Puppy Chow Recipe (Muddy Buddies)
Posted Feb 21, 2018, Updated May 31, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
The Best Puppy Chow Recipe (AKA: Muddy Buddies) ever! Only 4 ingredients (no butter) and a few minutes results in an irresistible dessert loaded with chocolate and peanut butter! The perfect sweet treat to feed a crowd!
Listen carefully, my Puppy Chow Recipe is not for the faint of heart. You will never find weak puppy chow in my kitchen. You know what I mean?
The stuff that is so thinly coated with chocolate and peanut butter that the powdered sugar barely sticks to it? Not on my watch. I want clumps, and globs, and hunks, and chunks of chocolate-peanut buttery goodness.
Now the name of this treat can be controversial. I’m a midwesterner (born and raised) so I call this treat “Puppy Chow.” It has other names too, like muddy buddies, monkey munch, etc., but no matter what you call it, it’s delicious.
I make this dessert more than any others on my website (except for our famous chocolate chip cookies). It’s my favorite and it’s so easy to make!
Puppy Chow Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
There are only 4 ingredients in this muddy buddies recipe! But there are a few ways you can adapt it if you’d like.
- Chocolate. I recommend using a dark or semi-sweet variety. In my opinion, making this Puppy Chow Recipe with milk chocolate makes it too sweet. But if you have a serious sweet tooth by all means use whatever chocolate you prefer! If you need an allergy-friendly chocolate both Sunspire and Enjoy Life Foods make great options.
- Rice Cereal. Chex is my favorite cereal to use (or a generic equivalent). However many people love Crispex.
- Peanut Butter. You can substitute any nut or seed butter if you’re allergic to peanuts.
- Powdered sugar. There’s really no substitute for this. You can make your own refined sugar free variety.
How to Make Puppy Chow
This puppy chow recipe is very easy to make, however the method matters, a LOT. I consider myself a muddy buddies expert, so I devised the absolute perfect method to making the best puppy chow ever – no butter required.
Melt Chocolate and Peanut Butter
Melt equal parts of chocolate (semi-sweet or dark) and peanut butter together. Start by warming it for 60 seconds, stir and then warm in increments of 30 seconds so you don’t make it too hot!
Stir
The chocolate peanut butter mixture together until it’s smooth and glossy.
Assemble
Next, put some cereal in the bottom of a large bowl, pour some of the peanut butter/chocolate mixture on top, and continue to alternate cereal/chocolate/cereal, etc. until you’ve used up all the ingredients.
The key here is to start VERY conservatively with the amount of cereal! You do not, I repeat, do not want to use too much cereal. It will ruin your puppy chow, and consequently, your day.
Chill
Next, mix it all together, making sure the cereal is thickly coated . Then put the muddy buddies somewhere to cool off (outside in the winter, or in the refrigerator) before adding any powdered sugar.
This step is absolutely crucial. I am not into sickeningly sweet desserts, so I like to use as little powdered sugar as possible. If you add the powdered sugar while the mixture is still warm it will soak right in and won’t help separate the chunks at all.
Making sure your mixture is slightly cooled will mean you can use less powdered sugar in the end.
Add Powdered Sugar
Once the mixture is at or just below room temperature, but not hard, add the powdered sugar until there is a thin coating and some of the pieces start separating. It’s helpful to use a bowl with a lid, so you can shake it to coat the cereal evenly.
Chill Again
Next, let the muddy buddies cool down even more (for about 15 or 20 more minutes) before adding a little more powdered sugar. You want to add just enough so that the puppy chow can be eaten without making your hands a chocolatey-mess.
Harden
Let the puppy chow sit at room temperature for about 2 hours, or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, until it’s hardened.
Serve
Serve this puppy chow recipe at room temperature or only slightly chilled. If it is in an environment that is too warm, it could start to melt, so be careful.
Store/Freeze
Store this puppy chow in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week (if it lasts that long) or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Puppy Chow Recipe FAQs
Yes! this puppy chow recipe can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months!
