Skip to Content

Christmas Chocolate Puppy Chow aka Muddy Buddies

Christmas puppy chow is an easy treat to make with chocolate chips, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and Rice Chex cereal.

The recipe can be made with semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate chips for a decadent and sweet treat at all of your Christmas parties.

Puppy Chow Chex

Christmas puppy chow in red and white bowls.

The Chex dessert, also known as muddy buddies or reindeer chow, is super easy to make and perfect for snacking and parties.

I added red and green M&M’s to the puppy chow recipe for Christmas, but you can add any colors you’d like.

You can also add some pretzels along with other candies for other holidays like this Halloween muddy buddies recipe.

I love this quick snack because the recipe calls for a few simple ingredients. It makes a great party favor or a delicious movie night snack.

P.S. This is NOT dog food, it is only for humans.

Christmas puppy chow in red and white bowl.

What Ingredients Do You Need To Make Christmas Puppy Chow For The Holiday Season?

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post.

  • Rice Chex cereal
  • Chocolate Chips
  • Butter
  • Creamy peanut butter
  • Vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar

How To Make Traditional Puppy Chow

  1. Add the Chex cereal to a large bowl and set it aside.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, add the chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter.
  3. Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in increments of 15 seconds, stirring in between.
  4. Add the vanilla extract and mix.
  5. Pour the chocolate mixture over the Chex cereal and toss with a spatula until all of the cereal is covered with the mixture.
  6. Add half of the powdered sugar to a large bag and scoop half of the Chex cereal into the bag.
  7. Shake the bag until the cereal is covered with powdered sugar.
  8. Spread the cereal out on a cookie sheet until the chocolate sets up.
  9. Repeat with the remainder of the powdered sugar and cereal.
  10. Add candies or pretzels to the mix and eat! The recipe creates the perfect combination of treats.

Step-By-Step Instructions For Classic Puppy Chow

Chex cereal in a glass bowl.

Pour the Rice Chex cereal pieces into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Chocolate chips in a glass bowl.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter to a bowl.

Chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter in a glass bowl.

Next, add the butter and peanut butter to the microwave-safe bowl and microwave in increments of 15-seconds until melted, stirring in between.

It took about 45-seconds to melt the ingredients, but your microwave might be more or less powerful than mine, so start with 15-second increments.

Stirring in between each microwave session will help melt the ingredients, as well.

Melted chocolate and vanilla extract in a large glass bowl.

Add the vanilla extract to the mixture and mix it in.

Melted chocolate on top of Chex cereal.

Pour the melted chocolate over the corn Chex and mix until all of the cereal is covered.

Powdered sugar inside of a bag.

Pour half of the powdered sugar into a large plastic bag.

Chex cereal covered in chocolate in a bag with powdered sugar.

Next, add half of the cereal to the bag and gently shake it until all of the cereal is covered with powdered sugar.

To mix the cereal I use a gallon size bag. I only put in half of the powdered sugar and cereal because it makes it easier to shake and cover the cereal.

I used a Ziplock bag for the recipe, but you can use any plastic bag, as long as you keep one end closed.

Reindeer chow spread out on a cookie sheet.

Spread the coated cereal out on a cookie sheet to let the chocolate cool and firm up.

This step isn’t required, but I find it helps keep the cereal from sticking together and the chocolate has a chance to set up a little.

I let it sit there for about 15 minutes on the cookie sheet.

Puppy chow in a red bowl with red and green M&M's.

Toss in the M&M’s and serve!

The recipe is the perfect combination of salty and sweet and makes great party favors at your next Christmas party.

How Do I Store The Homemade Puppy Chow?

You can store the treat in an airtight container or a sealed bag. You can keep the chow on the counter at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Puppy chow in a white and red bowl with M&M's.

