Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies (aka Puppy Chow)

This Cookies and Cream Puppy Chow is a fun twist on a classic Midwestern treat. Made with 5 ingredients and ready in about 10 minutes, this fun snack has wonderfully crunchy Chex cereal, two types of chocolate, powdered sugar, and of course lots of Oreos!

Who else grew up eating Oreos? They’re just such a nostalgic treat, and my family loves making all kinds of Oreo desserts. Oreo Fluff, Oreo Balls, Dirt Cups… Oreo anything! So this Cookies and Cream muddy buddy recipe was a natural additional to our sweet treat rotation. Plus, we love trying different versions of classic muddy buddies. Along with this Oreo version, we also love Strawberry Muddy Buddies!

This is a great no bake treat for parties of all kinds, an upcoming play date, game night, or to just enjoy while hanging out with your family and friends. 

Whether you call it puppy chow, muddy buddies, muddy munch, or monkey munch, this sweet snack is always a hit! If you love traditional muddy buddies, you need to give this Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies Recipe a try!

Ingredients Needed

• Rice Chex Cereal. This is the base for most muddy buddies recipes. Their checkerboard texture creates the perfect pockets to capture and hold chocolate and the powdered sugar mixture.
• Regular Oreo cookies. We’ll be blitzing these into fine crumbs in a food processor (or blender, or crush Oreos in a gallon sized baggie with a rolling pin) and using the Oreo crumbs to coat our chocolate coated Chex. We’ll also be adding extra Oreos into the Cookies and Cream Puppy Chow to really amp up the Oreo flavor.
• White Chocolate (or Vanilla Melting Wafers). This is used to coat the half of the Chex cereal, and give the powdered sugar and Oreo crumb coating something to stick to. I recommend getting a 4oz baking bar and doing a rough chop before melting. 
• Semi Sweet Chocolate. This is used to coat the other half of the Chex cereal, and give the powdered sugar and Oreo crumb coating something to stick to. I recommend getting a 4oz baking bar (and doing a rough chop before melting) because a bar will melt better than chips. But you can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips if that’s what you have on hand.
• Powdered Sugar. A must for coating muddy buddies! Powdered sugar sweetens this treat, and coats the chocolate to help prevent the squares from sticking together.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

• Use Mini Oreos. I love mixing these into my puppy chow because they’re the perfect size! If you just want to buy just one kind of Oreo, you can crush some of these up and also mix them into your puppy chow too.
• Swap the semi-sweet chocolate for milk chocolate! If desired, use a milk chocolate bar or milk chocolate chips in place of the semi-sweet chocolate for this recipe.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Add eight Oreos to a blender or food processor. Blend until the cookies have been crushed into a fine powder. If a few small cookie pieces remain in tact, that is a-ok!

Divide the blended cookies between two gallon ziploc bags (approximately ½ cup to each bag). Add half of the powdered sugar to each bag. Set aside.

Divide Chex cereal between two large bowls and set aside. Chop both types of chocolate and set aside.

Place the semi-sweet chocolate in a different microwave-safe bowl and melt it in 30-second increments in the microwave, stirring in between each cycle, until smooth.

Pour the melted chocolate over one of the bowls of Chex cereal and stir until all of the cereal is well-coated.

Place the chocolate coated cereal into one of the resealable plastic bags with the crushed Oreos and powdered sugar. 

Close the seal the bag tightly and shake to coat the cereal with the powdered sugar and Oreo cookie mixture.

Pour the coated cereal onto a lined cookie sheet to dry.

Place the white chocolate in a different microwave-safe bowl and melt it in 30-second increments in the microwave, stirring in between each cycle, until smooth. 

Pour the melted white chocolate over the other bowl of Chex cereal and stir until all of the cereal is well-coated.

Place the white chocolate coated cereal into the other resealable plastic bag with the crushed Oreos and powdered sugar. 

Close the seal the bag tightly and shake to coat the cereal with the powdered sugar and Oreo cookie mixture.

Pour the coated cereal onto a lined cookie sheet to dry.

Cut or break the remaining Oreo cookies into bite-sized pieces, and toss with the dried cookies and cream muddy buddies.

Once the coated cereal has dried, mix both kinds together, then enjoy!

Possible Dietary Restrictions?

This Oreo puppy chow recipe is vegetarian as written. Rice Chex are gluten free already, but to make this into a gluten free puppy chow be sure to use gluten free Oreo cookies. It would also be wise to verify the white chocolate or melting wafers and semi-sweet chocolate you’re using are certified to be gluten free as well if you are serving this to someone with celiac disease. 

Storage

Puppy chow tastes best in the first 1-2 days after being made. However, if stored properly in an airtight container or zip top bag, puppy chow can be stored for up to 1 week at room temperature and up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Helpful Equipment

A high-quality blender or food processor will be helpful to finely crush the Oreos. If you don’t have access to one of these, you can always do this by hand by placing the Oreos into the gallon zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

Recipe FAQs

What is the difference between muddy buddies and puppy chow?

Muddy buddies and puppy chow refer to the same thing! Also known as monkey munch, muddy munch, or reindeer chow. This treat is typically made with Chex cereal, peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar and is popular in the Midwest.

Is puppy chow a Midwest thing?

Puppy chow is a popular Midwestern treat that is typically made with Chex cereal, peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar. It is often made during the holidays, but is enjoyed year round by kids and adults alike! This treat is also known as muddy buddies, monkey munch, muddy munch, or reindeer chow.

How long is puppy chow good for?

Puppy chow tastes best in the first 1-2 days after being made. However, if stored properly in an airtight container or zip top bag, puppy chow can be stored for up to 1 week at room temperature and up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.