Christmas muddy buddies are easy to make and always a crowd-favorite treat. This sweet and salty party snack mix is a delicious, no-bake recipe perfect for holiday parties or to give as neighbor gifts.
Pair this festive recipe with a Hot Cocoa Board, Gingerbread OREO Balls, and a Christmas Cookie Dessert Board.
Muddy buddies aka puppy chow or reindeer chow are my favorite snack to make around the holiday season. This muddy buddies recipe is the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and crunchy in every bite. Chex cereal is covered in a chocolate peanut butter mixture and then coated with powdered sugar. Holiday candy, like M&M’s, and pretzels are mixed to create a festive and classic holiday treat.
This easy recipe is great to have on hand for Christmas movie nights or to gift in mason jars as neighbor gifts.
Christmas Muddy Buddies Ingredients
- Chex cereal – we like to use half rice and half corn Chex cereal. If I only have one on hand, I often tend to go with Rice Chex cereal.
- Semi-sweet chocolate – good quality chocolate is melted to coat the cereal and help bind the powdered sugar.
- Peanut butter – the peanut butter adds an unexpected flavor that works well mixed with the melted chocolate.
- Butter – the butter adds a layer of richness to the chocolate and peanut butter mixture.
- Vanilla extract – pure vanilla extract helps boost the flavor; a little goes a long way.
- Powdered sugar – the powdered sugar coats the chocolate-covered cereal to make a tasty, sweet treat.
- M&M’s candy – holiday-themed M&M’s add color and flavor to the muddy buddies mix.
- Pretzels – toss pretzels into the mixture to add a hint of saltiness and crunch.
Muddy Buddies add-ins
- Pretzels
- M&M’s
- Mini peanut butter cups
- Sprinkles
- Mini marshmallows
- Mini peppermint patties
- Rolo candy
- Mini oreo cookies
How to wrap muddy buddies as gifts
My go-to is to fill mason jars with the snack mix, then decorate the jar with ribbon. Holiday plastic containers or tin containers are another great way to gift this treat. If you have a lot of people to give to, the easiest method is to use food-safe holiday bags with twist ties or ribbon.
Food allergy alternatives
If there is a peanut allergy, use an alternative nut butter like almond butter or sunflower butter to make this recipe.
Rice and corn Chex cereal make this recipe gluten-free friendly. Note: make sure the pretzels and mix-ins are also gluten-free.
How to store muddy buddies
After the chocolate is firm, store the mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Muddy buddies can be frozen in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
More Holiday Ideas:
Christmas Muddy Buddies
Ingredients
- 9 cups Chex cereal
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup pretzels
- ½-1 cup M&M's candy
Instructions
- Pour cereal into a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for 30 seconds or until the chocolate is melted. Stir in the vanilla extract until smooth.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the cereal. Stir until the cereal is evenly coated.
- Pour the chocolate-covered cereal into a large zip-top bag. Add the powdered sugar and seal the bag. Shake the bag until the cereal is evenly coated with powdered sugar. Toss in M&M's candy and pretzels. Add in more or less toppings to preference.
- Spread the coated cereal mix on a large parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Let the chocolate set before transferring it into an airtight container.