This puppy chow stays fresh for up to 1 week stored in an airtight container (but it usually gets eaten way faster)!
You can substitute sunflower seed butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc. for peanut butter.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
Puppy Chow Recipe (Muddy Buddies)
Ingredients
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 6 cups Rice Chex Cereal
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Melt peanut butter and chocolate together, either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Next, add 3 cups of cereal to a large bowl. Pour 1 cup of the chocolate/peanut butter mixture over the cereal.
- Add 3 more cups of cereal to the bowl and then pour the rest of the chocolate/peanut butter mixture on top.
- Stir until the cereal is evenly coated. If there are pools of chocolate/peanut butter at the bottom of your bowl, add more cereal ¼ cup at a time until all the melted chocolate is being used to coat the cereal – up to a total of 7 cups of cereal.
- Let the mixture cool slightly (I throw mine in the fridge or outside on my porch if it's cold out). You do not want it to harden.
- Once your mixture is at or below room temperature, add 1 cup of powdered sugar. Mix until combined.
- Chill in the refrigerator for an additional 15 minutes.
- Add more powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time until the cereal is coated to your satisfaction.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Video
Notes
- Chocolate. I recommend using a dark or semi-sweet variety. In my opinion, making this Puppy Chow Recipe with milk chocolate makes it too sweet. But if you have a serious sweet tooth by all means use whatever chocolate you prefer! If you need an allergy-friendly chocolate both Sunspire and Enjoy Life Foods make great options!
- Rice Cereal. Chex is my favorite cereal to use (or a generic equivalent)! However many people love Crispex!
- Peanut Butter. You can substitute any nut or seed butter if you’re allergic to peanuts!
- Powdered sugar. There’s really no substitute for this. You could make your own refined sugar free variety but it will NOT be white. So if you’re OK with that then go for it! 😉
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve seen other recipes add vanilla extract, but I like that this one tries not to be excessively sweet and sugar coated. Do you think adding vanilla here would make it too sweet?
No, adding vanilla would not make it too sweet.
The suggestion in this recipe are awesome. I can tell this will be my best batch of puppy chow ever! Thank you so much!
Thank you Mimi! I am extremely passionate about *great* puppy chow! I hope you love it!
Can you use natural peanut butter, like Adam’s?
Yes!
In what step would you suggest adding extra treats in? For example I want to make a Halloween version with candy eyes, pumpkins, &chocolate covered pretzels. Would you add them in last?
Yes, I suggest adding them in last. Check out my Christmas Puppy Chow and add those treats in at the same time I add in the M&MS!
Love it thank you!!!
I need a bulk amount, so can you double or triple this recipe easily or should you only make one recipe at a time?
You can definitely double or triple this recipe very easily!
6-7 cups of chex = how many 12oz boxes? (a dry cup = 6.8 oz so does this recipie call for 3 12oz boxes of chex)?
In one 12 oz box there are approximately 14 cups of cereal. So, you will need one 12 oz box and have some leftover.
This barely lasted more than .3 seconds and it was delish!!!!! I will make this again and again:)
I’m so glad you love it, Meg! I feel the exact same way about this puppy chow! I could eat the entire bowl!
Thank you! I think this will be perfect for what I’m hoping to do! <3
I make this recipe *all the time!* I’m sure you will love it!
Can you use peanut butter chips and just melt with the chocolate chips??
No, I do not recommend replacing peanut butter with peanut butter chips – it will be too sweet.
Have you tried shredded as a substitute for Chex? Thinking about trying this out tonight!
Shreddies*
I’m not sure what Shreddies are, so I googled it and it looks like they are similar to wheat chex. I don’ recommend using that cereal for this recipe.
We used to use shreddies for it all the time, its a little harder than using the chex because its so much more compressed but still good!
I pour my chocolate coated cereal on to a large sheet of butcher paper on my kitchen table and let it cool there for a while and then add in the sugar. When I m finished scooping it all into the containers or treat bags, I grab the paper and clean up is done.