Made from simple ingredients like Chex cereal, Oreo cookies, chocolate, and powdered sugar, this Cookies & Cream Puppy Chow (aka Muddy Buddies) is as easy to make as it is irresistible. Enjoy a white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate version in one!
Let’s make a fun variation of puppy chow! But first thing’s first…
Puppy Chow = Muddy Buddies
I receive a lot of confused questions about this! Depending where you live, this Chex cereal snack mix can be called Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies. I grew up calling it puppy chow. But no, this is not dog food! Originally made with peanut butter and chocolate, this Oreo cookie variation is totally irresistible. (And again, for humans!)
I also have 2 holiday versions: Peppermint Crunch Puppy Chow and Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow
This Cookies & Cream Puppy Chow:
- Is totally kid-friendly
- Comes together in about 10 minutes, joining 30+ other recipes in my collection of Quick Dessert Recipes
- Is instant dessert craving gratification
- Requires only 6 ingredients
- Is crunchy, sweet, and massively irresistible
- The perfect use for leftover Oreos after making Oreo balls
For the pictured two-toned cookies and cream puppy chow (one “cookies” and one “cream”), you’re essentially making two types of puppy chow. The “cream” version is white and made with white chocolate, while the “cookies” version is brown and made with semi-sweet chocolate. You can, of course, just make an all-white chocolate or all-regular chocolate version. See recipe notes for details.
Let’s Make It
- Crush Oreo cookies. Grind 8 Oreo cookies into a fine crumb. (The whole Oreo, just as if you were making an Oreo cookie crust.) A food processor or blender is best, but you can crush Oreos by hand. Place them in a large zipped-top bag and crush the heck out of them using a rolling pin. Careful not to pierce the bag open.
- Divide Oreo crumbs between two bags or sealable containers. Add confectioners’ sugar to each.
- Divide cereal between two large mixing bowls. Remember, we’re essentially making two types of muddy buddies!
- Melt chocolates. You need semi-sweet and white chocolates. It’s best to use pure baking chocolate bars such as Baker’s or Ghirardelli brand, but chocolate chips and white chocolate chips work in a pinch. I always melt these chocolates down with a little vegetable oil to thin them out. You can melt them in the microwave. Gently stir to coat.
- Place cereals into bags. Spoon/pour the coated cereals into the prepared bags or sealable containers. Seal shut.
- Shake to coat in the Oreo crumbs/confectioners’ sugar.
Kids love helping with this last step. They also love eating this stuff (obviously), but I can’t guarantee Oreo-loving adults won’t hoard it all. It’s incredibly sweet and funโexactly what dessert should be!
If you love Oreos, try this super easy cookies & cream pie, homemade Oreos, Oreo balls, or cookies and cream sheet cake next.
More Fun Kid-Friendly Treats
- Mini Animal Cracker Cookies
- Homemade Cheese Crackers
- Strawberry Banana Popsicles
- White Chocolate Lucky Charms Treats
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza
- Mini M&M Cookies
Cookies ‘n Cream Puppy Chow
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made from simple ingredients like Chex cereal, Oreos, and chocolate, this Cookies & Cream Puppy Chow (aka Muddy Buddies) is as easy as it is irresistible.
Ingredients
Cookies Puppy Chow
- 4 whole Oreos
- 2/3 cup (80g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 cups (80g) Rice Chex cereal
- 6 ounces (170g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or 1 cup chocolate chips)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Cream Puppy Chow
- 4 whole Oreos
- 2/3 cup (80g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 cups (80g) Rice Chex cereal
- 6 ounces (170g) white chocolate, choppedย (or 1 cup white chocolate chips)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preliminary Note: You are essentially making two types of puppy chowโone “cookies” version and one “cream” version. Same ingredients for both, as listed above, but one uses semi-sweet chocolate while the other uses white chocolate. See recipe note if you only want to use 1 type of chocolate.
- Begin by crushing all 8 of the Oreos into a fine crumb using a blender or food processor. Add half of the Oreos to one large zipped-top bag or large sealable container and half of the Oreos into a 2nd large zipped-top bag or sealable container. Add 2/3 cup of confectioners’ sugar to each. Set aside.
