This easy Christmas puppy chow recipe turns classic muddy buddies into a festive Reindeer Chow snack mix loaded with chocolate, peanut butter, Chex cereal and plenty of Christmas sprinkles. And no, it’s not actually for dogs, we know they can’t have chocolate…
It’s no-bake, done with about 10 minutes of work, and dangerously snackable. I serve this for Christmas movie nights, class parties, neighbor gifts… and yes, I’ve absolutely hidden in the pantry with a zip-top bag of it “for the kids.”
Why You’ll Love This Christmas Puppy Chow
- Chocolate and peanut butter in every crunchy bite. Pouring the coating over the cereal in stages helps distribute it through all those little Chex squares.
- Holiday color without extra candy. Fine sanding sugar adds festive flecks to the powdered sugar coating, so you don’t need a bag of holiday chocolates to dress it up.
- Your oven stays free. This seven-ingredient treat comes together with a saucepan, a big bowl and a resealable bag. Let it chill while you tackle the rest of your holiday prep.
Ingredients for Puppy Chow
With just a handful of simple ingredients, you can have this chocolate peanut butter mixture ready in no time. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Chex cereal – This will make the base for our muddy buddy recipe. You can use the actual Chex brand or your local store brand. I prefer to use corn or rice Chex.
- Semi sweet chocolate chips – Using milk chocolate will make this Christmas snack mix just a little too sweet. The powdered sugar is already very sweet.
- Peanut butter – Usually I would say you could use crunchy instead, but for this festive snack, you definitely need to use a creamy peanut butter.
- Butter – Most homemade puppy chow recipes don’t use butter, but I find it helps to melt everything better and create a smoothie base for the cereal mixture.
- Vanilla extract – This is another ingredient that I like to add for richness.
- Powdered sugar – The star of the show! Powdered sugar coats everything to provide a sweetness and that beautiful fluffy texture.
- Festive sprinkles – Use a fine sanding sugar here. We tested using larger grains and others types of sprinkles and they just don’t stick. Fine colored sugar was the only winner.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Holiday Puppy Chow
Grab a large bowl and your ingredients and you’re well on your way to making the best treat for gifts.
- Cereal. Measure cereal and place in a very large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Melt butter, chocolate and peanut butter. Over medium heat, melt and combine butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter, stirring constantly. When fully melted, stir in vanilla.
- Add peanut butter mixture to cereal. Pour chocolate mixture over Chex cereal in 3 stages, folding as you go. Toss gently to coat all pieces.
- Powdered sugar and sprinkles. Place powdered sugar and festive sprinkles in a large ziplock bag, shake to combine.
- Shake to coat. Add Chex cereal in stages, tossing to cover and then removing to a wax paper or parchment paper lined rimmed cookie sheet.
- Chill. Spread coated cereal in a single layer and chill for an hour to set.
Puppy Chow Mix Recipe Variations
There are plenty of ways you can make this Christmas puppy chow your own.
- Chocolate – Instead of using milk chocolate, use white chocolate chips or colored melting chocolate for a different flavor and color.
- Cereal pieces – I prefer to use rice chex, but you can use any type of chex cereal that you’d like. But using rice chex does make this gluten free!
- Peanut butter – Have a peanut allergy? You can use almond butter or any other nut butters that you prefer. We’ve even had some readers use cookie butter with success.
- Add ins – Besides the sprinkles, you can add a couple of other things to make this a sweet snack mix. A holiday m&m mix, milk chocolate chips, peanut butter cups or pretzels would all make a great addition.
- Hot Chocolate Puppy Chow– Use my recipe for hot chocolate puppy chow, but add the festive sprinkles and/or M&Ms.
Chef Tips for the Best Puppy Chow
- Choose your sprinkles carefully. Fine sanding sugar works better for this coating than chunky sprinkles.
- Grab your biggest bowl. You need enough room to lift and fold the cereal without crushing it.
- Melt gently. Stir the chocolate, butter and peanut butter over medium-low heat just until smooth. Lower the heat if needed.
- Keep the coating pourable. Cool it for the instructed 2–3 minutes, then start coating. Waiting until it becomes thick makes even coverage harder.
- Fold from the bottom. Use a flexible spatula to lift the cereal through the chocolate mixture rather than pressing down on it.
- Leave room in the bag. Coat in batches so the cereal can move around without aggressive shaking.
