Quick Summary
This is the best Puppy Chow (Muddy Buddies) recipe and it’s SO easy to make! Prepare to be totally hooked on this addicting chocolate peanut butter treat. Homemade puppy chow is the perfect party snack and it’s an instant hit during the holidays.
Puppy chow is one of my all-time favorite party snacks. And I promise I’m not talking about dog food! The puppy chow we’re making today is a delicious and decadent homemade candy loaded with sugary chocolate and peanut butter goodness.
We’re taking Chex cereal, coating it in chocolate and peanut butter, and tossing it in powdered sugar. It’s a bit like dessert Chex Mix, and a whole lot of YUM. I grew up making and eating puppy chow, and it’s always been a staple at our house, especially during the holidays.
Those of you who’ve had puppy chow before already know this is one of the best peanut butter treats of all time! And if you haven’t made it, you are going to LOVE this easy recipe.
Table of Contents
Why is it Called Puppy Chow?
This festive dessert is called puppy chow because, well, look at it. Doesn’t it look an awful lot like real puppy kibble? That being said, please don’t feed this recipe to your fur babies. This chocolate-loaded puppy chow is strictly for pet parents only!
Puppy Chow vs Muddy Buddies
There’s sort of an ongoing debate about the name of this chocolate-covered cereal treat. Some people call it puppy chow, while others know it by different names: muddy munch, monkey munch, or muddy buddies.
Muddy Buddies is actually the official name of the recipe marketed by General Mills, the maker of Chex cereal. Names like “puppy chow” and others have become layman’s terms for homemade versions like this one.
Depending on the holiday and season, you’ll see recipes for Reindeer Chow at Christmas, Bunny Bait at Easter, and even Leprechaun Bait for St. Patrick’s Day. I grew up calling this recipe puppy chow, so that’s what we are going with today. Whatever you call it, it will always be delicious!
What You’ll Need
If you need an easy treat to take to a party, this puppy chow is a hit! The ingredients are simple and I can almost guarantee that the whole batch will be gone by the end of the night.
You’ll need the following ingredients to make a big bowl of puppy chow. Be sure to refer to the recipe card for the full details:
- Rice Chex Cereal – Chex Cereal is the classic ingredient in puppy chow. You can use Corn Chex cereal, I just prefer the rice cereal flavor. Crispix will also work, the shape of your puppy chow will just be a little different from the photos.
- Chocolate Chips – Semi-sweet chocolate chips, or milk chocolate chips.
- Peanut Butter – Think JIF or Skippy for this puppy chow recipe! I highly recommend using creamy peanut butter and not natural peanut butter. Natural peanut butter has excess oils and the puppy chow coating won’t set up properly.
- Butter – I tend to use unsalted butter. However, if you want a little salty kick, salted butter works too.
- Vanilla Extract – A little vanilla extract goes a long way in terms of flavor!
- Powdered Sugar – a.k.a. Confectioners’ sugar. Powdered sugar gives the puppy chow the perfect sweet finish, along with its signature sugar-dusted look.
Easy, right? Luckily, these common ingredients are almost always on hand in my pantry. So I can make puppy chow anytime and all of the time, obviously.
How to Make Puppy Chow
Did I mention that puppy chow is a no-bake dessert? That’s just one more reason to love it. Your fingers will be covered with powdered sugar by the end of it and you’ll be buzzing from the smells of peanut butter and chocolate! Not really a bad thing.
Here’s how to whip up a big batch of puppy chow in no time:
- Prepare your chocolate and peanut butter mixture. Use a medium, microwave-safe bowl to melt the chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter together. Start with 1 minute on high, stir, and heat again in bursts, stirring in between until the mixture is smooth. Lastly, add in the vanilla extract.
- Place your Chex Cereal in a large bowl. You will need six cups of Rice Chex. A lot of recipes I’ve seen call for nine cups, but a friend once taught me that six is the magic number. It really maximizes the chocolate peanut butter flavor. I’m officially converted!
- Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the cereal. Stir the mixture GENTLY with a spatula, making sure to not crush the cereal. You want it to stay in whole, grabbable pieces! When the cereal is evenly coated, transfer it to a large Ziploc bag.
- Add the powdered sugar. You will need 1½ to 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar, depending on how well-coated you like your puppy chow. Make sure to seal the bag before you give it a good shake! Kids love helping with this part. Shake your chow until all of the cereal is evenly coated in white.
