Have I got a treat for you. We start with the holy grail of deliciousness peanut butter and chocolate. Add some mini chocolate chips. and some Lucky Charms MARSHMALLOWS. And while we are at it, some regular marshmallows too. Toss it all with Chex cereal and powdered sugar and the tiniest bit of green food coloring. We’ve got ourselves St. Patrick’s Day puppy chow, the most addictive sweet snack there ever was.

Never heard of it.

Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t. But there’s a pretty good chance you know what it is. I grew up calling this puppy chow, but a quick google search revealed it is also called muddy buddies, so I really think it depends on where you live.

What is puppy chow anyhow?

Think trail mix, but would put you in a sugar coma. Or think savory Chex Mix but puts you in a sugar coma. This is party snack and definitely something you should not have on hand every day (unless you have superstar insulin production). Chex (rice or corn, doesn’t mater) drowned in melted chocolate, peanut butter and butter. Then covered in powdered sugar. And further sugared up with your favorite add-ins. For St. Patrick’s Day puppy chow we are adding marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, white M&Ms, orange Reese’s Pieces and little shamrock cake sprinkles.

What you need to make St. Patrick’s Day puppy chow.

Whether you are doing this for St. Patrick’s Day, another holiday or no holiday at all the base is the same:

Chex Cereal (or the generic brand of this)
Semisweet chocolate chip
Peanut butter
Butter
A touch of salt
Powdered sugar

The add-ins are totally up to you, I make this a St. Patrick’s day dessert by adding what I mentioned, but you can totally adapt this and throw in whatever you like. Good options include:

Butterscotch chips
Nuts of any kind
Other cereals (Rice Krispies, Reese’s Puffs and Lucky charms are all great options)
Shredded coconut
White chocolate chips
Crunched candy canes (for Christmas puppy chow)

Add what you and watch this disappear before your eyes. Whether it’s puppy chow or muddy buddies, it’s freakin awesome and a guaranteed hit with kids and adults alike.

St. Patrick's Day puppy chow

Ingredients

1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter
pinch of salt
8 cups of Chex Cereal I use a combo of rice and corn Chex
1 cup powdered sugar

Sweet extras (adapt to what you like)

1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup Reese's pieces I picked out the orange ones for the Irish flag since this is a recipe for a St. Patrick's Day treat, you obvs do not have to do this
1/4 cup M&Ms again I found white ones for the Irish flag, you can all the colors or whatever you want
Shamrock cupcake decorations

Instructions

In a large ziploc bag add your powdered sugar and set aside. Put the cereal in a large bowl. In a separate bowl add the butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave 45 seconds, then stir, and microwave an additional 45 seconds and stir again. Continue microwaving for 15 second intervals, stirring each time until everything is melted and totally combined.
Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the cereal and GENTLY stir to coat all the cereal. Be sure to be gentle or you'll crush all the cereal. Add as much of the coated cereal as you can to the bag of powdered sugar and toss to coat all with powdered sugar. If you have really large bags you can fit all of the cereal, if you only have quart sized bags, add some powdered sugar and some cereal and repeat a few times. You want at least 3/4 of the cereal coated in powdered sugar.
Dump all the powdered sugar cereal onto a large baking sheet, and add the rest of the cereal that didn't fit in the bag and toss together. Add your extras and toss together and serve in a large bowl or small cups for serving.