That childhood favorite snack of yours just got an upgrade! Whether you call it puppy chow, muddy buddies or just plain good, you have to try this brownie batter version!

looking down at bowl of brownie batter muddy buddies ready to eat.

Chocolate and peanut butter goodness is hard to beat. It is especially good when wrapped around crunchy cereal and made into a munchable mix. But instead of being coated in powdered sugar, this version is coated in brownie batter to make it extra good!

Puppy Chow is one of those childhood favorites that you just have to make every once in a while.  Crunchy, chocolaty, peanut buttery goodness that brings you right back to those carefree days.

It made an appearance at all of our sleepovers, movie nights.  It is still a must have for holidays, game nights or a special treat on a movie night. 

Of course it is the chocolate and peanut butter combo that make it so addictive, but it needs something to keep all of that candy coated cereal from sticking together.  

bowl of chocolate and peanut butter brownie batter puppy chow ready for snacking.

The traditional way to keep it separated is to shake it in a bunch of powdered sugar.  The chocolate sets and you get that goodness in individual pieces. 

As delicious as puppy chow is any old way, sometimes it is fun to mix thing up a bit.  I thought it would be fun to make that favorite treat even more chocolaty.  What if you shake it in brownie mix instead of powdered sugar.

Mind blown?         I know, right?!

looking across a bowl of puppy chow coated in brownie batter.

 It doesn’t get much easier or more delicious than that! Brownie batter muddy buddies are sure to become a new favorite for Christmas snacking, movie night, game night, and more!

Email Me The Recipe

I'll email this post to you, so you can easily find it later. Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!

How to Heat-Treat Brownie Mix

We have always known there was some risk involved in eating raw cookie dough and cake batter from the raw eggs. But in recent years we have become more aware of the bacteria that can be present in raw flour and cake mixes.

However, you can mitigate that risk by “heat-treating” the mix. Luckily, it’s super simple and takes just a minute or two. Here’s how…

  • Dump the mix into a glass microwave safe bowl.
  • Microwave on high for about 1 to 1 ½ minutes, stirring every 20 seconds.
  • The brownie mix will be warm (160F) and any bacteria that were present will be gone!
  • Let the mix cool completely before adding to the recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are muddy buddies and puppy chow the same thing?

Yes. Both the name muddy buddies and puppy chow refer to cereal coated in chocolate and then powdered sugar. Most of the time there is peanut butter involved, but over the years cooks have created all sorts of different flavors. The name you call it likely depends on where you grew up, but the snack is popular throughout the Midwest.

How do you store brownie muddy buddies?

Once the chocolate is set, puppy chow can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. As long as it doesn’t get warm or too much humidity, it will likely stay perfectly crunchy past that. You can refrigerate or freeze it if you want, but we never have it around long enough to necessitate that.

More Great Snack Mix Recipes: 

Peanut butter maple snack mix is a fun one. It is loaded with peanut butter, kissed with maple and has plenty of trail mix favorites mixed in.

Classic oven baked chex mix is a savory favorite snack mix.  It is a perfect snack for a party, great for game day and more.

Microwave caramel corn is a fun family favorite.  Finishing it in the microwave gives you that crunchy finish in a fraction of the time. 

Peanut butter popcorn is another crunchy favorite. It adds a peanut butter flavor kick to caramel corn and it is super fun to snack on. 

Or try making brownie batter cookies if you want a different way to turn a box mix into something extra special.

 I won’t tie you up any longer.  Run to the kitchen.  Gather these ingredients. Make this ASAP.  You will thank yourself (and me!!) later.

looking down at bowl of brownie batter muddy buddies ready to eat.
4.64 from 11 ratings

Brownie Batter Puppy Chow

Author: Carlee
Servings: 12 Servings
Servings
Chocolate and peanut butter goodness is hard to beat. It is especially good when wrapped around crunchy cereal and made into a munchable mix. But instead of being coated in powdered sugar, this version is coated in brownie batter to make it extra good!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 2 minutes
Total: 7 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 6 cups Chex cereal
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cups brownie mix

