Growing up, I definitely knew this snack as Puppy Chow! The traditional version was made with Chex cereal coated in melted chocolate and peanut butter. It was then tossed in powdered sugar which would coat your fingers so you could lick it off. Muddy Buddies are another way to refer to Puppy Chow, and is actually trademarked by General Mills! They’re super easy to make at home. It’s also fun to come up with different versions and mix-ins as a quick snack. This version is made with a favorite of mine - cookie butter! These Cookie Butter Muddy Buddies are coated in cookie butter melted with white chocolate. We’ll then crush up some Lotus Biscoff cookies and mix up the crumbs with the powdered sugar for the coating. It’s a great alternative for muddy buddies without peanut butter.
Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
The ingredients are incredibly similar to Chex Mix Muddy Buddies - we just substitute the chocolate for white chocolate and the peanut butter for cookie butter.
Chex cereal - Use any of the Rice Chex, Corn Chex, or Chocolate Chex or a mixture of any of them.White chocolate - High quality white chocolate chips like from Ghirardelli will give the best result and melt the bestCookie butter - The Biscoff cookie butter replaces peanut butter in the original muddy buddies recipe! There are other substitutes, like the Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter.Powdered sugar, Biscoff cookies - We’re not just using powdered sugar to coat the muddy buddies! We’re going to crush up some of the Lotus Biscoff Cookies and mix them together! It gives a heavier flavor of cookie butter over the flavor of Chex.
How to make Cookie Butter Puppy Chow
Start by transferring the cereal to a large bowl. As soon as the white chocolate, cookie butter, and butter have melted down you’ll want to transfer in into the cereal. Additionally, crush 6-7 Biscoff into a fine powder and transfer it into a bowl with the powdered sugar. Give it a stir to combine. I’d also recommend prepping a 2 gallon plastic bag or finding a large container with a lid where you can shake everything together. Let’s start by melting together the white chocolate, cookie butter, and butter to make something very similar to a ganache! There’s two methods to do this. First, add the three ingredients to a bowl and set the vanilla extract to the side. Double boiler method (preferred) - Bring water to a boil in a pot. Set the bowl with the cookie butter, white chocolate, and butter on top of the pot. Continuously stir until everything has melted together. Remove the bowl from the pot and stir in the vanilla extract. The mixture should be silky smooth and fairly runny. Note: Ensure there is no water contact with the white chocolate, otherwise it may seize and you’ll have to start over. Microwave method - Microwave the bowl in 15 second increments and stir in between each interval until everything melts together. This can sometimes result in a chunky mixture, so don’t microwave it for too long. Once the cookie butter mixture has come together, immediately pour it over the cereal and toss it with a rubber spatula until the cereal is evenly coated. At this point, transfer the coated cereal into a 2 gallon plastic bag or into a large container with a lid. Dump the powdered sugar and crushed Biscoff cookie into the gallon bag. Seal the plastic bag or container, and give it a good shake until everything is evenly coated. Add a ¼ cup of powdered sugar at a time to fully coat the cereal, if necessary. Now, transfer the muddy buddies to a half sheet pan. Spread it out as evenly as possible to allow them to cool and set completely. Then, they’re ready to snack on!
Tips and Tricks
Homemade Muddy Buddies is generally foolproof, but there’s the risk of having giant clumps of cereal. To prevent this, make sure you immediately transfer the cookie butter white chocolate mixture into the bowl with the cereal. If it starts thickening, you won’t get an even coating! If this happens, you’ll need to transfer the cereal into a large pot. Heat it at a very low temperature until the cookie butter white chocolate mixture starts to melt. Keep gently tossing the cereal with the spatula until it gets an even coat. This will require a cooling period before adding the sugar so it doesn’t melt and cause a bumpy sugar coating. Transferring them to a sheet pan at the end may seem like an extra step, but this allows the cereal a chance to cool. Once they set, they won’t stick together.
Storage Instructions
Once the coating has set, the muddy buddies can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months! Personally, I love them when they’re chilled instead of room temperature. So I’d highly recommend keeping them in the fridge.
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Recipe
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