Puppy Chow Without Peanut Butter
Traditional puppy chow, or muddy buddies, contains peanut butter. If you’re not familiar, here is a fantastic recipe for a classic puppy chow.
However, I know that nut allergies can be an issue, especially with kids, school parties, and birthdays.
My snickerdoodle puppy chow contains NO peanut butter, making it the perfect snack mix for your next Halloween party, event at school, or to add to birthday party grab bags.
What Are Muddy Buddies
Chex Muddy Buddies is one of the BEST snack mix desserts youll ever eat!
Theres zero baking required and you can make puppy chow in a matter of minutes to satisfy your sweet tooth craving.
Muddy Buddies are a sweet cereal snack mix made quick and easy by coating Chex cereal in melted chocolate, butter, peanut butter, and vanilla, and tossing it in a coat of delicious powdered sugar.
Why Is It Called Puppy Chow?
Growing up in Virginia, this delectable treat was always called Puppy Chow. They say its because it has a similar look to dog food , but regardless I absolutely LOVE puppy chow/muddy buddies.
Just make sure you dont try to feed this to your actual dogs its for human consumption only!
Ingredients Needed for my Healthier Puppy Chow:
My puppy chow mix/Chex muddy buddies are made slightly healthier than the traditional muddy buddy recipes out there with less sugar.
I say healthier, because lets be real muddy buddies arent healthy no matter what way you spin it, but life is all about balance and you have to enjoy a sweet treat every now and then.
Below, Ive outlined all the ingredients youll need!
Chex Cereal You can use rice Chex, corn Chex, or a combination of the two if you prefer. You can also use Crispix cereal or even Quaker Oatmeal squares for more fiber.
Butter This recipe only uses 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter as opposed to 4 tablespoons in the classic Chex Muddy Buddies recipe, because you truly dont need the extra butter.
Is It Called Puppy Chow Or Muddy Buddies
You may have grown up calling this mix puppy chow or muddy buddies. Puppy chow is thought to have originated in the midwest and was named because of its resemblance to dog kibble. Later, Chex caught on to the popularity of the snack and began publishing a recipe for Muddy Buddies’ on the back of its boxes, which is why the two common names exist. It is also sometimes referred to as monkey munch’ and reindeer chow.’
You May Like: Healthy Recipe Of The Day
A Dozen Puppy Chow Chex Mix Recipes
- Save
Puppy Chow is a crunchy snack made with Chex cereal, chocolate, and powdered sugar!
These days, the Pinterest era of foodie bloggers has taken liberties with the original Puppy Chow recipe and added in their own mixing and flavors creating an almost endless list of delicious snack recipes to try. Youre going to love this list of Puppy Chow Recipes.
I have collected a dozen of my absolute favorite Puppy Chow Chex Mix Recipes to make it easier for you to find the top picks.
Youre going to love this list of Muddy Buddies!
Easter Bunny Chow Tips:
- Any Chex cereal works great in this recipe if you prefer Rice or Wheat Chex or a combination of Corn, Rice and/or Wheat Chex go for it! By default I use Corn Chex but I definitely recommend using your personal favorite.
- Similar to most like-recipes the white chocolate chips can be replaced with candy melts.
- The bigger the mixing bowl the better! When it comes to gently folding together the cereal with the melted mixture I recommend using the biggest mixing bowl that you can find.
- To make your Easter Bunny Chow peanut-free replace the Creamy Peanut Butter with an additional 4 ounces of White Chocolate Chips.
- Use a gallon size Ziploc bag or larger to mix the coated Chex cereal with the powdered sugar its best to mix in half of the sugar and cereal then gently shake before adding the remainder of the cereal and sugar to the Ziploc bag.
- Your festive spring snack does not have to be refrigerated however, you should store your Easter Bunny Chow in an airtight container think Ziploc bag, Rubbermaid container with a tight lid or mason jar.
Read Also: Best Forks Over Knives Recipes
What Is Puppy Chow
Despite the name, puppy chow is the perfect snack for humans – not dogs. So don’t feed this snack to your four legged friends!
According to Wikipedia, “The snack’s name is based upon its look and consistency, which can resemble the Dog Chow brand of dog food in its appearance.”
This sweet snack also goes by the names Muddy Buddies, Reindeer Chow, Monkey Munch, or Muddy Munch. No matter what you call it – I think we can all agree, it is absolutely delicious and addictive!
How To Gift Chex Muddy Buddies
Once you’ve made your puppy chow, you can either keep it for yourself or gift it. For a fun gift, we chose to package the puppy chow up in mason jars. To do this, you’ll simply make a cone out of parchment paper, then stick it in the mason jar and pour in the puppy chow. While you don’t have to use the parchment paper cone, it goes a long way toward minimizing mess! Once you have poured the puppy chow into mason jars, simply tie your favorite ribbon around the top and attach a gift tag, and you’ve got an adorable DIY holiday gift.