- Set before sealing. Spread the puppy chow in a single layer and chill before packaging it.
Storage and Freezing
Storage: Store these Christmas muddy buddies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last about one week, but you might gobble this delicious treat up before then!
Freezing: You can also freeze this muddy buddies recipe. Store it in an airtight container and it will last for up to three months.
Frequently Asked Questions
The name “puppy chow” comes from the fact that the cereal pieces look a little like dog kibble once they’re coated in chocolate and powdered sugar. Despite the name, this Christmas puppy chow is a human-only treat—because it contains chocolate and sometimes peanut butter, it should never be fed to actual dogs.
No. Christmas puppy chow (and any puppy chow recipe) usually contains chocolate, peanut butter and lots of sugar—none of which are safe or healthy for dogs. Keep this festive snack mix for the humans and give your pup a dog-safe treat instead.
For a nut-free version, swap the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter or another nut-free spread you love. The texture stays the same and the chocolate still sets beautifully. Just make sure the label says the product is safe for any allergies you’re working around.
I like to chill it on a baking sheet to set the coating, then store it in an airtight container. It’s fine at room temperature for a day or two for parties, but for the best crunch and freshness, keep it in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze puppy chow for up to 3 months—it thaws quickly
A few things can cause soggy puppy chow:
– The chocolate-peanut butter mixture was too hot, so it made the cereal soften.
– The cereal sat in the warm mixture too long instead of being tossed and coated quickly.
– It wasn’t spread in a single layer to cool and set.
Next time, melt gently, toss quickly, and spread in one layer on parchment before chilling.
Absolutely! Holiday M&M’s, mini peanut butter cups, pretzels, or even crushed candy canes are all fair game. Just let the coated cereal cool and set first, then gently stir in the mix-ins so they don’t melt into the chocolate.
More Christmas Dessert Recipes
Christmas Puppy Chow Recipe
Ingredients
- 9 cups Chex cereal
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup festive sanding sugar
Instructions
- Measure the 9 cups Chex cereal and place in a very large mixing bowl (bigger than you think you need). Set aside.
- Over medium heat, melt and combine the 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter, stirring constantly.
- When fully melted, remove from the heat and stir in the 1 teaspoon vanilla. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes to cool off slightly.
- Pour the chocolate mixture over the Chex cereal in 3 stages, folding as you go, but very gently so they don't break.
- Toss gently to coat all the pieces.
- Place the 2 cups powdered sugar and festive 1 cup festive sanding sugar in a large, airtight plastic bag, shake to combine.
- Add the Chex cereal in stages, tossing to cover and then removing to a wax paper lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Spread in a single layer and chill for an hour to set.
- Remove. Keep at room temperture or chilled.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This is an amazing and easy recipe! The puppy chow turned out wonderful. This was my first time making it and I found it very simple.
One small note I would add is to make sure to use the biggest bowl you own!
Caroline, I can second the big bowl tip, I’ll make that stand out more. Glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve made this recipe since the late 1990’s. It is a kid & adult -friendly recipe. I made it every Christmas and didn’t add anything other than peanut butter, chocolate, powdered sugar and a hint of ground cinnamon. Fast forward to 2025 and I’m making it for the youth at my church. I’m going to put some in decorative plastic/clear treat bags. I think they will enjoy it today as much as we did over 2 decades ago.
I’ve always used a paper grocery sack. Then you can mix it all at once. Hold top together and shake, shake, shake. Then spread out onto a large cookie sheet. I use a jelly roll pan. Fun, easy recipe that tastes great! I never thought of adding food coloring, but I’m glad you saved us from making that mistake! Sprinkles would be fun and they look great!
Jessica
This recipe doesn’t state to briefly chill the chocolate coated cereal before the powdered sugar dusting. The mixture absorbed the powdered sugar and now it’s soggy, will additional powder sugar make it just too sweet?
I don’t chill it before I toss it in sugar, otherwise it won’t stick. You can try it- but I prefer to toss it while it is still tacky. I’ve never had an issue with it being soggy. It isn’t super crunchy like the cereal right out of the box, but it’s not really supposed to be.
This recipe looks delish! I can’t wait to try. Just to clarify, do you prefer rice Chex or corn Chex? It says you prefer both in the description. It probably doesn’t matter too much. Thanks again!
I like the rice best, but that’s just me