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Muddy Buddies, or Puppy Chow, is one of my most favorite snacks and has been since I was a kid. There’s just something about the combination of chocolate & peanut butter coating on an addicting crunchy piece of Chex cereal that I can’t ever get enough of. But I always noticed that some were amazing, while other batches weren’t as great. So after some comparisons, I’ve figured out what the key to making perfect muddy buddies are!

Rice Chex

In my opinion, rice Chex make the best muddy buddies! They have the mildest taste of all the Chex varieties that make it the perfect type to use to showcase the chocolaty peanut butter coating it gets dressed in.

Peanut Butter

I love peanut butter and sometimes they it got lost with all the chocolate, so I have upped the amount of peanut butter from the original recipe on the back of the Chex box & I think you’ll agree that it is better!

Chex to Coating Ratio

When you follow the original recipe, not all of the cereal pieces get coated in chocolate. There’s just not quite enough to go around. So I use less cereal for the same amount of chocolate coating! Every piece gets totally covered and has the perfect amount of coating!

Serve Chilled

Okay, this might not seem like a huge deal, but trust me. These are so much better when they’re served cold! I keep mine in the freezer until ready to serve. It also serves as some place that the kids don’t know about if you want to hide a personal stash for yourself, I won’t tell.

These come together so quick & are a treat that I keep everything on hand for, so I can make them last minute if I ever need to! So let’s get started!

Five simple ingredients that you might even have in your pantry already, are all that you need! Rice Chex, Creamy Peanut Butter(I’m a JIF fan forever and ever), semi sweet chocolate chips, butter, and powdered sugar! That’s it!

Put the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. then take out and stir well. If it’s still not all melted, microwave it again for 30 more seconds.

Measure out 6 cups of cereal and pour the chocolate over the top in a bowl large enough to mix in.

Gently stir until all the Chex is coated in Chocolate. Then pour into a gallon sized zip top bag & add the powdered sugar. Zip it up, leaving a good amount of air in the bag, and give it a good shake! Kids love to help with this part too if you want to involve them! Shake until all the pieces are coated. If you feel like they’re sticking together still, add a bit more powdered sugar until they aren’t!

Then dump it all out onto a cookies sheet. I like to line mine with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat so it doesn’t stick to the pan. Spread it all out into a single layer & then throw it in your freezer! Let it set for 30-60 minutes and then you can put it all in a bowl or zip top bag and store it in your freezer until you’re ready to serve! Obviously it doesn’t have to be frozen. If you’re packing it in your kids’ lunches, then portion it out into bags and keep them in your freezer and toss them in the lunch boxes in the morning. It’s still good at room temperature, but trust me, frozen muddy buddies are where it’s at!