Chex Christmas Muddy Buddies Recipe (Reindeer Chow)

Looking for a festive and easy Christmas treat to make with the kids? Look no further than this Chex Christmas muddy buddy recipe, also known as reindeer chow! This recipe is simple to follow and only requires a few ingredients. The best part is that it can be made ahead of time, so you don’t have to worry about last-minute preparations.

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Christmas Puppy Chow

It’s that time of year to create some holiday cheer! This tasty treat is a combo of salty and sweet, and it’s perfect for munching on during holiday movie marathons or gift-wrapping sessions.

You know we like to keep it simple here and this Christmas Muddy Buddies Recipe is exactly that. Simple ingredients and simple to make.

This snack mix also makes great gifts for friends and neighbors for this same reason.

• It’s simple to make.
• It’s budget-friendly.
• Everyone loves it! (Just make sure there are no peanut allergies before gifting. You can always switch to a different nut butter when that’s the case.)

Simply place the muddy buddies in an holiday inspired, airtight container or cellophane bag, and attach a festive label. You can give them away just like that or add a holiday movie to make it a package deal.

Less stress during the holidays is where it’s at!

What Are Muddy Buddies?

Muddy buddies are a popular snack made with chex cereal, chocolate, and peanut butter. The cereal is coated in a chocolate and peanut butter mixture, then rolled in powdered sugar. The result is a sweet and salty treat that’s perfect for munching on.

You might have also heard this easy treat referred to as puppy chow because it looks a bit like hard puppy food. At Christmas it might be referred to as Reindeer chow for a fun twist.

This Christmas version of muddy buddies adds in some red and green m&ms or sprinkles to add a pop of color. Some people also like to add mini marshmallows or small pretzels. It’s really up to you how you customize this sweet treat for the holiday season.

To make this Christmas muddy buddy recipe, you will need:

Supplies:

• a large mixing bowl or microwave-safe bowl
• baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper (which ever one you have on hand)
• airtight container or cellophane bags (for storing or gifting)

Ingredients:

• 7 cups of Chex cereal (any variety works but rice chex is my favorite)
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar (This is your preference. Two cups really coats everything so your chex mix cereal is really covered and hardly any of the chocolate mix shows through. Some people might prefer less for a slightly different look. The more you make this recipe the more you’ll know what you like.)
• holiday m&ms or sprinkles
• any other add-ins you prefer (some people like small pretzels to add more salt, other add bite-sized peanut butter cups for more peanut butter. I like to keep it simple with just M&Ms. The green and red really add a nice pop of Christmas color.)

How to Make Christmas Muddy Buddies

This is a crazy easy recipe to follow and it seriously only takes about 10 minutes to make from start to finish.

Step 1 – Start by putting the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a large, microwave safe bowl. Pop in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then take out and stir. Put them back into the microwave for 20 seconds this time and stir again. This should be enough to melt and blend everything. Melting the ingredients in intervals will keep it from making a huge mess in the microwave.

Step 2 – Add the vanilla in to the melted chocolate mixture and stir until combined.

Step 3 – Next, add the Chex cereal directly into the bowl and gently fold them into the chocolate mix. I like to do this in two intervals as well. It helps to not crowd the bowl and insures an even distribution of the melted peanut butter and chocolate.

Step 4 – Sprinkle in one cup of powdered sugar and continue to stir. Once it’s been incorporated I add in the second cup and continue to stir gently until the Christmas Chex mix is evenly coated.

Step 5 – Lay the mix out on a lined cookie sheet to dry.

Step 6 – Once it’s dry toss in your add-ins and it’s ready to eat. Don’t those M&Ms look so good in contrast to the white powdered sugar?

I use as little extra items as possible when making these so there is less of a mess to clean up. Some people like to melt the first three ingredients together in a small bowl and then pour that into a large bowl of chex to be mixed in.

Others also like to shake the coated chex and powdered sugar together in a plastic bag or ziplock bag. I just don’t find it necessary to create more mess.

I find it easy to do everything in one large bowl, minimizing clean up and waste. As always, you do you.

How Long Will Reindeer Chow Last?

Store reindeer chow muddy buddies in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I promise it won’t last long enough to go bad. And by bad I just mean a bit stale. You can make the reindeer puppy chow last even longer by storing it in the fridge if you want. This will help it last a couple extra days. Again, I don’t bother because it’s usually get’s eaten faster than that.

How Long Can You Freeze Reindeer Chow?

To make muddy buddies last even longer you can keep them in the freezer. Then they will last up to six months. This could be useful for smaller families like ours that don’t want to eat the whole batch at once.

I Hope You Enjoy This Christmas Puppy Chow Recipe!

This festive holiday treat is a no brainer in our house. It’s hard to go wrong with a combo of peanut butter and chocolate. It’s such a quick and simple, sweet snack to make that even the kids can join in on the fun, making it a great family tradition. You’ll want to make it again and again and even give some away for others to enjoy!

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