Home > Desserts > Muddy Buddies (The BEST!) Muddy Buddies (The BEST!) October 1, 2018 | 53 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. These Muddy Buddies (also called Puppy Chow) are the best easy treat. There’s no baking required and you’ll need only a few ingredients! After you’ve become hooked on this easy treat, give this White Chocolate Chex Mix or this Chocolate Popcorn a try! If you’re not familiar with Muddy Buddies, you’re probably asking, What is a Muddy Buddy? Whether you call this snack Muddy Buddies or puppy chow (or reindeer chow or monkey munch!), this treat is the BEST! Muddy Buddies are a sweet, crunchy cereal snack mix made with Chex® cereal, peanut butter, chocolate, butter, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar. And to make it even better, there is no baking required! This treat is frequently called puppy chow because of the close resemblance to dog food. So, while they’re not the most attractive-looking treat, you’ll be hooked from the first bite! Just make sure you don’t actually feed your dog(s) this snack. Pets and chocolate do not mix. Now that we’re well-versed in the term, let’s talk about making this delicious snack mix! How do you make Muddy Buddies? Measure the cereal (rice or corn Chex) into a very large bowl. Melt the butter, chocolate chips, and peanut butter and mix together. Add in the vanilla and a pinch of salt (to balance the sweetness). Combine the chocolate-peanut butter mixture and the cereal mixture; toss until combined. Coat the mixture with powdered sugar: transfer it to a large bag, add the powdered sugar, and shake to combine! And if you’re wondering how to make puppy chow — it’s the exact same as making this recipe. 🙂 One of the best things about this snack is how easy it is to customize or adapt. I’ve made dozens of Muddy Buddies variations, and here are my favorites: Muddy Buddies Cookies and Cream flavored: click HERE. Confetti Cake Batter flavored: click HERE. Double Chocolate flavored: Use a dry brownie mix in place of the powdered sugar Nutella flavored:Iif you’re looking to make muddy buddies without peanut butter, try using Nutella® in its place! STORAGE What To Do With Leftovers: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. We like it best within 3-4 days. Freeze in an airtight container/bag for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature. More Delicious Desserts: Snickerdoodles reader favorite cookies Edible Cookie Dough no baking required and food safe! Lemon Bars with a shortbread crust Chocolate Cheesecake with an Oreo crust S’mores Bars no baking required! FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Muddy Buddies 4.73 from 22 votes - Review this recipe These Muddy Buddies (also called Puppy Chow) are the best easy treat! No baking required and few ingredients needed! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Muddy Buddies 4.73 from 22 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe These Muddy Buddies (also called Puppy Chow) are the best easy treat! No baking required and few ingredients needed! Course Dessert, Snack Cuisine American Keyword muddy buddies Prep Time 15 minutes minutes Total Time 15 minutes minutes Servings 10 cups Chelsea Lords Calories 484kcal Author Chelsea Lords Ingredients▢ 9 cups Chex cereal Rice or Corn Chex work best▢ 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter▢ 1 cup milk or semisweet chocolate chips (I like Guittard or Ghirardelli)▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract▢ 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt▢ 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugarOptional Additions▢ mini M&M's, mini chocolate chips InstructionsMeasure cereal into a large bowl and set aside.In a separate large microwave-safe bowl, combine the peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butter. Microwave in bursts of 15 seconds, stirring in between each burst for 15 seconds until the mixture is melted and smooth. Add in the vanilla and salt. Pour over the cereal. Stir well until the cereal is evenly coated. Take care not to crush the cereal while stirring.Pour half of the cereal mixture into a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag and pour half of the powdered sugar over it. Seal and shake until the cereal is evenly coated. Repeat with the other half of the cereal and powdered sugar. Shake until all the cereal is well coated.Pour into a large bowl and enjoy! If desired, stir in a fun addition such as mini M&M's or mini chocolate chips. Store leftover Muddy Buddies in an airtight container at room temperature. Video Recipe NotesNutritional information does not include optional add-ins. This recipe doubles well-- and on the flip side, it can also be halved easily. Nutrition FactsCalories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 496mg | Potassium: 394mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 743IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 18mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
You know what. I have never made muddy buddies before. These look quite yummy! And SO pretty that I am going to have to give them a try. I have a feeling my kids would gobble them up!!! 🙂 Reply
Oh wow you definitely need to give them a go sometime! They are a favorite in my family 🙂 thanks Renee! Reply
