Reindeer Chow

Make sure Santa stops at your house by attracting reindeer! This Reindeer Chow recipe turns the classic muddy buddies puppy chow into a Christmas treat that the kids will love.

Reindeer Chow Recipe

Muddy Buddies {AKA Puppy Chow} is a classic recipe. Today we’re taking that irresistible snack and turning it into a fun Christmas treat…Reindeer Chow! Although my kids are older now, I can remember the days when they so desperately wanted to hear the pitter patter of hooves on our roof on Christmas Eve as they anxiously awaited  Santa’s arrival. Christmas Eve always had a smorgasbord of appetizers and sweets treats that we could choose from to leave out for Santa. You don’t want to forget Santa’s reindeer food though!

How to Make Reindeer Chow

Reindeer chow is based on the puppy chow with chex mix. It is quickly and easily made by melting chocolate, peanut butter and butter together in the microwave. You’ll mix that gooey mixture up, toss it with the chex cereal and then shake it in a big bag with powdered sugar. We like to use 2 cups of powdered sugar, but you can use 1 1/2 cups if you’d like there to be less white coating.

Lastly, you’ll add in the M&Ms. We used milk chocolate M&Ms, but use peanut M&M’s if you’d like.

How to Store Reindeer Chow

If you are hosting a Christmas party, you could package this in individual servings with a little label that says “Reindeer Chow”. Kids love this!

Remember to store any leftovers in an airtight container so that the Christmas snack mix stays crunchy and fresh.

Tools Needed for Reindeer Chow

• Microwave Safe Bowls: I don’t know what I’d do without my large glass bowls that are microwave safe. Just the perfect size for recipes such as this!
• Chex Cereal: Rice Chex are my favorite for puppy chow recipes. They are gluten free, too!
• Holiday M&Ms: Red and Green for contrast in this festive recipe.
• 2-Gallon Ziploc Bags: Huge zippered bags for shaking muddy buddies and also for storing snacks.

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Reindeer Food

Make sure Santa stops at your house by attracting reindeer! This Reindeer Food recipe turns the classic muddy buddies puppy chow into a Christmas treat that the kids will love. 

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword christmas eve, kids christmas treat, reindeer food

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 15

Calories 439kcal

Author Julie Clark

Ingredients

• 7 cups chex cereal
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar (if you don't want as thick a coating of powdered sugar you can cut it back to 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups red and green M&Ms

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a large microwave safe bowl melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter for 30 seconds and then stir. Continue microwaving in 15 second increments, stirring after each time, until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in vanilla.
• Gently fold in chex cereal being careful not to break up the pieces until it's evenly coated.
• Add powdered sugar to a large zip top bag and then add cereal mixture. Seal the bag and shake well until each piece is evenly covered with powdered sugar.
• Transfer chow back to a clean bowl and fold in M&Ms.
• Store in an airtight container.

Video

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe being divided 15 ways, with 1 serving being about 3/4 of a cup. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 258mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 9.5mg