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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Holiday Puppy Chow Snack Mix

    December 13, 2023 By Brandy 1 Comment

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    Muddy Buddies aka Puppy Chow is fun to make any time of year, but especially fun during the holidays. Our holiday puppy chow mix is bright with red and green and loaded with Reese's and Cadbury candy.

    You might also like our baked caramel popcorn, our peppermint bark cups (super easy made in a mini muffin pan!), or our white chocolate pretzel trees.

    holiday puppy chow

    Watch our step by step video!

    Puppy Chow aka Muddy Buddies

    Everyone knows about Muddy Buddies. The delicious sweet treat made from Chex cereal. The one created to balance out the savory Chex mix that we all know and love. I'm not exactly why the homemade version of Muddy Buddies took on the name of Puppy Chow, but here we are decades later, still calling it Puppy Chow. It's essentially a mixture of peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar that coats Chex cereal. It's sweet, and crispy, but also has a smoothness to it from the peanut butter and chocolate.

    white bowl of puppy chow snack mix

    Holiday Puppy Chow Snack Mix

    Holiday Puppy Chow takes it up a notch by adding a variety of yummy mix-ins. I used pretzels, M&Ms, mini Reese's cups, and Cadbury Snow Balls. My husband loves Cadbury Snow Balls so those were added for his benefit, but they add a nice crunch and pop of color so I highly recommend adding those in with the red and green M&Ms.

    bowl of puppy chow mix

    What Makes This Recipe a Winner?

    Easy to make: Puppy Chow comes together in minutes and can be eaten right away.

    No bake: Your oven is probably working overtime baking up cookies and other holiday baked goods, but don't worry. You can make these at the same time because they are a no-bake treat.

    Easily doubled: One batch makes about 8 cups of mix and can easily be doubled to make bags or tins of it to share with friends.

    Easy to customize: Puppy Chow is incredibly forgiving and easy to customize. Add whatever mix-ins you'd like. You can also substitute peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, or even white chocolate chips for the chocolate chips. I like using semisweet chocolate to cut some of the sweetness, but that's just a personal preference.

    bowls of candy, pretzels, Chex cereal, peanut butter and butter

    Holiday Puppy Chow Ingredients

    • Chex cereal: any variety
    • Butter: I always use salted, but you can use unsalted.
    • Peanut Butter: crunchy or creamy. I like using creamy peanut butter.
    • Powdered sugar: this is one ingredient that can not be substituted or skipped. It coats the entire mixture perfectly and gives it it's signature look.
    • Pretzels
    • Mini Reese's Cups: I buy the mini unwrapped peanut butter cups that come in the resealable bag.
    • M&Ms
    • Cadbury Snow Ballsbowl of puppy chow

     

    How To Make Puppy Chow

    Heat peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butter in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. Stir until everything is melted and smooth.

    Add the cereal to a large bowl. Pour the peanut butter and chocolate mixture over the cereal and stir to coat evenly. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool.

    Add powdered sugar to a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Pour the cereal mixture into the bag, seal it, then shake to coat everything with powdered sugar.

    Add mix-ins to the bag then shake again. You can add an additional ¼ cup of powdered sugar if you'd like to coat the mix-ins too.

    Pour the puppy chow mix onto a baking sheet and let cool completely.

    puppy chow

    Puppy Chow Snack Mix Recipe

    (printable version)

    white bowl of puppy chow snack mix

    Holiday Puppy Chow Mix

    Our holiday puppy chow snack mix is bright with red and green and loaded with Reese's and Cadbury chocolate candies.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 minute minute
    Total Time: 11 minutes minutes
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 281kcal

    Ingredients

    • 5 cups Chex cereal
    • ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
    • ⅓ cup peanut butter
    • 2 Tbsp. butter
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 1 cup pretzels
    • ½ cup M&Ms
    • ½ cup mini Reese's peanut butter cups
    • ½ cup Cadbury Snow Balls or chocolate candy

    Instructions

    • Heat peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butter in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. Stir until everything is melted and smooth.
    • Add the cereal to a large bowl. Pour the peanut butter and chocolate mixture over the cereal and stir to coat evenly. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool.
    • Add powdered sugar to a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Pour the cereal mixture into the bag, seal, then shake to coat with powdered sugar.
    • Add mix-ins to the bag then shake again. You can add an additional ¼ cup of powdered sugar if you'd like to coat the mix-ins too.
    • Pour the puppy chow mix onto a baking sheet and let cool completely.

    Notes

    Puppy chow will last for a week if stored in an airtight container. It will last up to 3 months in the freezer.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 281kcal

     

     

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    About Brandy

    Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!

    Comments

    1. Brandy says

      May 30, 2025 at 10:48 am

      5 stars
      Hi everyone! Brandy here, this is such an easy mix and fun to customize for the holidays. Definitely don't skimp on the colorful M&Ms and mini peanut butter cups.

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote

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