Lemon muddy buddies, also known as puppy chow, is a sweet candy treat made from chex cereal, white chocolate, and fresh lemon zest. It's ready in just fifteen minutes with no baking required!
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Sweet, crunchy, real lemon flavor.
No artificial flavors. This recipe is made with lemon zest for a bright lemon flavor.
No-bake. There's no baking involved so it makes a great last-minute treat!
Perfect for: Snacking, parties, Easter, summer picnics.
Similar to: Strawberry Muddy Buddies and Christmas Muddy Buddies
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Chex cereal - Any variety works in this recipe. I prefer rice chex. Corn chex is a good alternative.
- White chocolate melting wafers - Can be substituted with white chocolate chips and coconut oil (used to help thin the chocolate chips to the right consistency).
- Lemon zest - Adds bright, citrusy flavor to the muddy buddies. Cannot be substituted with lemon juice. Adding liquid will cause your chocolate to seize.
- Confectioner's sugar - Also called powdered sugar or icing sugar. This will coat your snack mix, and cannot be substituted with granulated sugar.
How to make lemon muddy buddies
- Zest one lemon into a bowl. Zest cannot be substituted with lemon juice - adding liquid to the melting wafers WILL cause the chocolate to seize.
- Melt wafers in a microwave safe bowl, stirring until smooth. Add lemon zest and stir to combine. Mixture should look smooth, like shown in the photo above.
- Add chex mix to a large bowl and drizzle with white chocolate. Toss until coated. Add confectioner's sugar and toss again until coated.
- Pour out onto a lined baking sheet and allow to rest at room temperature until coating has solidified.
Tips and tricks
Serve a crowd - As written, this recipe makes about eight half-cup servings. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.
Mix in a bowl or bag - For easy cleanup, mix your muddy buddies in a large, gallon-sized plastic bag. It's easy to seal and shake to mix. Otherwise, a large bowl and spoon can get the job done.
Excess sugar? - Don't worry if you see excess confectioner's sugar in the bottom of the bag or bowl. Not all of the sugar is meant to stick on the cereal - this is normal.
Don't add lemon juice - Several readers have reached out to let me know that their chocolate has seized when either 1) adding lemon juice, or 2) using chocolate chips and lemon zest. I have not been able to replicate this issue myself, but want to reiterate that lemon juice (or any liquid) will cause the chocolate to seize, whether using melting wafers or chocolate chips.
Use a double boiler - If you don't have access to a microwave, chocolate can be melted in a double boiler. Bring a pot of water to a simmer. In a bowl larger than your pot, add your chocolate and balance the bowl on top of the pot. Stir continuously until just melted and smooth.
Check expiration dates - Out of date chocolate wafers or chips can have a chalky texture when melted, or won't melt at all.
Storage
Muddy buddies will last about 1 week when stored in a tightly sealed container at room temperature, but is best within 3 to 4 days. The texture of the cereal will lose its crunchy texture over time.
Frequently asked questions
Muddy buddies is also known as puppy chow, reindeer chow, reindeer mix, or muddy munch.
It should go without saying, but (after receiving several comments about this) muddy buddies is for humans only, not dogs. This popular American snack was nicknamed "puppy chow" due to its similar look to the dog food with the same name.
For more information, check out: Wikipedia: Puppy chow (snack)
Allow your muddy buddies to dry completely before storing. Otherwise, the wet chocolate can build up moisture in the container it's stored in and make the cereal soggy.
No, it can be stored safely at room temperature. I'd recommend storing in the refrigerator if your home is very warm and the chocolate begins to melt.
Yes! I'd recommend adding in about 1 cup of mix-ins for every 4 cups of chex cereal used. Here are a few ideas to get you started: mini pretzels, mini marshmallows, M&M's candies, crushed golden Oreo cookies, almonds, or cashews.
No, lemon juice, lemon extract (or ANY liquid) will cause the white chocolate to seize. Only use lemon zest in this recipe.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Lemon Muddy Buddies (Puppy Chow)
Ingredients
- 4 cups chex cereal
- 1 cup white chocolate melting wafers, * see notes for substitutions
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add cereal. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, microwave melting wafers in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted. Add lemon zest to melted chocolate and stir to combine. Pour chocolate over cereal and gently toss until evenly coated.
- Add powdered sugar and gently toss cereal until evenly coated.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and pour cereal mixture into a single layer. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes (or until chocolate has hardened). Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Melting wafer substitutions:* Melting wafers can be substituted with 1 cup of white chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Coconut oil helps stabilize the chocolate chips when the lemon zest is added, and makes the chocolate thinner to easily coat the cereal.
- Can I use lemon juice/lemon extract?: NO. Do not add lemon juice or lemon extract to this recipe. Lemon zest cannot be substituted with any liquids because it will cause the chocolate to seize up.
- Toss in a bag: Optionally, toss your ingredients in a gallon sized plastic bag - making it easy for children to help.
- Storage: Puppy chow will keep for up to one week in a sealed container at room temperature and will become less crunchy over time.
My chocolate seized as soon as I added zest. Bummer. I froze the chocolate zest and grated it over the chex.
Hi Michelle, did you use melting wafers or chocolate chips? Other readers have had issues with chocolate seizing when using chips (I have tips within the post about chocolate seizing), but adding a bit of melted coconut oil helps.
Added salt. Much better that way
How much salt did you add?