Chex Muddy Buddies Recipe
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Most Muddy Buddies run out of chocolate before they run out of cereal, and the powdered sugar sinks into the coating instead of sitting on top. I’ll show you the two small measurement changes that fix both, so every piece is fully coated and snowy white.
I make some version of this snack mix for every single holiday. There’s a Christmas puppy chow in December, a Halloween chex mix in October, and both of them start here, with the plain chocolate peanut butter version. After making it that many times, I stopped following the box.
The recipe on the back of the Chex box uses 9 cups of cereal and 1½ cups of powdered sugar. I use 8 cups of cereal and 2 cups of powdered sugar with the same amount of chocolate and peanut butter, and I double the vanilla. That one cup less of cereal gives the coating somewhere to go, and the extra half cup of sugar sits on the outside instead of dissolving into the chocolate. This homemade muddy buddies recipe takes about 10 minutes of hands-on work and one bowl.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Muddy Buddies Recipe
- Every piece is actually coated. Less cereal and the same amount of chocolate means no bare, dusty squares at the bottom of the bowl. It also means more of those surprise chunks that stick together.
- A true snowy finish. Two cups of powdered sugar holds up on the outside instead of melting into the chocolate and going gray.
- Double the vanilla. Two teaspoons instead of one, which rounds out the semisweet chocolate and keeps it from tasting flat.
- No oven, no thermometer. Melt, pour, shake, done. This chocolate peanut butter chex mix is about as simple as a dessert gets.
- It’s the base for everything. Once you’ve got this down, you can adapt the classic muddy buddy recipe for every holiday and special occasion.
- Made to be eaten cold. I chill mine, and it changes the texture completely. More on that below.
Ingredients for Chocolate Peanut Butter Muddy Buddies
Six ingredients, and you probably have five of them already.
- Chex cereal – The box recipe calls for 3 cups each of three different cereals. This version uses 8 cups (about one 12-ounce box) so you can use just one variety without leaving several boxes open. Rice, Corn, Wheat, flavored, or a combination will all work. I personally combine cereals because I like the rice Chex and my husband likes the wheat Chex. But I make Muddy Buddies and White Trash Mix so often that open boxes of Chex don’t last long in my pantry.
- Semisweet chocolate chips – Semisweet is the classic choice. Milk chocolate plus two cups of powdered sugar gets sweet fast. Semisweet keeps a good chocolate flavor in the mix.
- Smooth peanut butter– Use a shelf-stable brand like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter separates, and the oil can make the coating greasy instead of smooth.
- Unsalted butter – The butter thins the chocolate and peanut butter just enough to pour and coat evenly. It also firms back up as it cools, which is part of why the chilled version sets up the way it does.
- Vanilla extract – Double what most recipes use. It makes the mix cozy. Add it off the heat so the flavor doesn’t cook off.
- Powdered sugar– This is the coating that makes muddy buddies look like muddy buddies. Two cups is enough to cover every piece evenly.
How to Make Muddy Buddies
These steps are the overview. Full measurements and timing are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1: Measure the Chex cereal into a large bowl or straight into a 2 gallon zip top bag. Set aside.
Step 2: Melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter together. Do this slowly, either in the microwave in 15 second bursts or in a heat-safe bowl set over a pan of steaming water. Stir between each burst until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Step 3:
Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the cereal right away.
Stir gently with a silicone spatula, or seal the bag and shake it, until every piece is coated and you don’t see any plain cereal left. Take your time with this step, it takes a minute to get everything coated completely and we want to take care not to crush the cereal.
Step 4: Transfer the coated cereal to a clean zip top bag (personal preference) and add the powdered sugar. Seal it with plenty of air inside and shake, turning the bag over as you go so the sugar reaches everything.
Step 5: Spread the muddy buddies out in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Chill for about 30 minutes before serving (my preference) or serve right away at room temperature.
Why I Chill My Muddy Buddies
I love my Muddy Buddies refrigerated. At room temperature, the cereal pieces are a little softer, and the chocolate and peanut butter are overpowered a little by the powdered sugar.
When they’re chilled, the butter and peanut butter firm up and the chocolate sets hard, so you get a real snap when you bite into one. And when you get a cold cluster of 3-4 pieces stuck together? That’s last meal level delicious.
Nerdy Part: The cold also makes Muddy Buddies taste less sweet. Your tongue picks up sweetness through tiny receptors, and cold slows those receptors down. A study in the journal Chemical Senses found that once food gets down to about 41°F to 54°F, people taste it as less sweet even though the sugar hasn’t changed at all. With two cups of powdered sugar in the mix, that works in my favor. You still taste the chocolate and the peanut butter, with the sugar toned down.
Tips for the Best Chex Muddy Buddies
- Melt the chocolate mixture slowly, in 15-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each one. Heating slowly will prevent the chocolate from seizing. A double boiler over steaming water gives you the most control if you have the time.
