If you have never had Muddy Buddies (a.k.a. Puppy Chow) you are really missing out! This is one of my favorite sweet treats to munch on. I took a classic Muddy Buddy recipe and added a holiday twist with M & Ms and pretzels. This recipe is so easy, you probably don’t even need to read the whole thing, but here it is!

What I love about this recipe is that you don’t even need to turn on your oven or stove, you can easily make these in the microwave and they don’t require any baking! Sugary, peanut buttery, chocolatey, and just the right amount of crunch from the Chex cereal!

(Also, this is obviously not for animals of any kind.)

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Reindeer Chow

Ingredients:

  • 8 Cups Chex Cereal
  • 1 1/4 Cup Chocolate Chips
  • 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
  • 1/4 Cup Butter
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
  • 1 Large Freezer Bag
  • 1 Cup Red & Green M&Ms

Pretzels:

  • 1 Cup Pretzels
  • 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips
  • Holiday Sprinkles

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, measure out the cereal. Set aside. Also, line a counter top (or pan) with parchment. Set aside.

2. In a medium-sized microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Microwave on high until melted and easy to stir. Start with one minute, if it is still not melted, microwave for 30 seconds at a time until melted and you can stir it until smooth.

3. Once melted, stir in the vanilla extract.  Pour mixture over the cereal. Stir with a spatula until the cereal is evenly coated.

4. Pour the covered cereal into the large freezer bad. Add the powdered sugar. Make sure the bag is closed tightly. Shake the bag until the cereal is coated in powdered sugar. Once the cereal has been coated, pour it out on to the parchment.

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5. Spread out the pretzels on a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Any type of pretzel works for this, I chose thin pretzel sticks.

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6. In a small microwave safe bowl (or microwave safes mug) melt the remaining 1 cup chocolate chips for 30 seconds at a time, stirring occasionally until all have been melted and the chocolate is smooth.

7. Drizzle the chocolate over the pretzels and sprinkle with holiday sprinkles of your choosing! Allow the chocolate to harden on the pretzels before removing from sheet.

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8.  Once the cereal has cooled and the chocolate has hardened on the pretzels, mix together the pretzels and M&Ms. Store in an air tight container.