Peppermint Puppy Chow

Whether you call it Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies, this delicious snack got a holiday makeover, peppermint style.

Love Peppermint? Be sure to bake up a batch of these soft and chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies this holiday season! Or give our peppermint cheesecakes a try next!

Peppermint Puppy Chow: Easy no bake muddy buddies recipe! Perfect for holidays!


Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies?

Readers seem to love holiday peppermint recipes as much as I do. If you loved the Peppermint Brownie Bites and Peppermint Cracker Toffee, you need to add Peppermint Muddy Buddies to your “to-make” list ASAP!

This treat has two different names, depending on who you ask: puppy chow or muddy buddies.

I’ve always called it puppy chow but whatever you prefer is fine by me

Both names refer to a treat made from Chex cereal that’s covered in some kind of melted chocolate and powdered sugar. In short: no matter what you choose to call this it’s bound to be borderline addiction creating! You can’t stop at just one handful of the stuff.

That’s okay though, because it’s perfect for dividing into colorful plastic bags, wrapping with a bow and giving away to friends! I’ve been making Hot Cocoa Muddy Buddies around the holidays for a while and I’m excited to add this new twist to the mix to change things up.

This is also similar to the Peppermint Chex Mix you can buy in grocery stories now. I believe they call it Peppermint Bark Muddy Buddies Chex Mix and they go for around $4 per bag.

At my house, one bag = one serving. So, instead I make my own and have a giant ziploc bag full to munch all week long. Bonus? I save a few extra bucks for Christmas shopping!

Peppermint Puppy Chow: Easy no bake muddy buddies recipe! Perfect for holidays!

Ingredient Notes

  • Chex cereal – Rice or corn varieties will work or do what I did and use a combination.
  • Vanilla candy coating – Candiquik works great here. Ghirardelli white chocolate melting wafers could also be used. For a chocolate variation, substitute chocolate candy coating.
  • Andes peppermint crunch baking chips – Substitute another peppermint baking chip, like Nestle’s peppermint chocolate morsels, if you can’t find the peppermint crunch ones.
  • Crushed candy canes – Make sure they’re peppermint flavored. Mini candy canes or other hard peppermint candies can be substituted.
Peppermint Puppy Chow: Easy no bake muddy buddies recipe! Perfect for holidays!

Tips & Tricks

  • Making muddy buddies is a messy business! Expect to get at least a little (or a lot) of powdered sugar on you when tossing the cereal. Wear an apron and put a sheet of parchment paper under the mixing bowl to catch any stray sugar for easy clean-up.
  • The candy canes don’t need to be fine crumbs. I like to have a few bigger pieces left to add in at the end for extra color. That little extra makes puppy chow LOOK at good as it tastes.
  • Make sure to keep the bag or container sealed when you’re not eating the puppy chow. There’s nothing sadder than scooping up a handful of peppermint puppy chow to find out it’s gone stale.
Peppermint Puppy Chow: Easy no bake muddy buddies recipe! Perfect for holidays!

Recipe FAQs

What’s the best way to store Muddy Buddies/Puppy Chow?

We keep ours in a gallon sized ziploc bag. If you’re worried about the cereal getting crushed (especially if you’re transporting it), keep it in a Tupperware style container or glass jar with a lid.

How long will the muddy buddies keep?

They taste best if eaten within a week.

What are Andes baking chips?

This is a new product that I’ve loved baking with! They taste like Andes 3 layer mint candies but shaped into morsels that are perfect for baking. If you can’t find them at your local store, you can order some online.

Peppermint Puppy Chow: Easy no bake muddy buddies recipe! Perfect for holidays!