- Stir with a silicone spatula, not a wooden spoon. A wooden spoon crushes the cereal against the side of the bowl, and you end up with broken pieces and crumbs.
- If you’re shaking to coat, use a 2-gallon zip-top bag, a large lidded container, or a stockpot with the lid held down. In a pinch I’ve used a Crockpot liner bag, just keep a tight grip on the top.
- Don’t let the chocolate mixture set up before you pour it. If it cools too much, it won’t spread over the cereal, and it won’t stay tacky enough to grab the powdered sugar.
- If the coated cereal still feels hot after shaking, let it cool a little (but not set) before adding the sugar, or the sugar will melt right into the chocolate.
- Spread coated Muddy Buddies in a single layer to cool. Piling them into a bowl warm or putting a lid on them traps steam and makes them soggy.
- Shake in two batches if your bag is crowded. Half the cereal with 1 cup of sugar, then repeat. Everything gets more room to move and the coating comes out more even.
Variations and Substitutions
- Extra chocolate and peanut butter: Drop the cereal to 7 cups and keep everything else the same for a heavier coating on every piece.
- Any Chex flavor: Swap in chocolate Chex, peanut butter Chex, or go all rice, all wheat, or all corn. A mix of peanut butter and chocolate Chex gives you a double-peanut-butter Muddy Buddies feel.
- Less sweet: Use 1½ cups of powdered sugar instead of 2 cups.
- Muddy buddies without peanut butter: Use almond butter or cookie butter instead. Or reduce the Chex cereal to 6 cups and leave out the peanut butter entirely. Bump the chocolate chips up to 12 ounces. I do this for my cookies and cream muddy buddies and my pumpkin spice puppy chow recipes.
- Dark chocolate: Swap the semisweet chips for bittersweet if you want the sugar dialed back without changing the coating amounts.
- Salted: Use salted butter, or add ¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt to the melted mixture. It sharpens the chocolate and peanut butter both.
- Make it a holiday mix: Add M&M’s, pretzels, or mini peanut butter cups after the sugar coating is on. That’s how my Christmas muddy buddies come together.
Are Muddy Buddies Gluten Free?
That depends on which Chex you use. Wheat Chex is the only Chex variety that isn’t gluten free, so the wheat and rice combination I use is not. For gluten free muddy buddies, stick with rice Chex, corn Chex, or chocolate Chex, all of which General Mills labels gluten free. Everything else in this recipe is naturally gluten free, but check your ingredient labels just to be sure.
How to Store Muddy Buddies
Let them cool completely in a single layer before you put them away, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. That’s how I keep mine, since I like them cold.
If you’d rather keep them on the counter, an airtight container at room temperature holds up for a week. Either way, airtight matters. The powdered sugar coating pulls in moisture from the air, and that’s what turns a crisp batch soft.
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Chex Muddy Buddies
Ingredients
- 8 cups Chex cereal, I use a mix of wheat and rice, but any combination works
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter (not natural style)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Measure the Chex cereal into a large bowl or a 2 gallon zip top bag. Set aside.
- Add the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15 second bursts, stirring after each one, until the mixture is melted and smooth. You can also melt it in a heat-safe bowl set over a pan of steaming water, stirring often. Do not rush this step or the chocolate can seize.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the cereal right away. Stir gently with a silicone spatula, or seal the bag and shake, until all of the cereal is evenly coated.
- Transfer the coated cereal to a clean 2 gallon zip top bag. Add the powdered sugar, seal the bag, and shake, turning the bag over as you go, until every piece is coated.
- Spread the muddy buddies in a single layer on a parchment or wax paper lined sheet pan. Let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
- Keep chilled in the refrigerator or on the counter at room temperature.
Notes
- If you don’t have a bag or bowl big enough, coat the cereal in two batches using half the cereal and 1 cup of sugar each time.
- A standard 12 ounce box of Chex holds about 8 cups, so this recipe uses roughly one box. For a heavier coating, drop the cereal to 7 cups.
- Use a shelf-stable peanut butter brand like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter separates and makes the coating greasy.
- Gluten free: Use rice, corn, or chocolate Chex for a gluten free version, and check your ingredient labels to make sure they’re gluten free.
- Reduce the powdered sugar to 1½ cups to decrease the sweetness.
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Substitute almond or cookie butter for the peanut butter. Or omit both the peanut butter and butter and use 12 ounces of chocolate chips instead, melting them slowly to prevent seizing.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or at room temperature for up to 1 week. Cool completely in a single layer before storing.
- Chilling firms up the butter and peanut butter and sets the chocolate, which gives the puppy chow more chew and crunch. Cold also cuts the taste of sweetness, so the chilled version tastes less sugary than the room temperature version.
