The Best Small Batch Puppy Chow
This small batch puppy chow (a.k.a. muddy buddies) is one of my favorite holiday treats for snacking and sharing with friends. While most puppy chow recipes make 9-10 cups, this one only makes about 3. And, this no-bake recipe comes together in about 15 minutes - all you need is a microwave! Plus, there's extra peanut butter and vanilla for even more flavor.
Equipment
- Microwave safe bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Zipper bag or paper bag
Ingredients
- 100 grams corn or rice cereal, like Chex (3 cups)
- 100 grams good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips (½ cup)
- 30 grams unsalted butter (2 Tablespoons)
- 65 grams creamy peanut butter (¼ cup)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 60 grams powdered sugar, more as needed (½ cup)
Instructions
- Line a small sheet pan with parchment paper. Then, place the Chex cereal in a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the semi-sweet chocolate chips, unsalted butter, and peanut butter to a heatproof bowl. Microwave the mixture in 30 second increments, stirring between each round, until the chocolate-peanut mixture is completely smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Stir in the vanilla extract and Kosher salt.
- Pour the chocolate-peanut butter mixture over the cereal. Use a rubber spatula to gently toss everything together until the cereal is well-coated. Let it cool for about 5 minutes.
- Then, transfer the cereal to a zipper bag (a paper bag works too). Add half of the powdered sugar, seal the bag, and shake it rapidly until the cereal is coated in the powdered sugar. Add the remaining powdered sugar and shake once more. If the cereal is still sticky, add more powdered sugar as needed. (Honestly, I usually eyeball this part.)
- Spread the cereal on the prepared sheet pan. You can eat it right away, but I like to let it set for 30-60 minutes so it doesn't stick together too much. Enjoy!
Notes
If you can't do peanut butter, you can also use sun butter or another nut-free alternative!
You want the chocolate mixture to be fairly drizzly. This helps it coat the cereal more easily! Just don't over heat it, or the chocolate will seize and become grainy.
Don't worry if the cereal clumps up a big. Just break up any big clumps and re-shake the muddy buddies with more powdered sugar.
Store leftovers in an airtight container or zipper bag for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 288kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 4gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 193mgPotassium: 162mgFiber: 3gSugar: 23gCalcium: 60mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!