This Christmas Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies is a wonderfully quick and easy to make holiday treat made from Chex Rice Cereal, chocolate chips, peanut butter and powdered sugar. Make this holiday puppy chow even more festive with your favorite mix-ins such as red and green M&M’s and chocolate covered pretzels.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I have several fun, versatile and easy to make treat recipes on the blog. My personal favorites at the moment are my Christmas Cookie Fudge, Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Treats, Easy S’mores Truffles and Chocolate Covered Oreos. This Christmas puppy chow mix is another fun and easy treat I know you’ll love!
- It’s quick, easy and fun to make. This Christmas chex mix is are made using 6 simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. This puppy chow recipe takes about 10 minutes to make and 30 minutes to set.
- You love a delicious, beautiful and versatile no bake treat. This holiday puppy chow recipe is so simple to make, is easy to adapt and and results in a beautiful holiday mix everyone will love.
Ingredients
Before you make this festive chex mix puppy chow mix, make sure you have these ingredients ready to go!
For the Puppy Chow
Gather Chex Mix rice cereal, semi sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter, vanilla extract and powdered sugar.
For the Mix-Ins
Gather red and green M&M’s, salted caramel chips and chocolate covered pretzels with sprinkles.
Substitutions
These recipe for Christmas puppy chow is meant to be quick, easy and the perfect treat to throw together at the last minute. Here are my recommended substitutions for this recipe if you don’t have all the ingredients on hand:
- Chex Cereal: This christmas puppy chow recipe uses regular rice chex cereal. Feel free to use any flavor you like. Chocolate, cinnamon or peanut butter would all make delicious substitutions.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: To make this recipe peanut butter free, use sunflower butter.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe. Use a vegan, plant based butter if needed to make this muddy buddy mix dairy free.
- Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips: Use any brand of chocolate chips you like. Milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips would be delicious alternatives to semi sweet chocolate chips.
- Vanilla Extract: This gives a nice background flavor to the christmas puppy chow. Omit if you don’t want to use it in the recipe.
- Powdered Sugar: This is used to coat the chocolate and peanut butter coated chex cereal. I like using Wholesome Organic powdered sugar.
- Mix-Ins: Use any festive candy, pretzels, salted caramel chips, butterscotch chips, nuts or mini peanut butter cups.
Variations
- Red and green muddy buddies: Replace the semi sweet chocolate with an equal amount of red and green candy melts. Simple divide the red and green candy melts, peanut butter and butter into two different bowls. Melt and stir the mixture until well combined. Pour the red and green peanut butter mixture into two different bowls filled with cereal. Coat the cereal in powdered sugar using two different bags.
- Dairy free: Use plant based or vegan butter and diary free chocolate chips such as Enjoy Life.
- Gluten Free: Use a gluten free Chex cereal. Make sure to use a powdered sugar that is also gluten free. I like this one from Wholesome.
- Lower Sugar: If you need a lower sugar powdered sugar alternative, I recommend Swerve or Lakanto. Use a no added sugar chocolate and omit the added candy.
- Nut Allergy: To make this recipe peanut butter or nut free, use sunflower butter.
- Make it in the microwave: Melt the peanut butter, chocolate chips and butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments until all the ingredients are melted. Stir well in between each increment.
How To Make
Let me show you how easy it is to make Christmas puppy chow:
- Heat the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a medium sauce pan. Frequently stir the chocolate, butter and peanut butter to ensure they melt and are well combined.
- Pour the chex cereal into a large mixing bowl. Once the chocolate and peanut butter mixture has melted pour half the mixture onto the cereal. Mix the cereal until mostly combined with the chocolate peanut butter. Repeat with the remaining half of the chocolate peanut butter. Mix well until all the cereal pieces are well coated.
- Pour the chocolate peanut butter coated cereal into a gallon sized ziplock bag filled with powdered sugar. Shake the bag to coat the cereal pieces in powdered sugar. Pour the muddy buddy mix onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Allow the coated cereal pieces to set for about 30 minutes.
- Make the mix-ins. I love adding a little salty to break up all the sweet. To make the chocolate covered pretzels, melt 2 oz. white chocolate in a small bowl. Drizzle over 15-20 mini pretzels. Top with holiday sprinkles and set for about 30 minutes.
- Add the mix-ins to the christmas muddy buddy mix. Mix the M&M’s, salted caramel chips and chocolate covered pretzels.
How To Store, Freeze and Thaw
Store leftover christmas puppy chow in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze leftover muddy buddies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Thaw the christmas puppy chow in the fridge overnight.
M’s Expert Tips
- Stir the chocolate peanut butter mixture frequently: This prevents the chocolate, peanut butter and butter from burning and also promotes even melting.
- Set the muddy buddies faster: Pour the mixture onto a lined baking sheet and set in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Customize: What I love most about this recipe is how easily adaptable it is. From the ingredients to the mix-ins, use what you like and have on hand.
FAQ's
They’re exactly the same mixture whether you call it muddy buddies, puppy chow, or reindeer chow.
More Easy Holiday Recipes
If you try this Christmas Puppy Chow recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking!
Christmas Puppy Chow Recipe
Equipment
- 1 small or medium sauce pan (or large microwaveable bowl)
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 2 gallon ziplock bags
- 1 large baking sheet
- 1 large spoon
Ingredients
Christmas Puppy Chow
- 8 cups (240 g) Chex cereal
- ½ cup (128 g) creamy peanut butter
- 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (140 g) semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
Holiday Mix-ins
- 1 cup red and green M&M's
- 2 cups chocolate covered pretzels
- 1 cup mini peanut butter cups
- 1 cup salted caramel or butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Heat the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a medium sauce pan. Frequently stir the chocolate, butter and peanut butter to ensure they melt and are well combined.
- Pour the chex cereal into a large mixing bowl.
- Once the chocolate and peanut butter mixture has melted, pour half the mixture onto the cereal. Mix the cereal until mostly combined with the chocolate peanut butter. Repeat with the remaining half of the chocolate peanut butter mixture. Mix well until all the cereal pieces are well coated.
- Pour the chocolate peanut butter coated cereal into a gallon sized ziplock bag filled with powdered sugar. Shake well until all the cereal pieces are coated in the powdered sugar.If you would like to coat the muddy buddies in powdered sugar twice, reserve 1/4 cup (30 g) powdered sugar in another ziplock bag.
- Pour the muddy buddy mix onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Allow the coated cereal pieces to set for about 30 minutes.
- Make the mix-ins. I love adding a little salty to break up all the sweet. To make the chocolate covered pretzels, melt 2 oz. white chocolate in a small bowl. Drizzle over 15-20 mini pretzels. Top with holiday sprinkles and set for about 30 minutes.
- Add the mix-ins to the christmas muddy buddy mix. Stir until all the M&M’s, salted caramel chips and chocolate covered pretzels are mixed in.
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