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Peppermint Puppy Chow

5 from 3 votes
By: Aimee
Whether you call it Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies, this delicious snack got a holiday makeover!
Peppermint style.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 12 cups

Ingredients 

  • 16 ounce Vanilla candy coating
  • 1 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
  • 12 cups Chex cereal I use a combination of the rice and the corn flavors
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 6 regular sized Peppermint Candy Canes crushed
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Instructions 

  • Place vanilla candy coating and peppermint crunch baking chips in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 second intervals, mixing between each interval. Mine took 2 minutes total. Stir until smooth.
  • Place cereal in a very large bowl. Pour melted chocolate over cereal. Add about 3/4 of the crushed candy canes. Mix until all the cereal is covered in chocolate. Add powdered sugar and stir until fully coated. Sprinkle with remaining peppermint candy canes. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • We love using Ghirardelli white chocolate melting wafers. They melt smooth and taste amazing.
  • Making muddy buddies is a messy business! Expect to get at least a little (or a lot) of powdered sugar on you when tossing the cereal. Wear an apron and put a sheet of parchment paper under the mixing bowl to catch any stray sugar for easy clean-up.
  • The candy canes don’t need to be fine crumbs. I like to have a few bigger pieces left to add in at the end for extra color. That little extra makes puppy chow LOOK at good as it tastes.
  • Make sure to keep the bag or container sealed when you’re not eating the puppy chow. There’s nothing sadder than scooping up a handful of peppermint puppy chow to find out it’s gone stale.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 208kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 2mg, Sodium: 127mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 19g
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!

Classic Puppy Chow sweetness with a cool peppermint twist! Everyone will rave over your homemade Peppermint Muddy Buddies!



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About Aimee

Aimee is a dessert lover (specifically rice krispie treats), workout enthusiast, self-taught foodie, and recipe creator.

Learn more about Aimee.

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Posted on December 14, 2018

Comments & Reviews

  1. I hope everything goes well to you in this year.
    As you know, Christmas is comming soon, you’ve already decorated for Christimas, right ? I also love Christmas.
    This year I’m going to put small a tree for Christmas in my room.

  2. We always called it puppy chow too, so I’m with you on that! As for this, perfect gift for my boss who would live in a candy cane given the choice! ThNks for sharing!

  3. I love puppy chow…definitely going to have to give this recipe a try! Anything peppermint is super delicious, especially during the holidays 🙂

  4. I just made this and it is delicious…..my 7 yo granddaughter is going to love it. I found a bag of already chopped candy canes at Walmart, and used them……much easier and less messy. Thanks for a great recipe.

  5. Hi!
    What a great idea. I hope I can find something similar for baking/making these here in The Netherlands. And I love the name: Puppy Chow. It looks like some crunchies I buy for my dog 😀 Love it.

  6. I love puppy chow and this peppermint twist sounds delicious! I will have to keep an eye out for those Andes chips before they run out!

  7. I love those baking chips from Andes! I stocked up on them last year, haha – this puppy chow is so perfect for the hoildays!

  8. Aimee, great idea! I”m thinking this would be perfect for teacher/neighbor gifts in a cute little jar decorated for Christmas.

  9. Yum! I love puppy chow – and this version looks totally delicious! I never make puppy chow for myself, though, for the exact reason that I’d probably end up eating the whole batch. Haha!
    Pinning!

  10. Buying puppy chow at the store is SOOO wrong!!! This looks amazing!! Love the andes peppermint crunch chips!!

  11. Aimee this is one of the prettiest puppy chows I’ve ever seen! I can hear sleigh bells already. 😉

  12. Love that you made a puppy chow with those Andes peppermint crunch chips! A batch of this would disappear in no time at my house!

  13. I stock up on those Andes mints every time I head to the store during the holidays. I can only imagine how fast that puppy chow would disappear if it was in my hands 🙂 Yummo!!!

  14. Just bought a bag of those Andes Peppermint baking chips yesterday! Now I have a good use for them!

  15. I didn’t know Andes made a peppermint version! I must go find them. We just bought a bag of peppermint chex mix that was one sale and its already gone:) This sounds addictive and delicious!

    1. Very. Like any puppy chow, you just can’t stop until you’re completely covered in powdered sugar!

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