Our Hopeful Home: Muddy Buddies a.k.a. Puppy Chow: Easy Halloween Party Treat!

muddy buddie chex mix recipe Halloween party treat

Before I share this oh-so-yummy treat with you let me start off by saying that most of you probably think of this sweetness as merely kid stuff. But I say au contraire! Ironically, when I was a kid I never liked this kind of stuff. But for some reason my sweet tooth has recently been awakened to its yummy goodness.

I'm not usually so prepared for Halloween in September, but my daughters' cheer team was having a bake sale at one of the football games and a very popular item that gets requested every time is Muddy Buddies! Some of you might know this incredible concoction as Puppy Chow, Monkey Munch or Reindeer Food. No matter what you call it IT. IS. AWESOME.

Do you know what's in this incredibly sweet comfort food? Basically it's Chex Mix, peanut butter, semi-sweet chocolate chips, butter and powdered sugar. Oh, and how could I forget vanilla?

It may be a bit messy to make, but overall it's pretty easy. So without further ado here's the recipe I used (taken from a Betty Crocker online muddy buddy recipe, no longer available):

Ingredients

9 cups Corn, Rice, Wheat or Chocolate Chex (or combo)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2   cup peanut butter
1/4   cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2   cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.

2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.

3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

MY TIPS:

* Chocolate Chex Mix has a more robust flavor than the other varieties so I added more cups of that per batch than any other type.

* Use more vanilla than called for (I used approximately 2 teaspoons) and more powdered sugar (I used 2 cups).

* Use a bit more peanut butter and chocolate chips than called for (I found that, at least for me, there didn't seem to be enough melted goodness to spread evenly around the Chex cereal once all was said and done. So maybe add an extra handful of chips and an extra tablespoon of butter.)

* If you don't have a 2-gallon resealable bag on hand, split the mix up into two half batches, placing each in their own 1-gallon bag. Then evenly split the powdered sugar, pour it into the bags and shake as directed.

* Make sure you spread the mix out on the wax paper after shaking. I did not find any need for "cooling" but I did find the need to go through and break up any "clumps" of mix that might have formed due to excess absorbtion of butter/chocolate/peanut butter.

* The recipe says it makes "18 servings." What does that mean? Well, I managed to split up the entire recipe into approximately 25-30 Zip-Lock snack size bags. And although they were the small bags, I was able to jam more than a hefty serving into each bag!

So you may not think this is a treat for anyone other than little pirates and princesses who show up on your doorstep on Halloween. But maybe this year you can give it another chance and actually make it for your own or someone else's Halloween party. If my daughters' high school football team is any indication, it will be VERY popular amongst the guests! And you totally have to make sure you have some, too!

Do you have a secret favorite Halloween-time treat?

Well, that's it until next time, friends!

I hope you enjoyed reading about

Muddy Buddies a.k.a. Puppy Chow:

Easy Halloween Party Treat!

And thanks so much for spending

time with me today!

Don't forget to Pin it!