Additional Candy Options:

  • Mini marshmallows
  • Dark chocolate chips
  • White chocolate chips
  • Peppermints
  • Pretzels
  • Candy canes
  • Holiday sprinkles

Other delicious holiday treats:

  • Texas cowboy cookies combine a lot of delicious ingredients into one scrumptious cookie.
  • Brownie mix cookies are super easy to make and include rich and decadent ingredients.
  • Christmas wreath cookies are fun for the kids to make (I loved making these as a kid) and are a festive treat for the holidays.
  • We make this old fashioned fudge recipe with peanut butter every year. It’s a great gift for teachers, friends, neighbors, and all those fun folks that work in the office at your kid’s and grandkid’s school.
  • Christmas crack is soooo amazingly good. The dessert is made out of melted brown sugar and butter, buttery crackers, melted chocolate, and pecans for a rich and addictive dessert. Christmas crack is also great for holiday parties.
  • Snickerdoodle puppy chow from Your Cup of Cake – if you love Snickerdoodles, you will love this recipe.
  • Chocolate peppermint puppy chow from Iowa Girl Eats is another perfect snack for your party.
Puppy chow in a red bowl with M&M's.
Puppy chow in three bowls.

Christmas puppy chow recipe card

Check out the Christmas chocolate puppy chow aka muddy buddies recipe card below, grab those ingredients, and start creating!

This is a fun snack and I think you’ll really love it, especially this time of year.

Then, share your comments below and share a picture of your easy dessert on the Pinterest Pin!  If you made any changes or added something different, be sure to share it with us so we can try it, too!

Christmas puppy chow in bowls on the counter.

Christmas Puppy Chow

Yield: 9 cups
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Christmas puppy chow is an easy treat to make with chocolate chips, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and Chex cereal.

Ingredients

  • 9 cups Rice Chex cereal
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 to 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup M&M's candies

Instructions

  1. Start by adding the Rice Chex cereal to a large bowl and set aside.
  2. Add the chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter to a medium-sized bowl.
  3. Melt the chocolate ingredients in the microwave in increments of 15-seconds, stirring in between. It should take approximately 45-seconds to melt the ingredients.
  4. Add the vanilla extract to the bowl and mix.
  5. Pour the melted chocolate over the Rice Chex cereal and stir until all of the cereal is covered with chocolate.
  6. In a large bag, add half of the powdered sugar. Scoop half of the cereal into the bag and shake until it's coated.
  7. Spread the cereal out on a cookie sheet to set up for about 15 minutes.
  8. Repeat the process with the remainder of the powdered sugar and cereal.
  9. Add the candies to the bowl, mix, and serve.

Notes

This is human chow, NOT for dogs.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 326Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 71mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 2gSugar: 25gProtein: 5g

Nutrition is approximate.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Find more delicious recipes at Julia’s Simply Southern, and South Your Mouth.

Tinky

Sunday 18th of December 2022

Thanks for this recipe. Should I use Salted or Unsalted Butter?

Julie Pollitt

Sunday 18th of December 2022

You can use either one. I don't notice a taste difference, and it won't affect the recipe. Thank you!

Kat M

Thursday 15th of December 2022

How many 12oz boxes of cereal would you need for this recipe? I’m so bad with conversions lol.

Julie Pollitt

Thursday 15th of December 2022

I am terrible at it, too! I bought one family size box of cereal and that was plenty. Enjoy!

C

Friday 9th of December 2022

Excited to make this. The powdered sugar isn't listed on the recipe card under ingredients. How much do you recommend?

Julie Pollitt

Friday 9th of December 2022

Oh yikes, thanks for pointing that out. I will go fix it. I would use about 2 to 2.5 cups of powdered sugar.

Easy Holiday Bacon Ranch and Walnut Cheeseball

Tuesday 8th of December 2020

[…] Christmas puppy chow (for people – not dogs) […]

Chocolate Frosting Fudge - Back To My Southern Roots

Tuesday 1st of December 2020

[…] for a colorful dessert, try Christmas puppy chow. It’s easy to make and a ton of fun for […]

Skip to Recipe