- Pour the puppy chow out onto a big piece of parchment paper. Or wax paper. Spread the puppy chow in a single layer so it can cool without sticking together. Let it sit until the chocolate is completely hardened. To speed up the process, you can also spread it out on a tray and pop it into the refrigerator.
Tips and Variation Ideas
A few tips for making the best puppy chow, a.k.a. Muddy buddies:
- Don’t overmix. Not only does overmixing run the risk of crushing the Chex cereal, but you also want to be left with the occasional indulgent clump of chocolate and peanut buttery cereal!
- Don’t go easy with powdered sugar. In some dessert recipes, less is more. This is not one of those. Make sure you really get everything well-coated in powdered sugar. You may need to add more than you think!
- Make s’mores puppy chow. If you’re looking to change things up, I have an absolutely amazing recipe for s’mores puppy chow for you to try. It brings Graham crackers, mini marshmallows, and chunks of chocolate into the mix, and the results are DELICIOUS.
- Add coconut. Try chocolate coconut Chex Mix for another variation of puppy chow, made with Chex cereal coated in chocolate and shredded coconut.
Common Questions
Let’s answer a few FAQs about puppy chow:
Stored airtight, homemade puppy chow will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Then again, if yours lasts that long without being devoured, you seriously deserve a medal! See below for more tips on how to properly store your puppy chow.
For allergy-friendly, peanut butter-free puppy chow, the peanut butter in this recipe can be substituted with another variety of nut or seed butter. Good alternatives are cashew butter, almond butter, soy butter, or sunflower seed butter (like SunButter).
Yes! Puppy chow’s long shelf life makes it perfect to make ahead, to have on hand for more than one occasion. I love to make huge batches during the holidays for this reason. Endless on-hand party snacks and gifting, all season long!
How to Store
Once the puppy chow is cool and hardened, store it in a large airtight container on the counter for up to 2 weeks. You can also keep puppy chow in the fridge if your kitchen is particularly warm, to prevent the chocolate from sticking.
Puppy chow is also fabulous for gifting. Store it in decorative Christmas tins or bags to give to friends, family, and neighbors for the holidays. I’ve never met anyone who isn’t thrilled to receive a gift of chocolatey homemade candy!
Can I Freeze It?
Yes! Stash a batch of puppy chow in the freezer for easy thawing whenever the occasion calls for it. Store it in a freezer-safe, airtight container or freezer bag, and keep it frozen for up to 2 months. Make a huge batch at Halloween, and you’ll be well-stocked until Christmas!
Puppy Chow
Ingredients
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups Rice Chex cereal
- 1 ½ to 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Place the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a medium microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir. Put the bowl back into the microwave and heat for an additional 30 seconds or until mixture is smooth when stirred. Add the vanilla extract and stir again.
- Pour the cereal in a large mixing bowl. Add the chocolate peanut butter mixture and gently stir until cereal is evenly coated. Pour the coated cereal into a large Ziploc bag. Add the powdered sugar. Seal the bag and shake until the cereal is well coated. Spread on parchment paper or waxed paper. Let sit until cool and chocolate is set.
- Store the puppy chow in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. If it is warm in your kitchen, store the puppy chow in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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I love that you call it Puppy Chow! That is what we called it when I was growing up. So good!
Our family always made puppy chow for the holidays! It’s the best!
I grew up calling it puppy show as well! 🙂
Yay! It’s too good:)
Same
Puppy chow is SO good! Need to make it ASAP!
My little guy doesn’t like peanut butter (I know!). Can you recommend any substitutions? Thanks for you help!
Maybe Nutella?
Sunbutter is an amazing but almond will work also. Ive got a peanut butter allergy ao im ised ro finding alternatives
Sorry substitute….lol forgot that key word in there
Mine didn’t like peanut butter, still doesn’t at 19, but he loves this.
Possibly almond bark?
I make puppy chow every year around the holidays, and my family loves it! I have made it for at least 20+ years and it never gets old. I would like to comment about some that have children or adults that do not like peanut butter. One of my granddaughters does not like peanut butter. BUT, she LOVES puppy chow. I can’t say this will be the case for everyone, but maybe try making half of the recipe if you are concerned about making too much.
I am going to the store today to get some ingredients to make it for my grown up puppies:))
Love it! Enjoy!
I hate peanut butter, but I LOVE Puppy Chow! I have loved puppy chow since I was a toddler! Try it out first and see what he says. He may not even notice the peanut butter in the mix.
