack food recipe that everyone will enjoy. Take this basic muddy buddy recipe and make it your own or leave it as-is for a simpler treat.
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