Let’s ring in some holiday cheer with this Christmas Puppy Chow recipe! This snack mix, also known as muddy buddy mix, is an easy party favorite around here.
The holiday season is such a fun time to make themed dishes like Christmas tree brownies, bourbon balls and Christmas charcuterie boards.
Christmas Puppy Chow
So now, let's bring on the Christmas puppy chow which is always a fun snack to pass at Christmas parties and cookie exchanges. It also happens to be #22 on my Christmas bucket list ideas!
It’s the perfect Christmas snack mix and with bright red and green M&M's for some festive colors. Because, chocolate.
Now, before you think I’ve lost my mind, this Christmas version of puppy chow is for people, not Duke or Rover.
It’s basically Chex cereal coated in some peanut butter and topped with powdered sugar. Santa would love it if you left some reindeer food for Rudolph and company!! It's a sweeter and holiday themed version of savory slow cooker chex mix.
Ingredients
- Chex Cereal - I prefer to use corn chex or rice chex mix cereal.
- small pretzel twists
- Butter
- Peanut butter
- White chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar - also known as confectioners' sugar
- M&M’s - I used red and green ones. Mini ones are also cute!
- Candy canes
How to Make Christmas Puppy Chow
It doesn’t matter whether you call this puppy chow or Christmas Muddy Buddies. Basically either way, you’ll call it delicious!
We'll start by putting the candy canes in a ziplock bag. Use the bottom or a pan or a rolling pin to break them into small chunks.
This is also very therapeutic during the chaos of the holiday season. I mean, don't get too carried away, we still want chunks, not dust!
Grab a large mixing bowl and combine the Chex cereal and pretzels.
Melt the butter, peanut butter and a cup of the white chocolate chips over medium-low heat on the stove, stirring constantly.
Note: Alternatively, you can use a microwave-safe bowl and microwave the mixture in 20-30 second intervals, stirring in between. Between you and me though, I find that the stovetop is a little easier!
When it's ready to go, it'll look like this photo below.
Add the melted peanut butter mixture over the Chex cereal pieces and pretzels and give it a stir until it's coated.
Add in the powdered sugar and stir until it grabs onto the peanut butter and coats the chex cereal.
Then add the rest of the holiday M&Ms, white chocolate chips and crushed candy canes.
Viola!
How to store your snack mix
Store in a Ziplock baggie or airtight container for a week to maximum freshness.
Variations
Play around with this recipe by using holiday themed sprinkles, or use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips. You could also change up the colors to match any time of the year.
Substitutions
If you’d prefer not to use peanut butter, you can use a sunflower butter or almond butter in its place.
FAQs
My Chex mix seems to have lost the strong white color after the first couple of days, how do I fix this?
The simple fix is to add in more powdered sugar, as the puppy chow absorbed it.
Can I use regular chocolate chips in place of the white chocolate chips?
For the chocolate chips you melt with the butter and peanut butter, replacing white with regular chocolate chips is fine.
Should I use Corn Chex, Rice Chex, or another kind?
The type of Chex cereal you choose is up to you, just make sure it’s a neutral one and not an already flavored one like cinnamon.
And probably not wheat chex anyone because does anyone really like that flavor? Hmmmm...
Is it easier to make this Chex mix in a bag or in a bowl?
If you have a large 4 quart bowl, then it is easiest to make in the bowl and to make sure all ingredients are stirred in well.
If you don't have a large enough bowl, then a gallon sized bag works fine, just make sure you shake it well enough every time the directions say to stir or shake.
Whether you’re making a batch of this snack for upcoming parties, or putting it into cellophane bags or mason jars for gifting, you’re gonna love this one!
If holiday party treats are your thing, be sure to check out these White Chocolate Pretzel Bites which you can also use with themed holiday m&m colors!
More Christmas dessert recipes
Christmas Puppy Chow
Ingredients
- 6 cups Chex Cereal corn chex or rice chex
- 2 cups small twist pretzels
- ½ cup butter
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips
- 2 - 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup holiday M&Ms
- 4 candy canes
Instructions
- Slightly crush candy canes in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin. Make small chunks of the candy cane, about the size of peas.
- In a large bowl mix together the Chex and pretzels.
- Melt the butter, peanut butter, and 1 cup of white chocolate chips on the stove, stirring constantly over medium to low heat.
- Pour the peanut butter mixture over the Chex mixture and stir well.
- Add in the powdered sugar and stir well again.
- Once all of the Chex and pretzels are covered well, add in the M&M’s, the rest of the white chocolate chips, and crushed candy canes. Stir to combine
Notes
Alternative method:
Use a gallon sized ziplock bag to mix the puppy chow mix. Be sure the butter mixture is not too hot when pouring it in.Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
