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The puppy chow of my Midwestern dreams. This is so good – storing in freezer is such a game-changer! Thank you!!
Katie
This Is The Best Puppy Chow Recipe
Hear me out: summer is absolutely the best time of year for puppy chow. You make it, you freeze it, and you enjoy that salty-sweet crispityness whenever you feel like you need a cold hit of chocolate, peanut butter, and crunch.
Puppy chow is just one of those simple pleasures that takes a hangout / cabin weekend / road trip / evening at home on the couch to a better emotional place, know what I mean? No situation can’t be made better with a handful of this happy little snack.
I’m a child of the 90s and I grew up in the Midwest, so yes, I’m experienced in this area.
Oh, the joy and delight of that extra-chocolatey cold crunch! I hope this helps you live a little more lightly. HAPPY MUNCHING.
What Is Puppy Chow? (Ingredients)
For those who are young or non-Midwesterners, Puppy Chow, also known as Muddy Buddies, is a snack (dessert? prized possession? Wiki calls it a “homemade candy” – lol) that is made by coating crispy cereal like Rice Chex in melted chocolate peanut butter mixture and tossing it with powdered sugar. It’s meant to be eaten by the handful, like a dessert-y version of Chex Mix.
It is one of the great Midwestern food contributions of the 80s and 90s (my roots!) and because of my strong opinions on freezing it, I’m making my case today that it’s the perfect sweet snack / fun thing that you should be making to bring joy into your life for these last few weeks of summer.
I’m calling this “Extra Good” – it only differs from the recipes on the back of the Chex boxes by having a lot more of that chocolate-peanut-butter coating, therefore making it extra thick, extra clustery, extra delish.
How To Make Puppy Chow
1
Make a Chocolate Mixture.
First: melt semi-sweet chocolate, peanut butter, and butter in a large bowl then add vanilla extract and salt. Microwave works fine. This is the Midwest. We are not fancy. Melted chocolate mixture then goes in with the cereal.
2
Mix Chocolate with Cereal.
Stir it up until it’s coated. ABSOLUTELY NO PIECE LEFT BEHIND.
3
Toss With Powdered Sugar
Once the cereal is coated, toss it with powdered sugar (also known as confectioners’ sugar) so each piece is coated and dry enough to touch.
Midwestern kids of the 90s (hello) will agree with me that mixing the chocolate coated cereal in a paper grocery bag is the authentic and proper technique. I mean, is it really puppy chow without the paper bag?
But in reality, any big bag (ziplock, paper bag, even a big mixing bowl that you can toss very gently so as not to break the cereal) will get the job done.
4
Time To Chill.
Finally, transfer it to some kind of surface where it can “dry” aka set into little bites of crispy delicious chocolate peanut butter heaven.
I normally use a couple baking sheets lined with parchment which I then transfer to the freezer because FROZEN PUPPY CHOW IS LIFE CHANGING.
(For optimal clustering, so don’t spread it out too much! just kind of let it lay how it wants to lay and the freezing process will help the clusters form.)
How To Get A Better Puppy Chow Cluster
Puppy chow is best when it’s:
- EXTRA COLD
- EXTRA CRISP
- EXTRA CHOCOLATEY
- EXTRA CLUSTERED
Let me present to you how I think puppy chow should always look:
Beautiful, chunky clusters.
The puppy chow I grew up with was more like individual pieces of cereal that were completely coated with powdered sugar. It was served room temperature and you ate it one piece at a time.
But do you know what’s even more fun? If you go for MORE chocolate and MORE peanut butter and MORE butter, you’re going to get MORE sticking-together, and that’s going to create magical little clusters. And if you make it very cold, it’s… well, it’s a thick and crispy little bite that is just super delicious.
That jumbo cluster you’re looking at in that picture is just a grown up’s version of the original. This stays true to the basics but just dials up everything good: the chocolate, the peanut butter, the butter. It gives just a little more excitement with the texture, the shape, the temperature. It makes for supremely satisfying grazing. It’s a real delight.
How To Store Puppy Chow
Absolutely store this addictive bounty in the freezer. I keep it in airtight containers (like a lidded plastic food storage container, for example) or just in a Ziplock bag.
Yes, the fridge works, the counter will even work. But the freezer is WHERE IT’S AT for an extra crispity satisfying crunch. Plus, it travels well and makes it last longer.
Puppy chow (especially out of the freezer) is the absolute perfect snack to grab for:
- cabin weekends
- road trips
- bonfire snacking
- pool days
- kids and teenagers in general (we don’t often have teenagers in our house, but recently we did and when we brought the puppy chow out, there were actual cheers and then it was pounded)
- just grabbing a cluster or five for a little cool crunchy treat after dinner
Puppy Chow: Frequently Asked Questions
This can be stored on the counter, in the fridge, or in the freezer – just make sure it’s stored in an airtight container or bag. I’m partial to keeping it in the freezer! SO GOOD.
At room temp in a tightly sealed bag, it should last for up to a week (if you haven’t already eaten it all). In the freezer, this can last for a few months.
