Make a batch of Christmas muddy buddies, also known as puppy chow, to celebrate the holiday season. Chex cereal is coated in a creamy peppermint white chocolate and dusted in confectioner's sugar with seasonal sprinkles.
Heather's recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Crisp chex cereal coated in layers of peppermint white chocolate and confectioner's sugar with sprinkles.
No bake: Make a batch in minutes. It's so easy, the kids can help!
Yield: 5 cups
Similar to: Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddies (Puppy Chow) and Strawberry Muddy Buddies (Puppy Chow)
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Chex cereal - Rice chex or corn chex works great in this recipe.
- White chocolate chips - Can be substituted with white melting wafers if desired. Melting wafers melt more easily and would make a great choice for this recipe, but white chocolate chips are generally cheaper and easier to find.
- Peppermint extract - Can be substituted with vanilla extract for a different flavor.
How to make Christmas muddy buddies
- Add cereal, melted white chocolate chips, and peppermint extract to a gallon sized plastic bag and stir gently to combine.
- Add sprinkles and seal bag. Shake to evenly coat cereal.
- Add confectioner's sugar and seal bag. Shake to evenly coat cereal. Not every sprinkle will stick, this is normal.
- Pour mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate 10-15 minutes or until hardened. Store in an airtight container.
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.
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! Simply add 3 or 4 standard size candy canes to a plastic bag, seal, and lightly hammer with a rolling pin until crushed into tiny pieces. Add your crushed candy canes when you'd add the sprinkles so they adhere to the chocolate.
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, almonds, or cashews.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Christmas Muddy Buddies (Puppy Chow)
Ingredients
- 4 cups chex cereal
- 1 cup white chocolate chips, or melting wafers
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 3 tablespoons nonpareil sprinkles
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add cereal. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, microwave white chocolate chips for 30 seconds, stir. Microwave for additional 30 second increments until chips are melted and smooth. Add peppermint extract and stir to combine. Pour chocolate over cereal and stir carefully to fully cover but not break the cereal. Pour cereal mixture into a large gallon size plastic bag.
- Add sprinkles and seal bag. Shake to evenly coat cereal.
- Add confectioner's sugar and seal bag. Shake to evenly coat cereal. Not all of your sugar and sprinkles will stick - this is normal.
- 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
- 1 serving = about ½ heaping cup of snack mix
- Cereal: Rice chex is ideal for this recipe, but corn chex or wheat chex, or a combination of several flavors, will work.
- Storage: Snack mix will keep for 3-4 days in a sealed container at room temperature.
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