Recommended Reading: Soft Food Recipes For The Elderly
Quick Tips For Making Chex Mix Puppy Chow
- Read over the ingredients. This puppy chow recipe should be gluten free, but confirm everything thats going in is, especially if youll be sharing this with friends who have Celiac or a gluten intolerance.
- Store Chex Mix Puppy Chow at room temperature in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 4-5 days, but chances are, it wont last that long! If you want it to last longer, it will keep for a week in the fridge.
- Swap out the colors of M& Ms and sprinkles for different holidays and celebrations. This recipe can be transformed into Christmas Puppy Chow with green and red M& Ms and sprinkles. You can do the same and make this for Valentines Day, Independence Day and more! Add rainbow sprinkles for a birthday, too!
- Dont want to make as much puppy chow? Half the recipe and call it a day!
Serving Size:
Amount Per Serving:
Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
How To Make Puppy Chow:
This is such an easy process, and one that my kids enjoy making! Here are the simple steps:
Recommended Reading: White Castle Onion Chips Recipe
In The Kitchen With Kp
I love the holidays because I get to bask in the glory of all baking all things peppermint. I am what you call a peppermint and mint fanatic so its on my friends! Ive even replaced my Fall hashtag of #EatAllThePumpkin with my new #EatAllThePeppermint! This homemade snack mix is everywhere on pinterest and each season brings a variety of fun new flavors. This is my first attempt making muddy buddies, and my Peppermint Puppy Chow Snack Mix turned out amazing!
With the holidays coming up so fast, I thought this peppermint puppy chow snack mix would make a super cute gift for teachers when stored in a jelly jar and tied with ribbon. I wanted to make the recipe to make sure it tasted good. Well it did taste good. I loved this mix so much, I found myself mindlessly munching away on the container while working. The cool, minty and crunchy squares kept calling my name!
Thankfully the container is now empty, but my brain is definitely telling me to make more. This super simple snack is a thrifty gift too. You can make a big batch and start filling your jelly jars. Once you add some pretty ribbon and a homemade tag your gifts are ready to give. I cant wait to experiment with some more seasonal flavors and make the next batch.
How To Make Lemon Puppy Chow Mix:
1. Combine your chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl
2. Cook on 50% power, for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted .3. Stir in your lemon extract.
4. Pour over your Chex cereal and carefully mix with cereal squares until well coated.
5. Scoop your powdered sugar and sprinkles into a large ziplock plastic bag.
6. Scoop your chocolate coated cereal into your bag of powdered sugar and shake well.
And by shake well, I mean: shake shake shake!
With all ingredients in a large ziploc bag you are going to want to really shake things up
Serve and enjoy!
This is such a wonderful chocolatey treat for holiday parties the combination of crispy rice and corn mixed in with the sweet chocolate flavoring makes this one of the best puppy chow recipe treats that weve tried.
This is also a fun snack to use as party decor in cute bowl around your event, great for everything from football parties to a birthday party or family gathering. Your guests will have a hard time not grabbing another handful of this classic snack mix. The best part is that this is a very affordable and delicious snack and its also such a simple recipe that anyone can make it. Such a crowd pleaser, I love easy recipes like this!
This recipe is also one of our favorite treats for family game nights or after school snacks. Sometimes Ill make a double batch so that we can have extra on hand and my kids love to take this cereal treat in their lunches.
Recommended Reading: Desert Island Long Island Iced Tea Recipe
How To Make Traditional Puppy Chow
Does Puppy Chow Need To Be Refrigerated
Puppy Chow does not need to be refrigerated which means its great for giving as an edible holiday gift. I like to package scoops of Puppy Chow in clear treat bags with a pretty ribbon, or in a holiday tin which you can get from the Target $1 aisle or even the Dollar Store. Inexpensive, easy, and WAY better than giving someone a boring old candle for the holidays.
Before we go on, I feel like it has to be said Puppy Chow is NOT for puppies nor any other animal! More for us humans. ?
RELATED
Don’t Miss: Kid Friendly Gluten Free Dairy Free Recipes
Gingerbread Puppy Chow Snack Mix Christmas Flavor In A Traditional Snack
We love puppy chow at our house. Peanut butter and chocolate are such a fun combination, but we decided to change it up for the holiday season and make some gingerbread puppy chow snack mix.
Theres no peanut butter or chocolate in site.
Instead, there is the spicy, delicious taste of gingerbread coated all over these babies, sweetened beautifully by the powdered sugar.
We decided to make some the night we decorated the tree.
We had the fireplace going, Christmas lights twinkling everywhere, our favorite Christmas music playing and some hot chocolate heating to enjoy with our snack.
The perfect evening treat, my kids told me.
Its the taste of Christmas. I promise. And its so incredible.
In fact, its perfect for parties and get togethers at holiday time or just to enjoy in front of a good Christmas movie on TV.
Its an easy on-the-go snack and really does taste like Christmas.
When you want something a little different during the holiday season, this snack mix is the perfect solution.
