All of my favorite snacks and party foods start with Chex cereal: Chex mix, gooey Chex, and of course muddy buddies. Chocolatey, peanut-buttery, crunchy, and bite-sized for easy snacking, what could be better?
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Well, it turns out it CAN be even better. And it’s improved by removing the Chex altogether. Krave cereal is relatively new, especially in the US, but if you haven’t had it yet, you need to run to the store right now and buy a box. (Or two, one for eating in a bowl with milk and one for this recipe!)
So what is Krave? It’s basically giant captain crunch (without the berries) FILLED WITH CHOCOLATE. Yes, you heard that right. And of course anything filled with chocolate just begs to be dipped in chocolate as well, right?
It was actually my husband that first had this incredible idea, and the moment I tasted it I just knew I had to share it with the world. I had the hardest time coming up deciding what to call them. Ultimate Muddy Buddies. Dark Chocolate Muddy Buddies. Brownie Batter Muddy Buddies. Triple Chocolate Muddy Buddies. (And with the cocoa on the outside instead of bright white powdered sugar, they really live up to their other name, puppy chow.) But in the end it doesn’t matter what you call them. You just need to make them and eat them. Right. Now.
Besides the obvious fact that it’s even MORE chocolate, the best part of swapping out the Chex for Krave in this recipe is the texture. It’s still got plenty of crunch, but somehow it’s soft and almost spongy at the same time, in the best way. It’s airy and flaky and just divine. This unique texture also means that the chocolate coating almost sinks into the cereal, so it doesn’t clump, crumble, or even need to be cooled after mixing, you can just get straight to eating it!
This recipe is pretty straightforward, but there are a couple of things that can make life just a little easier for you. I like to spray my measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring out the peanut butter just so it’s a little less of a mess.
I love to mix it up on a cookie sheet instead of in a bowl (or shaking in a bag like the original Chex muddy buddies recipe suggests, I just don’t see how that would end well.) It helps to get everything evenly coated much more quickly and easily.
However, if you try to just stir it up on this flat surface, it can make even more of a mess than a bowl. Instead, use a folding motion to scoop cereal from around the edges into the middle to minimize spills.
Ultimate Muddy Buddies
Ingredients
- 9 cups Krave Cereal - 1 family size box, 17.3 oz
- 1 cup Chocolate Chips
- ½ cup Peanut Butter
- ¼ cup Butter - 1/2 a stick
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar - more for sweeter mix
- 1 cup Cocoa Powder - less for sweeter mix
Instructions
- Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter together in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, until smooth.
- Spread cereal on a large baking sheet.
- Pour chocolate mixture over cereal then mix with a folding motion until cereal is evenly coated.
- Whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a small mixing bowl. You will need two cups total, but you can adjust the ratios to your preference. For a dark chocolate snack, use 1 cup of each. For a sweeter mix, use more powdered sugar and less cocoa powder.
- Sprinkle cocoa/sugar mixture over cereal. Toss to coat.
- Enjoy!
And that’s all there is to it! You are just minutes away from chocolate heaven, so get to it!
