Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies

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?

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