We occasionally whip up a batch in the Fall and it makes me just want Christmas to get here.
If you love gingerbread, you will definitely love this Gingerbread Puppy Chow Snack Mix.
Looking for more recipe goodness? Well, if you like this recipe, you might also like:
Easter Bunny Chow Chex Mix Recipe
We use a simple spring treat that compares to the likes of Muddy Buddies. This Easter Bunny Chow Chex Mix Recipe is sure to be a family favorite.
Hey there Kenarry Readers! Trish here with a delightful creation that could be considered along the lines of Muddy Buddies, Puppy Chow or Chex Mix. With spring in the air this sweet treat shall be called Easter Bunny Chow! This white powdered sugar covered snack mixed with pastel colors just looks like Spring.
You May Like: Crab Dip Recipe Without Cream Cheese
Snickerdoodle Puppy Chow Snack Mix
Published: · Modified: Dec 18, 2021 by Heather · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 700 words. · About 4 minutes to read this article.
Snickerdoodle Puppy Chow Snack Mix is a quick, easy-to-make crowd favorite. Chex cereal is coated in white chocolate and tossed in cinnamon sugar.
I can’t get enough cinnamon this time of year. That’s what makes this Snickerdoodle Puppy Chow the perfect snack for the fall season. Chex cereal is coated in melted white chocolate, then tossed in two types of sugar and cinnamon.
Puppy chow is a great snack for several reasons. One, you don’t need to turn on the oven.
Two, you can make a lot at a time, which will feed a crowd. Three, you only need a few simple ingredients to make this addictive snack.
Ingredients For Muddy Buddies
I always have all these ingredients on hand except for the Chex. Because anytime I buy Chex, my husband eats it as an after dessert snack nearly every night while we Netflix. Hes unstoppable!! Sometimes I actually hide the box from him. Heres everything you need:
- salted butter
- peanut butter
- kosher salt
- vanilla
- Rice Chex cereal. Corn is a close second choice.
- powdered sugar
Also Check: Fun Cooking Recipes For Kids
Puppy Chow Recipe Substitutions
If you can, I highly recommend making the recipe as is. It truly is the perfect combination of crunchy, sweet, chocolate-y, peanut buttery goodness. That being said, if you MUST make substitutions, heres what I suggest:
- Can I use a different kind of cereal? If you dont like/cant find rice chex, corn chex is a great substitute.
- Do I have to use semi-sweet chocolate? You can use dark chocolate or even milk chocolate, but semi-sweet is really gives you that perfect sweet, but not too sweet balance.
- Im allergic to peanuts, can I use a different kind of nut butter? Processed peanut butter think Jiff or Skippy works best, but sunflower seed butter should work as well. I dont recommend using all natural nut butters, because theyre too runny and may not set as well at room temperature.
- Im vegan, is the butter necessary? Butter is essential, but try using a vegan buttery spread instead. Results not guaranteed, because it hasnt been tested.
- Do I need to use vanilla extract? No, you can omit it, but you will loose some of that cozy depth of flavor.
There really isnt a substitute for the powdered sugar, so just leave that one alone.
The Best Muddy Buddies Stick Together In Chocolatey Chunks
I am a snob about my Muddy Buddies though. I dont know when I got so persnickety. Not just any recipe for Muddy Buddies will do. You know that jerk who hunts through a salad and takes all the goodies and leaves all the lettuce behind? Thats me with Muddy Buddies.
When you make Muddy Buddies, most of the Chex pieces get coated individually, and you end up with a sea of single Chexs LIGHTLY coated in chocolate and powdered sugar.
But SOMETIMES, when the stars align, two of the Chex will stick together, a happy conglomerate of thick chocolately goodness gluing them together. These clumps are the ones Im always hunting for, and I will tell you why: Its because they have a higher ratio of chocolate-peanut butter to crunchy chex. And I am ALL about a high chocolate ratio my friends.
So I have made it my mission in life to create a puppy chow recipe that consists almost entirely of these gloriously hunky chocolatey chunks.
You might think this seems a little overkill. Muddy buddies are going to be good no matter what, right? Yes that is true. But we are going for the GOLD my friends! CHUNKY MUDDY BUDDIES OR BUST!!!!
A quick chill in the fridge or freezer is all it takes to get the job done right. Read on! But first:
Don’t Miss: Vegan Recipes Everyone Will Love
Puppy Chow Or Muddy Buddies
So there is a little debate about the name of this popular treat. Some people call it Puppy Chow and some call it Muddy Buddies. General Mills, who makes Chex cereal, started making and selling Muddy Buddies in stores and that is their official name for the snack. I grew up calling it puppy chow so that is what we are going with today, but Muddy Buddies is perfectly fine too. And I have also heard it called Reindeer Chow, Muddy Munch, and Monkey Munch. You can call it whatever you want, it will still be delicious! I mean, people LOVE it and its called puppy chow, so you KNOW it is good:)