Instructions 

  • Melt chocolate chips in microwave. Start with 30 seconds, then stir and return to microwave in 15 second intervals being sure to stir between each until the chocolate is smooth.
    1 cup chocolate chips
  • Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until completely combined.
    ½ cup creamy peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Fold in cereal until well coated.
    6 cups Chex cereal
  • Place in a gallon zip topped bag with the brownie mix and shake until coated. Allow to set up before serving.
    1½ cups brownie mix

Video

YouTube video

Email Me The Recipe

I’ll email this post to you, so you can easily find it later. Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 250mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g
“Cooking With Carlee” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

Did you try this recipe?

Don’t forget to leave a rating below and make sure to follow on Pinterest and Instagram for more!

Categories:

, ,

Get social!

Recipes in your inbox

4.64 from 11 votes (11 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




56 Comments

  1. Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond says:

    I've never heard of puppy chow! I'm always learning something new from you Carlee.

    1. Oh boy! You better watch out, puppy chow is addicting! 😉 The traditional version is very much like this, but you shake it in powdered sugar. I grew up calling it puppy chow, but some people call it muddy buddies. It has the crunch of the cereal and the delicious peanut butter and chocolate and dusted in sugar so you have to keep licking your fingers. YUMMY!

  2. I've never tried chow mix, but I'm thinking it's something I could happily much on. Definitely sounds and looks yummy.

    Over from Funtastic Friday

    1. You have to try it! It is very addicting though, so be careful 😉 Thanks for stopping by!

  3. Two Chicks and a Mom says:

    I commented the other day because this is so good. Then you shared at our link party #OMHGWW and I want to thank you for that because, as I said, this looks sooo good!:)

  4. My son and I like to take weekend hikes together to explore new waterfalls and we always take some kind of sweet snack. This is so perfect for our next adventure! Thanks for sharing at Inspiration Thursday!

    1. What fun! My little guy and I like to have weekend adventures too, but right now it is mostly to the part to explore a new slide. I wish we had waterfalls to explore! This would be perfect to take along. Thank you so much for another great party!

  5. Susan - of every moment says:

    Oh my gosh Carlee – I think you have come up with a real winner here. Who wouldn't love this?! I have a crowd of teenagers coming to my house tonight, and now I know what snack I am going to provide! Sharing this!

    1. This will be perfect! I know we would have loved it as teenagers, but certainly didn't have any problem polishing it off as a group of 30-somethings either 😉 I can't wait to hear how it goes over!

  6. Madonna/aka/Ms Lemon of Make Mine Lemon says:

    What a fun recipe! I have mixed feelings, I don't really need to find another munchie, but darn these sound good.

    1. I know how you feel, but sometimes these things are just meant to be!

  7. Elizabeth Spencer says:

    Seriously. I'm pretty sure this is going to change my life. Or at least be a new and fabulous answer to the question "how can I help my teenager who is a hormonal mess?"! Thanks for sharing…stopping by from Treasure Box Tuesday!

    1. It is life changing! I would have certainly gone crazy over it when I was a teenager too. I'm not looking forward to that stage!! Thanks for stopping by!

  8. Two Chicks and a Mom says:

    Delicious! We love puppy chow and now have a new recipe to love!

    1. It is a fun twist on an old favorite, that is for sure!

  9. Ummm Yumm! I love Puppy Chow and with brownie batter…even better!

    ~Trisha

    1. We really enjoyed it! I figured it would be hard to go wrong with two of our favorites!

  10. 'I can't even believe this. I'm on my "favorite foodies" link on Bloglovin' and see this brownie batter puppy chow.I'm thinking how I have got to surprise my family and make this. They love brownie batter ice cream and puppy chow is a favorite. Getting ready to go to the page so I can "pin" it. Look who pops up. None other than Carlee. You better keep this on the down low. Some of your siblings will feel sad you didn't make extra to share at KC"s birthday celebration. That's ok though. I'll make it for them soon.

    1. I figured I would get in trouble if I brought a sweet to KC's birthday. I knew you had that covered! They would like this though!

More Recipes You'll Love