These Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies are such a fun flavor of the popular Chex Mix treat! They’ve got the flavors of a cup of hot cocoa all wrapped up in a crunchy, chocolatey cereal mix. It’s the perfect snack for holiday parties, or wrapping up for neighbor gifts.
These Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies are such a yummy twist on Muddy Buddies that you’ll want to enjoy the snack often during the holiday season and all winter long. They have the same taste as a rich cup of hot chocolate, with actual dried hot chocolate mix coating them.
Muddy Buddies, or Puppy Chow, are one of my favorite snacky treats because they’re practically addictive with the crunchy cereal coated in chocolate and powdered sugar. This hot chocolate flavor is such a delicious variety to add to the mix.
It’s perfect for snacking on during a holiday movie night in. How perfect would it be to watch Polar Express and bring this snack out while they sing “Hot Chocolate!”. The mix is also delicious served in a big bowl at a holiday party, or packaged up in small cellophane bags to give out to your neighbors.
Why You’ll Love these Muddy Buddies
- Quick and Easy to Make – They can be made in less than 10 minutes, without any baking. You can’t beat that for easy.
- Delicious Flavor – The delicious chocolatey flavor of a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows on top.
- Crunch Texture – The chocolate coated crispy cereal gives this treat an almost addictive crunchy texture!
- Perfect for Sharing – This makes a big bowlful, so its great for serving in a bowl for your holiday parties, or perfect packaged up for an edible gift.
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Rice Chex Cereal – I prefer Rice Chex, but any Chex will work. Make sure not to use Wheat Chex if you need a Gluten Free mix.
- Chocolate Chips – Use Dark Chocolate or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Unsalted Butter – You can use salted butter too, if that is what you have
- Marshmallow Fluff/Creme
- Hot Cocoa Mix – any brand of hot chocolate powder will work. You could even use different flavors of hot chocolate powder for a different flavor to your puppy chow.
- Powdered Sugar
- Snow Caps Candy
- Mini Marshmallows
How to make Hot Chocolate Puppy Chow?
Step 1: Melt the chocolate chips. Add your chocolate chips and butter to a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, until you can stir the mixture all together and the chocolate is melted and creamy. Mix the marshmallow fluff into the melted chocolate.
Step 2: Mix the chocolate and cereal. Pour chocolate mixture over the cereal and gently mix it all together until the cereal is coated in the chocolate.
Step 3: Add the powdered sugar and cocoa mix. Add the cereal, powdered sugar. and hot chocolate mix to a gallon ziploc bag and shake it up until the chocolate cereal is coated in the powdered sugar and cocoa mix.
Step 4: Mix in the Snow Caps, and Mini Marshmallows, into the Cereal Mixture in a large bowl and stir them together. Spread the mixture out on parchment paper to sit until the chocolate is hardened.
Tips and Tricks:
- White Chocolate – Try using white chips, and a white chocolate cocoa mix for a different, flavor profile.
- Peanut Butter – I wanted these to really have the flavor of a cup of cocoa, so we skipped the peanut butter. If you want the flavor of peanut butter add in 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter to the bowl before melting the chocolate chips.
- Extra Mix Ins – You can add in a variety of mix ins. Some other fun ones would be red, white and green sprinkles, peppermint candy pieces, Junior Mints, M&Ms, etc.
- Pour over a Cooling Rack – Pour the Mixture over a cooling rack on a rimmed cookie sheet to help tiny pieces, and extra powdered sugar or cocoa powder fall away – before you mix in the marshmallows and candy.
Storage Instructions
The mixture can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The mini marshmallows will start to harden over time.
This hot cocoa puppy chow is such a fun twist on classic Muddy Buddies, and such a yummy chocolatey treat. They’re a family favorite for eating during the holidays, especially on a cold winter day when bundled up with a blanket, watching a cozy movie, and drinking a cup of cocoa.
More Muddy Buddy Recipes
- Reindeer Chow
- Peppermint Bark Muddy Buddies
- Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies
- Snickerdoodle Muddy Buddies
If you try these Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies, please leave a 🌟 rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
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Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies
Ingredients
- 12 oz Chocolate Chips (Semi Sweet, or Dark Chocolate)
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- 7 oz Marshmallow Fluff (also known as Marshmallow Creme)
- 10 cup Rice Chex Cereal
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup hot cocoa mix (dry, not prepared)
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
- 3.1 oz Snow Caps Candy
Instructions
- Add the chocolate chips and butter to a medium sized microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until the chocolate is melted and you can stir it smooth. 12 oz Chocolate Chips, 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- Add in the marshmallow fluff and stir it into the chocolate until fully incorporated. 7 oz Marshmallow Fluff
- Add the Chex cereal to a large bowl. 10 cup Rice Chex Cereal
- Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and gently stir it to coat the cereal completely with the mixture.
- Add the cereal to a large gallon sized ziplock bag, and add in the powdered sugar and hot cocoa mix. 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 cup hot cocoa mix
- Seal and shake the bag up to cover the cereal completely with the powdered sugar and cocoa mix.
- Place two wire cooling racks each on a large cookie sheet.
- Spread the muddy buddies over the top of the cooling racks to let the chocolate set. Let it cool for about 30 minutes.
- Mix the cooled muddy buddies in a large bowl with the snow cap candies and mini marshmallows. 3.1 oz Snow Caps Candy, 3.1 oz Snow Caps Candy
- Enjoy immediately, or package up for gifts.
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