About Puppy Chow Chex Mix
In preparation for my cooking extravaganza, I needed to make sure I had something to snack on while I whipped together my ever first homemade Thanksgiving dinner. Because strangely enough, working with food makes me hungry (crazy, right?!) and I need something to give me strength as I fumble my way through this without having to resort to Boston Market takeout.
Thankfully, I only have The Boyfriend to please with whatever I cook up, and he’ll probably just be happy that there’s food, but still – it matters to me that I get it right.
As for my snack food options, you’d think I’d already have a house full of snacks with the way I’ve been baking lately, but alas, The Boyfriend and I (and even some of the neighbors) have polished off my stockpiles of baked sugar. So, naturally, I needed to replenish the resource. Puppy Chow Chex Mix seemed like the best solution. It’s sugary and crunchy and not too rich, so I can graze on it (or in other words,
So, naturally, I needed to replenish the resource.
Puppy Chow Chex Mix seemed like the best solution, because… chocolate.
And peanut butter.
And sugar.
I mean, c’mon! You know what I’m talking about there. It’s sugary and crunchy and not too rich, so you can slowly graze on it (or in other words, stress eat) to help you get through the day.
But wait, what is puppy chow?
Despite the funny sounding name, this recipe isn’t for the dogs – it’s for anyone who loves a sweet and crunchy treat with the slightest hint of salt.
Ultimately, “puppy chow” refers to any recipe made with Chex cereal that’s been coated in various sweet candies and sugars.
What are the other names for puppy chow?
Depending on where you’re from, you might have learned to call this sweet-and-crunchy treat by another name. Here are some of the most popular:
- Monkey Munch
- Muddy Buddies
- Muddy Munch
- Reindeer Chow
What can you add to puppy chow?
Puppy chow is always good by itself, but sometimes it’s fun to jazz it up with some other candy. Here are a few of my favorites:
- M&M’s, any flavor
- Whoopers
- Hershey bars, chopped up
- Reese’s Pieces
- Sprinkles, any type
How long is puppy chow good for?
Once made, cooled, and stored in a sealed container, puppy chow will remain good at room temperature for up to one to two weeks.
Can you make puppy chow ahead of time?
Yes, you totally can! Because it can last up to two weeks, it’s great for making in batches for parties or giving away as gifts.
Notes & tips for this puppy chow recipe
- When making this recipe, you’ll need a big mixing bowl so you have enough room to maneuver and stir. I own a 13 quart mixing bowl for this very reason.
More puppy chow recipes
Recipe Details
Puppy Chow Chex Mix
The classic puppy chow: crunchy Chex cereal covered in chocolate, peanut butter, and sugar. It's the best winter snack food (and perfect for gifting, too)!
Ingredients
Instructions
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the chocolate chips and peanut butter, stirring frequently until chips are melted and smooth.
Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla.
Add Chex cereal to a 13 quart mixing bowl. Pour chocolate-peanut butter mixture on top and gently stir with a spatula until all Chex cereal is coated. Set bowl aside.
Set a baking sheet nearby and cover with parchment paper.
Add powdered sugar to a Ziploc bag (gallon sized). Working in batches (about 1-2 cups at a time), add coated Chex cereal to bag with powdered sugar, seal or twist the top of the bag closed, and then shake the bag until the Chex cereal is coated with sugar. Remove finished puppy chow and spread out on prepared baking sheet. Repeat step until all the puppy chow is made. When finished, discard plastic bag and any dry powdered sugar that remains inside.
Let puppy chow cool completely before eating. Once cooled, transfer to a sealed container and store for up to 5 days.
I love the variations of “puppy chow” that are floating around the internet, but I always seem to come back to the original flavor – I’m pretty certain it’s my favorite! 🙂
My son just loves this stuff! It’s so easy and tasty too, thanks for sharing 🙂
I’ve actually never had Puppy Chow mix! Powdered sugar, peanut butter, and chocolate? Count me in 🙂
Oh my gosh! My older daughter who is now away at college loved this stuff growing up. I haven’t made it in years but that needs to change. Puppy Chow is so addictive!!