Absolutely! This also works well with Sun Butter or almond butter.
Plastic/Ziplock bags would work as well, but you’ll have to do it in several small batches.
Yes, just increase the salt by about 1/4 teaspoon.
Yes, Corn Chex will work as well in this recipe – I just prefer the Rice Chex flavor!
Watch How To Make This Recipe
Extra Good Puppy Chow
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 16–18 cups of puppy chow! THE MOTHER LOAD 1x
Description
Beautiful, chunky clusters of puppy chow with extra chocolate and peanut butter, and a coating of powdered sugar! Midwest summer bliss.
Ingredients
- 12-oz. box of rice Chex cereal (about 10 cups)
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar (more as needed / desired)
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter at 30 second intervals until smooth and melted.
- Stir in the vanilla and salt.
- Pour chocolate over cereal – this recipe makes a very large batch so I do this in two big bowls.
- Use a wooden spoon to gently mix the cereal with the chocolate, being careful not to break the cereal.
- Place the chocolate coated cereal in the bag and add the powdered sugar over the top (yes, just dump it right in). Shake the bag gently to coat all the pieces with powdered sugar – personally I like to go for a wet/dry hybrid approach for optimal clustering, rather than an each-piece-individually-coated-and-dry approach.
- Transfer to a couple of baking sheets, or just lay it out on parchment paper to cool and set. Store this in the freezer for the best clustering and most satisfying crunch!
Notes
If the paper bag is weirding you out, that’s fine – just use a couple plastic Ziplock bags instead. (They are smaller so you’ll need to work in several small batches.)
Okay, I know that logically it makes more sense to put the powdered sugar in the bag first; however, I find that I get better clustering when I put the sugar on top of the cereal and shake to coat it that way.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: puppy chow, muddy buddies, chocolate dessert, peanut butter dessert, chex mix
I repeatedly get compliments on this puppy chow when I make it for a group. And my kids love to “help” make it! It’s a summertime favorite — especially straight from the freezer.
Now the packaged Muddy Buddies suck lol.
Love this. We call it Jacked Up Puppy Chow. So money.
Microwave on high? I don’t see where u mention temp- did I miss it?
Yes, just regular microwave temperature!
We used a paper bag growing up, too. 💜 Good old Minnesota.
Extra good is right!! I followed the recipe exactly and used natural peanut butter ( the one you need to stir from costco) and it turned out perfect! Love eating it from the freezer and it held together even when it was sitting out. Will be by go to recipe for puppy chow, thanks!!
Is there a PB you recommend?
Just made a batch to take to the cabin this weekend and unlocked a new to me pro tip: dip a banana in the bowl you melted chocolate and peanut butter in to scrap up the last of the goodness. Yum!
Totally, 1000% agree that frozen (or at LEAST refrigerated) is the best way to eat Puppy Chow.
i love chocko
Have you ever made it with the chocolate Chex or a peanut butter Chex? 👀
YumYummyYum. I don’t know why I’ve never thought to freeze it! Delicious.
I added the tail end of a box of crisped rice cereal (probably a quarter of the box) and it’s a nice little addition! But it clearly needs nothing else ❤️
Actually, your note about putting the powdered sugar on top is the most logical way. It’s called granular convection!
amazing
OUTSTANDING. The freezer – genius! And the clusters… wow! Will be making this again and again.
I made this for family and friends recently and they RAVED about it! And have requested more multiple times since then. Great recipe, and fun to make!
Nice recipe !! I’m forward to see what more great recipes you’ll share in the future! Keep up the wonderful work!!!
THE PERFECT RATIO!!! It really is extra good puppy chow and the best recipe I’ve had. Made this for a big group and it was gone so fast!
Puppy Chow that will kill a real puppy. Please add warning for people who aren’t thinkng. Yes, some people don’t think very often.
Incredible! Amazing! This is what midwestern dreams are made of. The recipe is spot on from my childhood and throwing in the freezer just takes this to another level! This is going to be a staple in our household, thank you for sharing with us!!
This is such a yummy, crunchy, chocolate, peanut butter goodness! My neighbors love it because I always share when I make a batch. Too much goodness hanging around in the freezer for us. The brown paper bag is the TRICK! I won’t make it without using the bag anymore 🙂 Thanks so much.
I live in the UK – I don’t know what the best alternative for Chex is; can someone weigh in? I feel like I need this in my life.
Chex are shaped kinda like waffle fries – basket-woven grain that’s puffed so it collapses when you bite it for a nice crunch. In this recipe, the crevices hold the chocolate mixture and some even melts into the center of the cereal. Yum. Any neutral flavored cereal you can think of that will hold onto that melty chocolate coating should work! A couple comments above show different cereals used, I think. Good luck! It’ll be worth the effort 🙂
I made a half recipe because 16 cups seemed like too much, CLEARLY AN ERROR. This is addictive. 🙂
THE MOTHER LOAD – you are adorable. Your writing always makes me laugh because I talk the same way; I crack everyone up. This recipe will be made soon – it sounds fantastic, definitely superior to the regular recipe….thank you and keep that sense of humor!