- Set out two large bowls. One for the “cookies” version and one for the “cream” version. Pour three cups of Chex cereal into each bowl. Set aside.
- Set out two small heat-proof bowls. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon oil together in one bowl using the microwave. Melt in 20 second increments, stirring after each until melted. Repeat with white chocolate and another 1 teaspoon oil in a separate bowl.
- Pour semi-sweet chocolate over 1 bowl of cereal and white chocolate over the second bowl of cereal. Stir gently to coat each. You do not want to break the cereal up. Pour the mixtures into the reserved zipped-top bags/containers. Seal the bags/containers and shake until all the cereal is coated with the sugar/Oreo mixtures. Discard excess powder.
- Discard any excess confectionersโ sugar. Store at room temperature up to 1 week or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, if it lasts that long!
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Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions:ย This snack mix can be prepped a week ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to serve. You can also prepare and freeze this snack mix for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Large Zipped-top Bags | Food Processor/Blender | Glass Mixing Bowls
- Best Chocolate to Use: Use 4-ounce semi-sweet and white chocolate baking bars, such as Bakers or Ghirardelli brands, found in the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips. (You will need 1.5 of them to yield 6 ounces each.) You can use chocolate chips in a pinch, but you may need a little more than 1 teaspoon of oil to smoothly melt each down.
- Want to use all 1 type of chocolate instead? Use 12 ounces (three 4-ounce bars) of semi-sweet or white chocolate. Or about 2 cups of semi-sweet or white chocolate chips. Melt the chocolate with 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Remaining ingredient amounts and the instructions are the same (8 Oreos, 1 and 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar, 6 cups cereal), but there is no need for two separate bowls or sealable containers since you’re only making 1 kind.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I found this recipe on the gluten free page, and plan to bring these to a party with a gluten-free friend, but regular Oreos are not gluten free. I know gluten free Oreos exist, but I do not see you present these as the gluten free option for this recipe. Even still, they look delicious, I was just making sure I didn’t miss something and that those who are not aware of the gluten in Oreos would not make this recipe for a gluten free person without realizing. I always love Sally and her team’s recipes and I will continue making them.
Can you use Chocolate Bark instead?
Find it far more easy to work with
Do you have just a normal puppy chow recipe?
Hi Lily! We don’t, but there are plenty of recipes out there – hope you find one you love ๐
Um so excuse me for living under a rock but I only just discovered puppy chow and I think it needs to be added to our essential food groups lol. SO good. and coming from Australia i couldn’t buy butterscotch morsels so I used white chocolate instead. I have no idea what chocolate you use in USA but if you use Cadbury over here, once you melt it, it never seems to set a firm as it was buuuttt I’ve discovered Coles brand white choc melts set PERFECTLY firm again once you’ve melted it.. so ur puppy chow looks pretty hehe. I’m moving on to try all versions of this its my life mission. THANK YOU SALLY xx.
Iโm not seeing a difference between the โcookieโ recipe and the โcreamโ recipe. You mention to mix the two together, are you just doubling the recipe and then adding the chopped oreos?
One is white chocolate and one is semi-sweet chocolate.
These are very good. I think I like the cream the best by itself…but don’t plan on eating them separately
Love the cookies and cream idea! I’ve made peanut butter ones for gifts before but it was called “people chow”. I really need to try this version.
Just made these! These are fantastic! My boyfriend loves them, and that’s saying something bc he does not like sweets. Great recipe Sal!
Hi Sally,
When you crush Oreo cookies for your recipe such as this puppy chow or the skinny cookie and cream smoothie, do you crush the icing part of the cookie as well? Also, do you have any idea if I can freeze Oreo cookies to save for use in future recipes?
Yep, crush the entire cookie (cream and cookie) – and yes, I freeze Oreos all the time.
Hey Sally! I absoluely love your recipies and I’ve been dying to try your puppy chows but I live in Spain and we don’t have chex cereal (or Cripix). Do you think it could work with Golden Grahams?
Hey Georgia! Yes, golden grahams would be just fine. In fact, I use golden grahams in this puppy chow recipe (it’s a favorite!): https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/07/19/smores-puppy-chow/
How would i use golden grahams? Break them up in large pieces?
Hi Suzanne, you can simply swap the Chex for some Golden Grahams. Same amount.