Best Puppy Chow Recipe (Muddy Buddies) (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between puppy chow and muddy buddies? ›

There's sort of an ongoing debate about the name of this chocolate-covered cereal treat. 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.

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.

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.

Why Is My Puppy Chow Soggy? After coating the cereal mixture with powdered sugar, don't rush the process. Cool completely on a baking sheet until firm before packing into an airtight container. This step of cooling and drying is essential for puppy chow that will stay crisp, not soggy.

Is it Bad for Adult Dogs to Continue Eating Puppy Food? Because puppy foods are formulated to deliver higher amounts of protein and fat, along with other nutrients needed for a puppy's rapid initial growth, feeding puppy food regularly to a healthy adult can cause unwanted weight gain, among other health problems.

Why is there a pet food shortage? If pet food aisles seem sparse, it's likely due to supply chain issues. A familiar issue lately for stores and consumers (especially over the past few years), supply chain issues have affected almost everything you can think of.

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.

How Puppy Chow Got Its Name. Chex cereal, originally made by the Ralston Purina Company, debuted in grocery stores in 1937. Because the company referred to their dog food as “dog chow” and cat food as “cat chow,” they jokingly called their new cereal line “human chow,” according to Taste.

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.

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.

Is puppy chow a Southern thing? ›

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.

Just like the unique snack, DQ's puppy chow Blizzard is made with peanut butter, chocolate chunks, and real puppy chow pieces blended in its classic soft serve. Sure, a peanut butter and chocolate Blizzard has been done before, but it's the crispy puppy chow pieces swirled throughout that give this treat a twist.

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!

Chex Cereal: Make sure you start with fresh cereal, not an opened box that went unfinished. This will ensure your Muddy Buddies stay crunchy and don't taste stale.

Additionally, if you are looking for long term storage, Muddy Buddies can be kept in the freezer for 4 to 6 months. Why does my Puppy Chow get soggy? If you do not cool the Muddy Buddies or Puppy Chow completely after you pour the chocolate on, the fats from the chocolate can break down the cereal and make it soggy.

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.

According to standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) — which regulates dog food manufacturing — the minimum amount of crude protein in dry puppy food is 22%, compared to 18% for adult diets. Puppy food also has more amino acids, fat, and minerals than adult dog food.

Puppy food does have slightly higher levels of calcium and phosphorous when compared to most adult dog foods. Puppy food also has a higher fat and protein content, meaning there are more calories per bite than the adult version of the same brand.