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Patriotic Puppy Chow

Patriotic puppy chow (aka muddy buddies) is a no-bake Chex mix dessert with glossy white chocolate coating and a powdered sugar dusting. Each crunchy piece gets tossed with red and blue M&Ms and star sprinkles for a red-white-blue 4th of July puppy chow look.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
cooling 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chex cereal
  • 9 cup Chex cereal Use rice or corn Chex.
White chocolate coating
  • 12 oz white chocolate chips or white melting wafers Melt with butter until smooth.
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter Use unsalted for best sweetness balance.
Powdered sugar dusting
  • 2 cup powdered sugar Toss while the chocolate coating is still tacky.
Patriotic mix-ins
  • 1 cup red M&Ms Fold in after the coated Chex cools.
  • 1 cup blue M&Ms Fold in after the coated Chex cools.
  • 1 Red and blue star sprinkles Add after cooling to keep the sprinkles bright.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 microwave-safe bowl

Method
 

Prep the Chex
  1. Measure 9 cups Chex cereal into a very large bowl and set aside.
Melt the white chocolate coating
  1. Combine the white chocolate chips (or white melting wafers) and unsalted butter in a microwave-safe bowl, then microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring until completely smooth and glossy.
Coat the cereal
  1. Pour the melted white chocolate over the Chex and stir gently until every piece is evenly coated, with a glossy surface visible on the cereal.
Dust with powdered sugar
  1. Transfer the coated cereal into a large zip-lock bag, add 2 cups powdered sugar, seal, and shake vigorously until all pieces look lightly powdered and clumpy.
Cool until set
  1. Spread the puppy chow onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and let cool for 30 minutes until set and no longer tacky.
Add the patriotic mix-ins
  1. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with red M&Ms, blue M&Ms, and red and blue star sprinkles until evenly distributed and colorful throughout.
Serve
  1. Serve immediately in a big bowl or portion into individual bags so the coating stays crisp.

Notes

Pro tip: Cool the coated Chex for a full 30 minutes before adding M&Ms and sprinkles so the candy shells don’t melt and the sprinkles stay vivid. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days (bring to room temperature before serving); freezing is not recommended because the sugar coating can soften after thawing. For a lighter option, use sugar-free powdered sugar in place of regular powdered sugar if you want a reduced-sugar dessert.