Homestyle Muddy Buddies Recipe

If you're not a connoisseur of Midwestern snack foods, there's a chance you may be unfamiliar with muddy buddies, but you could well know the dish under one of its many aliases such as puppy chow, monkey munch, or the oh-so-appetizing reindeer poop. All of these names refer to the treat's rather unassuming appearance, but it's been a staple of kids' parties and holiday gift baggies for many years due to its sheer simplicity. In fact, as recipe developer Miriam Hahn remarks, her homestyle muddy buddies recipe can be a "fun project to do with the kids."

One great thing about this recipe is how customizable it is. Hahn notes that "since there are so many fun themed colored M&Ms, you can have fun making this themed for the particular holiday" you happen to be celebrating. In lieu of colorful M&Ms, though, she says "You can really get creative and add any type of candy to muddy buddies." Among the suggestions she lists are red hots and Reese's peanut butter cups (these would need to be chopped, of course), or you could go in a more savory direction by adding broken pretzel pieces or nuts.

These muddy buddies have as their base Rice Chex cereal, although Hahn notes that "you can swap out the type of Chex" and suggests corn or wheat as possible alternatives. You will also be using chocolate chips of any variety (or even a mixture such as semisweet and milk) as well as peanut or any type of nut butter. Hahn is using smooth peanut butter here, but she says, "You can also add more crunch by using crunchy peanut butter."

Other ingredients for this snack include butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar, while M&Ms will add ornamentation as well as some extra chocolate flavor.

Melt the peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butter over medium heat, a process that Hahn says should take about 8 minutes. Keep stirring as the mixture cooks to ensure that it doesn't burn or stick to the pan. Once you have a smooth, homogeneous mixture, turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Stir the peanut butter mixture into the cereal, making sure that every last piece is coated. Let the cereal cool down for a few minutes after it's been peanut buttered.

Measure out a cup of the sugar into a large Ziploc-type bag and then scoop half of the Chex into the bag. Zip it up, then shake the bag until all of the cereal is sugar-coated. Repeat this process with the remaining sugar and cereal until all of your muddy buddies are powdery white.

As a final step, stir the M&Ms into the sugar-coated cereal. Your muddy buddies are now ready to be eaten or else portioned out into cute packaging for gifting purposes. Hahn favors using small mason jars, something that adds an adorable touch for a gift or wedding favor.

As for storage, Hahn advises that "this mix will keep well for several weeks if you keep it in an airtight container." She adds that you can also freeze the muddy buddies if you'd like them to stay fresh for a longer period of time.