These are amazing frozen! When my kids were small we would make a giant batch, then freeze it in snack size bags. So good!
Good! Thanks
An excellent recipe, I will cook for my children on the weekend. I think they will like it.
I make it every year, and certain people have come to expect it . I also put raisins and peanuts in with the cereal. Being from the South, we always called it White Trash.
Our kids loved this growing up! We would make a giant batch and put in snack size ziplock bags and store in the freezer. If you have never tasted frozen Puppy Chow, you are missing out!
Has anyone’s ever tried this with cinnamon Chex before?
No, but I think it would be good!
Try shaking with a paper grocery bag!
this was the best puppy chow I’ve ever made! it is super simple and so rewarding.
Glad you loved it!
The six cup cereal ratio to the mixture is beyond perfect!
5 STARS!!! Best puppy chow recipe, directions were spot on!! Even used less than 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, usually have to add more than 2 cups to coat!
Happy with the results!!
If I don’t have a microwave, can I melt the chocolate, peanut butter, and butter on the stove? Want to make this for Super Bowl party this weekend!
I actually prefer the stove top. Be sure to use the double boiler method so you don’t end up with burnt chocolate.
My nephew who has celiac makes this quite a bit, but he uses white chocolate instead of regular
Can you put caramel chocolate chips in std of normal chocolate chips???
Sure! Sounds good to me!
Answering your March 28th post regarding movies, we just spent 2 nights watching The Ultimate Gift and The Ultimate Life which are both very good. We are looking forward to watching The Ultimate Legacy tonight to finish the series. They are the kind of movies with such a good, powerful message that every person on the planet should watch them.=)
I made these with almond butter and eliminated the butter for a healthier snack. Delicious!!
Here In Quarantine …. This Was The EASIEST Most simple and Quickest Sweet Treat I have ever Made!! Thank you!
Has anyone replaced the cereal with pretzels? If so how did it taste?
That I believe is called haystacks…
Recipe is Delicious! Thank you.
I loved the ratio of Chex cereal to coating in this recipe. My daughter and I substituted 1/4 cup of powdered peanut butter for 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar coating and it came out great! It really added a new element that worked well.
You’re a sussy baka.
yeah!!!!!
Loved it
YAY!
How much does this recipe make?
About 6 cups!
I liked it but it did taste just like normal puppy chow. ( to me at lest.)
Thanks for sharing! My daughter wanted Puppy Cow for her birthday party but is allergic to peanut protein so I substituted Gooey Cocoa Hazelnut spread (with cocoa powder added to the powdered sugar) for a chocolate variety and Creamy Almond Butter with Caramel (and white chocolate chips) for a white variety. She and her friends LOVED it!
Yahoo!
Turned out amazing. Added more powdered sugar to make it how we like it. Will definitely be saving this recipe!
The best sweet snack!
Has anyone made this without the peanut butter? Hubby doesn’t like any nut butters. ☹️
I loved puppy chow growing up, but haven’t had it in years. This recipe is perfect! It tastes exactly as I remember and was so easy to make with my toddler.
Such a good sweet snack!
My daughter and I talking about variations. There are chocolate Rice Chex, Golden Grahms, and also the ever loved Bugels!
YUM!
“This Puppy Chow recipe is a total crowd-pleaser! The combination of chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar is simply irresistible. It’s my go-to snack for parties and a must-have during the holiday season.”
Such a good treat!
“This Puppy Chow recipe is a total winner! The combination of chocolate and peanut butter creates an irresistible treat that’s perfect for parties or holiday gatherings. I can’t wait to try making this addictive snack for my next get-together!”
SO good!
Good
My favorite!
The original recipe for puppy chow called to use Crispix cereal not Rice Chex. It was a different cereal snack mix to compete with Chex mix which was a staple during the holidays. Crispix is half corn, half rice and was made by Kellogg’s. Chex mix developed their version “Muddy Buddies” later after the original puppy chow became popular.
This was delicious!! Will make it over and over! Thank you for the recipe!
You are welcome! Such a fun sweet snack!
Do you think I could use a 1/2 cup of Reese’s pieces? My family loves peanut butter and I thought they would give the Puppy Chow more peanut butter flavor.
That sounds fun! Go for it!
love this! butter added makes the chocolate smoother and eaiser to mix
Such a good sweet snack!