Red Velvet Muddy Buddies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the original name for muddy buddies? ›

Some people call it puppy chow, while others know it by different names: muddy munch, monkey munch, or muddy buddies. Muddy Buddies is actually the official name of the recipe marketed by General Mills, the maker of Chex cereal.

One standard-size (12-ounce) box of Rice Chex cereal contains about 11 cups of cereal.

Puppy chow, also known as monkey munch, muddy buddies, muddy munch, reindeer chow, or doggy bag, is the name for a homemade candy made in the United States, primarily in the Midwestern States.

Muddy buddies can go by a lot of alternate names; you may have heard them referred to as puppy chow, monkey munch, reindeer chow, or doggy bag. They get the crazy names from their appearance, sometimes looking like dog food or animal treats.

Chilling. Just a note that chilling the cereal/peanut butter/chocolate mixture before adding any powdered sugar is critical to making sure you have delicious clumpy, not overly sweet, puppy chow!

Its brown kibble-like appearance harkens back to the chow of the Purina company, and the name wasn't subtle, people called it Puppy Chow, knowing well that the dog food company manufactured that cereal. While party mix was a little more universally known for many decades, Puppy Chow was a neat quirk of the Midwest.

With New Year's Eve celebrations around the corner, I'm turning to the party food of my childhood: Chex Mix. The recipe was created by the Ralston-Purina Company in the early 1950s to move boxes of its signature cereals Wheat Chex and Rice Chex.

What Is Puppy Chow? “Puppy chow” (a.k.a. muddy buddies) is the name for a homemade candy or snack that's made with cereal, chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. General Mills sells their own version of the popular treat, but it's easy to make at home with just a few ingredients.

Allow to cool for a few minutes. Divide coated cereal between the two ziplock bags with powdered sugar, seal the bag and shake to coat the cereal. Muddy buddies will stay fresh for up to 1 week stored in an air-tight container at room temperature or can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

To freeze: Chex mix freezes great! Store in freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Serve immediately or store in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.

What came first puppy chow or muddy buddies? ›

Multiple Midwesterners happily shared stories of the prevalence of puppy chow going back to the '60s, but General Mills, the owner and producer of the Chex cereal brand since 1996, says that the Muddy Buddies recipe was developed in 2002.

Puppy chow is thought to have originated in the Midwest, and Chex quickly caught wind of how their product was being enjoyed. They published a recipe for “Muddy Buddies” on their boxes to capitalize on the popularity of the snack.

In 2002 General Mills developed Muddy Buddies, the same recipe as Puppy Chow. But it can't be said that General Mills invented the recipe since Midwesterners recall seeing it and eating it long before the early 2000s.

Is Puppy Chow a Midwestern thing? Yes, people across the Midwest loved this sweet and crunchy snack year-round. The “puppy chow belt” runs through Wisconsin and Michigan, North and South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska.

Puppy chow is a party staple in the Midwest, but not everywhere else. Puppy chow — a snack mix made of Chex cereal covered in melted chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar — is often a fixture at parties. People outside of the Midwest have often never heard of it, and they don't know what they're missing.