I must curtsy to Chelsea, queen of puppy chow! Oh my goodness, these are incredible! I’ve never seen triple chocolate (I could so eat an entire bowl as well!) and the sugar cookie dough, well, now that is pure genius. Those little sugar cookie dough balls? I need some for breakfast. Any respectable person who has to being snacks to functions and what not has to share this! Thank you Chelsea! Reply
Haha you are so sweet mary!! Thank you so much! 🙂 and muddy buddies for breakfast? Best idea ever! Reply
This is so cool, Chelsea! And gah, these all look so wonderful and addicting! I absolutely love the sugar cookie muddy buddies! Although, I would totally stuff my face with the other two. Gonna go look at the others and the recipes on SheKnows. 🙂 Reply
Love your picture with the birthday candle in it….mmmm mmm looks yummy! Haven’t made puppy chow in forever, and have never really ventured to make another flavor (even though i’ve managed to pin a ton of different flavors.) I like how you have the chunks of dough in it…totally need to make this. Maybe this weekend, have some wine too, invite some friends over. Sounds lovely 🙂 Reply
Thanks so much Kelly! Haha I’ve pinned so many flavors too! Sounds like a great weekend, I’m already anxious for it to be Friday haha! Reply
OMG I love muddy buddies. I’m dying. And I’m guessing you and hubs had waaaaay to many muddy buddies at home. Send some my way? 😉 Reply
3 recipes?! I can’t even pick which one is my favorite. Although those mini sugar cookie dough balls might be the winner – those are so cute and look SO delicious!! What a fun partnership! Reply
All of these recipes look perfect. Congrats on working with SheKnows, I will keep an eye out for your work! Reply
These look perfect for my sweet tooth! I did have to google ‘rice chex cereal’ though – don’t think we get that on this side of the world 🙁 Reply
LOVE the sugar cookie muddy buddies! I’ve never thought about adding cookie dough. That is a perfect treat for a party! Thanks – pinning! Reply
I am so impressed, Chelsea. All of these look super delicious. Since I am way too indecisive to choose my favorite, can I get a special mix that has all of these flavors combined into one?? Seriously, I am so hungry right now!! Love these! Reply
Ahhh muddy buddies (or as Ohio-natives such as myself 😛 call em-puppy chow!) soooo good! You are so creative Chelsea! Reply
Muddy buddies are pretty dangerous in our house. Asheley and I go through batches of the stuff like crazy. It’s our crack. These 3 recipes look SO good. I’m a fan of cake batter anything, and those brownie balls are totally selling me on the Triple Chocolate! Reply
Not that I’ve personally tested; you could perhaps try WowButter, but I can’t personally vouch for how it will work/taste. Wish I could be of more help Reply
Any experience with freezing this?! I have never heard you can do this. The cereal doesn’t get soggy as it thaws? Reply
Yes! I actually LOVE frozen muddy buddies — they’re delicious. I haven’t ever experienced the cereal getting soggy; we typically eat it straight from the freezer (sounds strange, but really good!) Reply
I’ll add it to my list 🙂 In the meantime, there is a video for making a similar recipe (Halloween inspired!) on this post: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/halloween-bag-toppers-2-free-printables/ Reply
These are fabulous. My husband recently discovered that gluten doesn’t work for him, and we love desserts, so these are the perfect answer. The pinch of salt and vanilla take them to the next level. These also have the perfect ratio of crunch to chocolate. We’ve eaten…quite a lot of these. 🙂 Reply
Ahh yes! These are the perfect gluten-free dessert! I’m so glad you guys found something that worked for you! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂 Reply
I’ve made this before and it is great. Can you use almond butter or chocolate peanut butter instead of peanut butter. If you use chocolate peanut butter can you still use the chocolate c hips. Thank you, Dorothy Reply
My grown son loves these! I made them every Christmas and even tho he’s 35 he still comes to my house for Muddy Buddies! Reply
You could certainly try it! I’d use a dry roasted and lightly salted almond butter that has a good flavor on its own! Reply
So glad to find this easy and quick recipe! I was craving muddy buddies and my local store was out! I bought the ingredients instead and boom! Muddy buddies at home! I didn’t have a plastic bag big enough so I used the bag the rice Chex cereal came in! It worked out great and taste better than the Chex brand in my boyfriend opinion (after a blind taste comparison). Thank you! Reply
I have been making muddy buddy for many years. I like to add extra goodies for variety…m and m, mini pretzels, peanuts. Fun to pick out your favorite pieces. Reply
I make these every Christmas for add on gift for older grandkids they love them. My recipe was thrown away when husband cleaned out drawers please email for me thank you Reply
So thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Denise! You can print straight from this recipe if you just click the print link! 🙂 Reply
My family loves the Chex Muddy Buddy Mix!! Sometimes, I use equal amounts of Rice Chex Cereal, Chex Chocolate Cereal , and Chex Peanut Butter Cereal (when I can find the Peanut Butter Chex Cereal, it’s very hard to find). Reply