One of my favorite snacks. You give a lot of good tips. Would print but too many grammar errors.
Thank you for bringing the errors to my attention! I will work on fixing them 🙂
I would not worry about this – it is a recipe to make for a snack and relaxation. I am certain you never thought you were writing a novel or an essay to be critiqued. Happy New Year!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
Thank you!! I needed to read some kind words this morning 😀 And a Happy New Year to you, too!
I am reading the comment from the grammar guru….and I say who cares? Not me (or is it not I?)
People…please be kind. There are so many negative remarks about everything. Just because we can’t see you it still makes all of us feel bad and I would ‘unfriend’ anyone who makes me feel that way.
Chrisy…this is perfect for a function my club hosts. My job is to bring a table snack for a Senior bingo we host. Great job.
And I understood every word you said.
Thank you SO much Gerry 😀 Indeed, kind words are hard to find on the internet, so thank you for sharing a few with me!
Hi Christy. I know this is a stupid question, but which Chex cereal do you use? There are so many to pick from. I never know which is best. Thanks!
Hey Pam! That’s actually a great question – I should notate it in the recipe! I typically use the rice Chex (blue box) but the corn Chex (green box) or even the chocolate Chex (if you can find it) would also work great with this recipe.
If you are using several boxes, wouldn’t it be fun to mix it up and buy different flavors?
I LOVE this idea. If you try it, I’d love to hear which ones you liked best 😀
I always use Cinnamon Toast Crunch to mine and it’s delicious!
I love puppy chow as do all the kids in our family, when I make it I use peanut butter chips instead of the chocolate chips. This would be a really good way to make it with chocolate Chex , hmmmm next time! ?
Ooo… peanut butter chips with chocolate Chex?! Sounds delicious 😀
What would be the equivalent to chex in England?
I have not tried it, but I seen where someone from England used Krave cereal. They commented that they liked the extra center filling. It has a crispy shell and also comes with the following fillings:
Chocolate hazelnut
Milk Chocolate
White Chocolate
Caramel Chocolate
Hope this helps 😉
Krave is about the closest thing you can get, it’s not the same but still gives yummy results. (We have just moved back to the US from the U.K. so I’m the Queen of substitutions!)
Thank you so much for your insight on this, Natalie! 😀
I tried this recipe and mine came out “chewy.” It was like the cereal changed in consistency from crunchy to chewy. Not sure what happened. Any ideas?
I tried 2 different batches. I thought maybe on the first one I let it sit out on the counter for too long. So the next batch I didn’t let sit as long and it was still that way.
Hey Terri! I’m so sorry they didn’t turn out right. Would you be able to describe how they were chewy? Like did the chocolate not coat the cereal well enough, or did it coat TOO well (so a super thick layer)? What was the consistency of the chocolate while you were stirring? Whenever I’ve made these, the chocolate was fairly thin, almost to the point where I was worried it couldn’t cover all of the cereal (but then it does). If the chocolate was too thick and coated the cereal too thick, I could definitely see how that might make them chewy after coating with sugar. At that point I think it could be a temperature issue – like maybe the chocolate cooled too much before stirring?
I’ve been making this for years and now my Granddaughter makes it.
How much is one serving? All it says is that it feeds 18.
Hey Kat! This recipe uses 9 cups of Chex mix cereal, so I think my original reasoning was that this would mean 18 portions at 1/2 cup. However, lately I’ve been updating my puppy chow recipes to list about 9 or 10 servings since 1 cup seems more like a reasonable size for snacking. I’ll update this recipe now to reflect that 😀
Hi, I’m confused about 9 cups and only 12 oz of cereal. Are one of those wrong?
The 12 oz. marking on the box is weight not volume. One 12 oz. box does contain almost exactly 9 cups.
Ive used this recipe several times and love it! Any suggestions on how far ahead of time this can be made? Is a week too much?