The perfect holiday snack for all ages! Crisp rice Chex cereal coated with premium milk chocolate and creamy peanut butter, then doused in powdered sugar and topped with mini pretzels and M&Ms that comes together in just 15 minutes!
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Introducing someone to the revelation that is Muddy Buddies (a.k.a., "puppy chow") is a truly special experience. Watch as their perplexed expression converts to sheer joy as their tongue works through each delicious layer: the coolness of the powdered sugar, followed by the sweetness of the chocolate, and finally finished with the nuttiness from the peanut butter.
This recipe is the definition of easy. It will take you all of 15 minutes from start to finish (even in bulk quantities), can be made days ahead of time, and neatly stores in the fridge for about one week. What other dish could possibly fit better into your busy holiday schedule?
Another one of this recipe's strengths lends to its utilization of real, premium chocolate, instead of melting chocolate chips like in most other recipes. Chocolate chips are made specifically to hold their shape and thus do not contain any cocoa butter.
In contrast, using a premium chocolate bar or baker's bar that actually contains cocoa butter results in a silkier, more even coating. Using a premium bar also guarantees a superior chocolate flavor than if you were to use chips or melting wafers.
With the cereal prepared, now comes the tantalizing process of selecting the various toppings. For best results, choose those that compliment the salty-sweet combination already provided by the coated Chex mix. This combination is such a smash hit with nearly every person's palette that these will positively vanish early into your next holiday get-together!
What is Reindeer Chow?
This recipe is a holiday-themed version of Muddy Buddies, a.k.a. "puppy chow". Reindeer Chow is rice Chex coated in a blend of chocolate and peanut butter and rolled in powdered sugar. Reindeer Chow supports many sweet and salty toppings combinations -- this recipe uses mini pretzels and Holiday Blend M&Ms for the perfect holiday party snack!
Reasons Why Chocolate Lovers Make This Recipe
- Great for all ages -- whether you serve this at your child's holiday class party or a festive get-together with friends or family, watch everyone's eyes light up when you pop the lid!
- Nostalgic snack -- for me, this recipe brings back fond memories of making sugar cookies and chocolaty snacks with school friends over winter break.
- Feed a crowd in minutes -- seriously, this recipe is so simple, requires minimal ingredients, and requires NO baking or chill times. Go from prepping to plated or packaged in minutes!
Ingredients
You can easily find all of these ingredients at your local grocery store around the holidays, including:
Rice Chex cereal -- I specifically chose the rice variety for its milder flavor that would allow for the chocolate and peanut butter to shine through.
Premium milk or dark chocolate -- rather than using melted chocolate chips like most recipes, I use premium chocolate so that the cocoa butter helps coat the Chex pieces.
Creamy peanut butter -- don't use crunchy peanut butter in this recipe since this will greatly impact the overall texture of the final product. Additionally, I don't recommend using all-natural peanut butter due to the higher oil content.
Powdered sugar -- adds a layer of sweetness and a cool sensation on the tongue.
Mini pretzels -- pretzels provide the main source of salt in this recipe while exacting a more distinctive crunch! that contrasts the pillowy bite of the coated Chex.
Holiday M&Ms -- while not an exact requirement, using only red and green M&Ms provides a festive presentation. I find that including a solid chocolate candy like these helps balance the chocolate-to-peanut-butter ratio.
Tips for Success
- Drizzle the chocolate mixture over the cereal in stages. If you pour it on all at once, you risk having an uneven coating.
- For best results, I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh the main ingredients of this recipe, excluding toppings. Relying solely on cup measurements can accidentally throw off the ratios and create a final product that is either too dry, too wet, or sparsely coated.
- Conversely to the above tip, I prefer to eyeball how many of each topping I want to incorporate, depending on the flavor profile I am trying to achieve. For those wanting a bit more salty contrast, include more pretzels, or experiment with different types of salted nuts for an even crunchier bite.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Store this recipe in an airtight container and keep chilled in the fridge for up to 1 week. Remove from the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.
Reindeer Chow
Equipment
- 1 kitchen scale
- 1 medium-sized mixing bowl
- 1 microwave-safe bowl
- 1 rubber spatula
- 1 gallon-sized resealable bag
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 sheet parchment paper
Ingredients
- 174 grams Rice Chex cereal
- 8 ounces premium chocolate
- 4 ounces creamy peanut butter
- 400 grams powdered sugar
- mini pretzels
- Holiday M&Ms
Instructions
- Add the Chex to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- In a separate, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring in between until fully liquid.
- Stir in the peanut butter until fully incorporated.
- Drizzle the chocolate mixture over the Chex a bit at a time, stirring lightly in between to evenly coat each piece before adding the next coat. Repeat until the chocolate mixture is completely used up and the cereal is thoroughly and evenly coated.
- Scoop the coated cereal into a gallon-sized resealable bag and top with powdered sugar. Seal the bag and shake it back and forth to evenly distribute the powdered sugar throughout the bag.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the freshly-dusted cereal out onto the tray. Apply more powdered sugar to any bare spots and toss to coat. Add in the desired amount of pretzels and M&Ms, and toss to evenly distribute.
- Serve either directly from the tray or scoop into holiday tins for a party or to make great gifts!
