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Puppy chow, also known as muddy buddies, is a crunchy mix of rice cereal coated in chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. It’s sweet, messy, and totally addictive—perfect for snacking!
Here in the Midwest, puppy chow is a party food (for humans, not dogs;)) that is always a hit! You can buy it at the grocery store, the local gas station or make a batch of your own. If you look for a recipe, you’ll notice many different ones out there on the internet – they’re all relatively similar, but use different ratios of ingredients or added flavors here and there.
But which one is the BEST? Well, that’s what I wanted to find out. Here’s what I did…
- Asked my followers on Instagram what makes a good puppy chow GOOD.
- Came up with a “control” recipe.
- Created 6 other variations based on what recipes were popular online and on cereal boxes.
- Counted the “clumps” in each mix, a feature many mentioned makes a puppy chow especially good.
- Had several people taste the samples to determine a favorite.
- Wrote the final recipe & notes based on different preferences.
What makes a good puppy chow…GOOD?
When I polled my audience about this, there was one very clear commonality – a good puppy chow has lots of CLUMPS.
So, though it was important to me that the puppy chow had good flavor and texture, making sure there were plenty of clumps was equally important. Therefore, I not only tasted each version, I also counted the number of clumps per batch. More on that to come…
Puppy Chow Ingredients
You’ll notice in the experimental variations below that there are a few “extra” ingredients tested. However, here are the four main ingredients you’ll need!
- Cereal – Rice Chex or Crispix
- Peanut Butter – I recommend using creamy peanut butter; refrain from using the “natural” peanut butter that separates (has liquid on top) as it tends to have a different texture
- Chocolate Chips – Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips are preferred; you could also use milk chocolate chips, but it’ll be very sweet.
- Powdered Sugar
The 7 Variations Tested
Test Version | Results |
1. The Control – All changes were based off using this as the starting point.* | Very good, though the coating wasn’t very thick. Would prefer this with less cereal to increase the coating to cereal ratio. |
2. Used Crispix Cereal in place of the Rice Chex. | Crispix seemed to have a more prominent flavor than Rice Chex. Some liked that; others did not. |
3. Added butter to the chocolate and peanut butter mixture. | The butter seemed to soak up the powdered sugar and take away from the chocolate and peanut butter flavor. |
4. Replaced half of the chocolate chips with butterscotch chips. | Taste testers either LOVED or really disliked this one, depending on this opinion of butterscotch. Not a crowd favorite. |
5. Added vanilla and salt to mimic the Chex Cereal box recipe. | The salt wasn’t necessary, but some really noticed the added flavor from the vanilla and liked it. |
6. Added extra chocolate chips and extra peanut butter. | Ended up being too much; took away from the crunch of the cereal. |
7. Used a higher ratio of chocolate chips to peanut butter. | This made the chocolate peanut butter mixture less thick and therefore didn’t create many clumps at all. Great if you prefer no clumps. |
How to Make Puppy Chow (Muddy Buddies) with Lots of Clumps
Like I mentioned before, making sure there are plenty of “clumps” was very important to those I polled when it comes to puppy chow. For each version, I counted the number of clumps. Here’s what I concluded…
- There needs to be plenty of peanut butter; a 1:1 ratio of chocolate and peanut butter was great. Peanut butter is sticky and helps keep some of the pieces stuck together.
- Don’t add too much cereal. You want there to be plenty of chocolate on each bite, so 6-7 cups is just the right amount!
- Let the chocolate and peanut butter mixture cool for 15 minutes before adding the cereal. When the mixture is warm, it’s more runny and the cereal doesn’t stick together easily. As it cools, it becomes more viscous and encourages the cereal to stick together a bit more. 15 minutes is ideal; if you wait too long, it’ll stick together way too much.
- The puppy chow needs time to cool before storing. Let it come to room temperature (or refrigerate) before closing the container. Closing it while warm will melt some of the powdered sugar and will end up in one big soft clump, which isn’t desirable.
Steps to make the BEST Puppy Chow
I like to start by measuring the cereal and placing it in a large bowl so it’s ready to go.
Then, add the peanut butter and chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high in 30 second increments, stirring after each until smooth. You could also heat this on the stovetop on low heat.
Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and use a rubber spatula to carefully coat the cereal without crushing it. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
PRO TIP! Let the mixture set at room temperature for 15 minutes. This will encourage some clumps to form and will help the powdered sugar stick to it!
Add the powdered sugar to a large bowl with a lid or paper grocery bag. Pour the coated cereal on top, close the container or bag and gently shake. Add additional powdered sugar if needed.
Open the container or bag and let the puppy chow cool completely before storing.
Variations
- Butterscotch Chips – Those who like the taste of butterscotch seemed to love the taste of Test Batch #4. I used 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup butterscotch chips and 1 cup peanut butter.
- Cookies & Cream Puppy Chow – Oreo lovers, this one is for you!!
- Christmas Puppy Chow – Aka Reindeer Chow! Use this for any holiday using festive colored M&M’s and sprinkles!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! It is naturally gluten free (if using Rice Chex). Regular chocolate chips do have dairy, but there are many dairy free brands such as Enjoy Life and Toll House Allergen Free.
If you need to make this without peanuts, you can use Sun Butter (sunflower butter). You could also use Nutella, though it’ll be quite sweet.
Yes…but only if it’s the “no stir” natural peanut butter that doesn’t separate.
Crispix is another great option. I don’t recommend Wheat Chex (or the Canadian version Shreddies), however, because it is much more crunchy and will take away from the flavor of a classic puppy chow!
Let the puppy chow cool completely then store in an airtight container. You can keep it at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months.
Other Midwest Staples
- Scotcheroos – This is another recipe I created after lengthy testing! It’s truly the BEST.
- Maid Rites – A loose-meat sandwich made famous here in Iowa!
- Pickle Wraps – Or maybe you prefer Pickle Wrap Dip…
- Ham Balls – A staple here in the #1 pork producing state in the country!
- Snickers Salad – Not your ordinary salad!
- Taco Pizza – Said to have originated here in Iowa by the founder of Happy Joes!
- Sweet Corn – You didn’t think I’d have a post about Iowa without it, did ya?!
Puppy Chow (aka Muddy Buddies)
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 6 cups Rice Chex cereal
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract optional
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Add the cereal to a large bowl; set aside.
- Combine the peanut butter and chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave on high in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until smooth.
- If you wish to add vanilla, stir it into the chocolate now.
- Pour over the cereal and use a rubber spatula to stir very carefully to not crush the cereal. You can add a little more cereal if there's a pool of chocolate in the bottom of the bowl.
- Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.*
- Add the powdered sugar to the bottom of a clean paper bag or large bowl with a lid.
- Pour the chocolate-coated cereal onto the powdered sugar, close the bag (or top with the lid) and shake to coat the cereal.
- Let cool completely; add additional powdered sugar if desired.