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Puppy chow is always a crowd favorite! Kids and adults alike love this classic snack mix made with Rice Chex, chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar.
These days, we all need to find joy where we can.
Sometimes that’s swinging through the coffee-shop drive-thru for an iced shaken espresso. Sometimes it’s making a nostalgic treat like homemade oatmeal cream pies or a homemade orange julius.
Puppy chow is another one of those nostalgic treats that I love being able to whip up any time. It’s perfect for a family movie night, taking to a game-day party, or digging into during the holidays.
And the most important part? It always brings a smile to everyone’s face!
What is puppy chow?
Puppy chow is a sweet snack mix made by coating Chex cereal in a mixture of melted chocolate and peanut butter, then finishing the whole thing with a coating of powdered sugar.
Puppy chow seems to have become popular sometime in the 1960s, particularly in the Midwest. It is also sometimes called muddy buddies or monkey munch, but puppy chow is still the most common name for it here in the Midwest.
Unlike savory snack mixes, like ranch chex mix, puppy chow is a no-bake recipe. Like classic rice krispie treats, it’s a popular treat for kids to make, especially for parties or around the holidays.
I don’t care how old you are—puppy chow is one of those treats that you never really grow out of loving.
How to make this classic puppy chow
This classic puppy chow recipe is so easy and can be made using the microwave, so it’s the perfect treat for kids to help with or to make even if you don’t have access to a full kitchen!
Ingredients you will need
To make it, you will need:
- Rice Chex cereal: You can use Corn Chex or a combination of rice and corn, but rice is the classic option.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Creamy peanut butter: Use a classic creamy peanut butter or a no-stir natural peanut butter. I don’t recommend using the natural peanut butters that you grind yourself in store; the texture isn’t smooth enough for making puppy chow.
- Salted butter: If you only have unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the mixture.
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar: If you’re out, learn how to make powdered sugar and save yourself a trip to the store.
Making this recipe
Grab a large mixing bowl and add the cereal to it. Make sure you have plenty of room to stir the cereal around once you add the chocolate peanut butter mixture!
Add the chocolate, peanut butter, and butter to a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave uncovered at 50% powder for 1 minute, then stir.
Continue microwaving at 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each. Once the mixture is fully melted and smooth, stir in the vanilla.
Pour this mixture over the cereal and stir gently, coating the cereal in the chocolate and peanut butter.
Transfer the coated cereal to a 2-gallon zip-top bag (or divide it between two 1-gallon bags). Add the powdered sugar, seal the bag, and shake until the cereal is well coated in the sugar.
This is always the part my kids love helping with the most!
If you feel like the cereal isn’t coated enough, you can always add a little more powdered sugar.
If you don’t want to use a zip-top bag, you can also shake the mix up in a large container with a tight-fitting lid.
Once the puppy chow is coated in the powdered sugar, spread it onto a large, parchment-lined baking sheet to cool. If there are any clumps of cereal, feel free to break them up now.
Let the puppy chow cool before digging in or storing for later.
Storage tips
Store puppy chow in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
You can even freeze it for 2-3 months! You can let it thaw or enjoy it right from the freezer. If you’re the type that loves a frozen Reese’s cup, you’d probably love frozen puppy chow, too!
Recipe variations and substitutions
This recipe is a pretty classic version of puppy chow, but there are plenty of ways that you can change it up:
- Rice Chex cereal is already gluten-free, but make sure your other ingredients are certified gluten-free if you are making this for someone with a gluten allergy or intolerance.
- Allergic to peanuts? Swap the peanut butter for almond butter or SunButter.
- Use Corn Chex in place of the rice cereal, or use a mix of the two.
- For a holiday version, add in some red and green M&Ms, pretzels, and/or mini peanut butter cups to make reindeer chow.
- Add a festive flair for any holiday or occasion by mixing M&Ms in after the puppy chow cools. Use school colors for a graduation party, pink and red for Valentine’s Day, red, white and blue for July 4th, etc.
Classic Puppy Chow
Ingredients
- 10 cups Rice Chex Cereal
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Pour cereal into a large bowl and set aside.10 cups Rice Chex Cereal
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Microwave uncovered on 50% power for 1 minute; stir. Continue microwaving on 50% power in 30-second increments until the mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal, gently stirring until evenly coated.1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, 1/4 cup salted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pour coated cereal into (1) 2-gallon zip-top food-storage plastic bag. If you only have 1-gallon bags on hand, you’ll need to do this step in batches, or use 2 bags.
- Add the powdered sugar to the bag(s) and seal the bag(s). Gently shake the bag(s) until the cereal is coated with powdered sugar. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet to cool.1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What a cute idea! Love the reindeer tags and how they coordinate with your “reindeer chow”. These would make lovely and delicious stocking gifts. Thank you for sharing!
Christine-
Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie
I received Reindeer Chow as a gift a few years back, and I love it!!! It is addicting!!! I am glad I finally found the right recipe :) I will be making some for Christmas this year for my family and some for sharing as well. Thanks for sharing this recipe :)
I’ve made this before. The stuff is delicious!!! Reindeer chow is the perfect name for it.
Looks gorgeous! Love the first photo…
These look adorable and all too tasty! I would love to snack on this right now. And how sweet that they came up with the idea.
This snack recipe is great for this holiday season and for the kids!
Last time I made this was for my son’s 3rd birthday which was a 101 Dalmations theme. That was 18 years ago! I’ll keep ‘reindeer’ chow in mind for when the grandson is a little older (he’s 2 months now). Very cute tags too!