Muddy Buddies Madness: Make Your Snack Attack Dreams Come True
When the craving strikes, these sweet little treats can be fixed in a snap and are guaranteed to please
Whether you call them Muddy Buddies, Puppy Chow, Reindeer Chow or Reindeer Poop in December, or Monkey Munch, the delicious truth remains the same: They’re impossible to stop eating! Kids and adults alike will find their hands dipping into the bowl for just a few more, and why not? These sweet little treats have got everything: soft chocolate, a crispy crunchy cereal in the center, often a touch of salt from the peanut butter, and a powdered sugar coating that makes them a pleasure to touch and even better to bite into.
The great news is that just as there are a multitude of names for this simple treat, there are seemingly endless variations, flavors, and mix-ins that work beautifully to keep this delicious snack always new and interesting. Whether you yearn for a peppermint frost, peanut butter power, Snickerdoodle sweetness or the comfort of cookies and cream, there’s a Muddy Buddy for you … and it’s probably one of the recipes below.
Jump ahead to:
Muddy Buddies tips and tricks >>
Cookie and candy inspired, oh my! >>
A Muddy Buddy for all seasons >>
Special diet Muddy Buddies … A nearly healthy option >>
Muddy Buddies tips and tricks
These beloved snacks come together easily if you follow the simple suggestions below
Do I need any special equipment?
What you have in your kitchen right now will likely suffice. Here’s what you’ll need: a microwave-safe bowl, because it’s quicker and easier to melt chocolate chips in the microwave than over a water bath on the stovetop. Most Muddy Buddies recipes also call for one-gallon zip-top plastic bags for shaking the powdered sugar to coat, but if the recipe calls for butter or oil it may work better to use a paper grocery bag to help soak up any excess fat. Lastly, it can be helpful to lay out wax paper to let the snack dry properly after you’ve shaken it with the powdered sugar. This helps ensure it will stay crunchy and not get too soft or chewy.
What steps can kids help with?
If you have little hands eager to help, stirring the cereal into the melted chocolate mixture with a big spoon can be fun, if potentially messy. However, even the tiniest sous chef will relish shaking a big zip-top bag full of muddy buddies with powdered sugar to coat, and as long as the bag stays closed there’s no mess involved!
The OG
Sometimes you want the original, and nothing else will do
Muddy Buddies
Welcome to the OG sleepover snack. Muddy Buddies elevate a basic cereal (usually Chex), which on its own is perfectly respectable to munch on dry while sitting on the couch; but when given the Muddy Buddies treatment, suddenly a quick munch becomes a fabulous treat. Crunchy, sweet with chocolate, redolent of vanilla and a hint of salt from the peanut butter, it comes together in under 15 minutes.
Cookie and candy inspired, oh my!
The only thing better than eating your favorite cookies and candies is chowing down on them in Muddy Buddies form
Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies
This eye-catching Muddy Buddies recipe has a light and dark side with white and milk chocolate chips each used in half the recipe — but fortunately both halves include Oreo crumbs! Serve it at your next ‘80s night, or if you’re watching classic black and white films. Your evening will truly be an affair to remember as you munch away, while silver stars glide across the screen.
Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddies
This clever twist on the standard Chex Mix Muddy Buddies recipe uses Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal to heighten the spiced sweetness that makes a snickerdoodle cookie so good. They also have hints of a Mexican churro dipped in chocolate. And with only four ingredients, it’s quick to make and easy to include kids, too.
Samoas Muddy Buddies
Girl Scout cookie season never has to end if you whip up a batch of these elegant, Samoa-inspired Muddy Buddies. Toasted coconut, melted Milky Way bars, and drizzled caramel elevate these homestyle treats to gourmet status. Be sure to use unsweetened shredded coconut so it doesn’t burn when you toast it.
Peppermint Oreo Muddy Buddies
Treat yourself and those you love to the best of two worlds with this cheery peppermint and Oreo snack mix. Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses provide a bright minty pop, while Peppermint Oreos add a smooth lusciousness to the final result. Its four ingredients make it a quick jaunt from craving to contentment.
Butterfinger Muddy Buddies
When you’re going for snack time gold, why not gild the lily? If you love the crunchy, buttery kapow! of a Butterfinger, why not add it to the mix and make your puppy chow really bark? This one’s a treat!
Cotton Candy Muddy Buddies
Come to the fair any day you like with this fun Muddy Buddies recipe variation. A cotton candy powdered frosting flavoring mix provides a shortcut to a delicate blue color and makes a snack that tastes like you’re standing in the middle of your favorite summer festival with the sun warming your nose and cheeks.
Variations on a theme
Whether it’s movie night or you’re watching the game, it’s always more fun when you’ve got snacks that fit the theme!
Butterbeer Muddy Buddies
Witches and wizards, grab your broomsticks and get ready to have a party in the Gryffindor common room with these Butterbeer-inspired treats. It’s a magical mixture, perfect for a Harry Potter-inspired reading session or movie marathon. Wands out as you melt butterscotch chips, salted butter, and vanilla together before shaking them up in a few old pages of The Daily Prophet (or a brown paper bag for you Muggles) with cereal and toffee bits for a decadent treat worthy of the finest Hogwarts feast!
Pretzel Football Muddy Buddies
Peanut butter-filled pretzels are at the heart of these super fun Muddy Buddies, and make watching the game even better. And they’re a triple threat with two more elements: Reese’s miniature peanut butter cups and creamy peanut butter. Add a few football decorated pretzels and it’s “Game on!”
S’mores Muddy Buddies
Golden Grahams cereal steps in for Chex to deliver authentic s’mores flavor in this homage to the campfire original. Both marshmallows and marshmallow crème provide fluffy sweet notes, and melted chocolate chips are mixed with a bit of Nutella for a double dose of cacao. All that’s missing is a stick and a song.
Cupcake Muddy Buddies
Is it someone’s birthday? Make a special snack! This clever recipe skips the vanilla extract and confectioners’ sugar and goes straight for the vanilla cake mix. After stirring the Chex cereal into melted semi-sweet chocolate chips, a half box of your favorite white or yellow vanilla cake mix and some sprinkles get your party-themed snack on the table, STAT!
Lemon Muddy Buddies
In the winter, a sweet burst of citrus brings sunnier days to mind, but once you make these Lemon Muddy Buddies you’ll be stirring them up through spring and summer too — whether you’re feting a bride or serving Mother’s Day lunch. Between the zest of a lemon and lemon powder, both gently tempered by white chocolate, they won’t last long on the table.
A Muddy Buddy for all seasons
These cheery snacks are heroes for every occasion, and with a recipe this flexible there are Muddy Buddies recipe variations for nearly every season and holiday. But fear not, each one is tasty any day of the year.
Valentine’s Day Muddy Buddies
Embrace all the pink and red feels with this sweet and snuggly Valentine’s Day snack mix. This recipe takes a lighter touch with the white chocolate chips so you can really enjoy the crunch of the Chex, then tosses them with V-Day colored chocolate and peanut butter M&M’s for maximum cuteness and textural contrast.
Andes Mint Muddy Buddies
Eyes need the green, as they say in Ireland. While this feels true most days, it is felt most yearningly on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day. Whether you hail from the Emerald Isles or not, everyone can celebrate with these refreshing treats. The double punch of Andes mint chocolate bars and mint-flavored M&M’s ensures everyone will feel cool as they munch away on these peppermint Muddy Buddies.
Springtime Muddy Buddies
Bunnies, chicks, and soft pastels celebrate the return of spring, but none is quite as fun as this gentle and sweet snack mixture. The combination of pastel marshmallows and chocolate candies creates a pleasing visual and texture contrast. They’re great for picnics in the green grass, but elegant enough to include at a homey holiday table.
Red, White, and Blue Muddy Buddies
Give a sweet salute to the stars and stripes with this fun and colorful variation on the Muddy Buddies theme: With a little gel food coloring, you can serve the most patriotic treat at the picnic! Using white chocolate chips in this four-ingredient recipe allows the colors to truly shine … not run.
Pumpkin Spice Muddy Buddies
Forget the PSL, this is where pumpkin pie spice truly delivers. These old school Muddy Buddies get a sweet autumn update, and the spices are delicious with white chocolate chips. An extra sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg only adds to the warming fall flavors.
Graveyard Muddy Buddies
A spooky snack is just what Dr. Skeleton ordered in this devilishly chocolate take on the muddy buddies theme. Instead of confectioner’s sugar, brownie mix is stirred in for a sophisticated twist. A few purchased cookies stand in for tombstones, and pumpkin candy corns complete the creepy vibe! A ghoulish crowd pleaser for all goblins and ghosts.
Eggnog Muddy Buddies
Celebrate the holidays — you might be tempted to start right after Thanksgiving — with this Over 21 treat. White chocolate, eggnog, and a dash of rum make everyone’s day or night feel merry and bright. Note: It doesn’t work with rum extract, you’ve got to use the real thing … providing a perfect excuse to buy a fresh bottle for holiday entertaining.
Christmas Muddy Buddies
While “Reindeer Chow” may not technically be the reason for the season, it certainly is a fine excuse to make this festive snack! Powdered sugar and mini marshmallows swirl in a snow drift effect, while pretzels cue reindeer antlers and provide a pop of salty contrast to the sweetness of the treat. Red and green candies cue holiday cheer.
Special diet Muddy Buddies … A nearly healthy option
Just because you’re eating healthier or you have an allergy doesn’t mean you can’t have fun snacks, too!
Spiced Dark Chocolate Muddy Buddies
These vegan Muddy Buddies take advantage of high quality, spiced chocolate, and use gluten-free cereal, Rice Chex, to deliver a crunchy sweet treat to delight anyone on a plant-based diet.
Low-Carb/Keto Muddy Buddies aka Puppy Chow
This indulgence has an extremely clever surprise inside: Instead of cereal at its crunchy core, this Puppy Chow is built around — wait for it — pork rinds! Slathered in a mixture of butter, sugar-free chocolate chips, and peanut butter, the end result will open new doors for keto adherents.
Nutella Almond Butter Muddy Buddies
These nearly healthy Muddy Buddies taste like they might be very bad for you, but in the best sort of way. Between the hazelnuts in the Nutella and the almond butter, they have a nutty crunch that makes you want to have just a little bit more, until the bowl is empty.
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