Christmas Reindeer Chex Mix Recipe (Reindeer Chow)
This Christmas Reindeer Chex Mix Recipe (also known as Christmas Muddy Buddies or Christmas Puppy Chow) is easy to make, and because it’s a large batch recipe, it’s the PERFECT treat to bring to a Christmas party or to make and use to assemble little homemade gifts!
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Servings: 2 Large Ziplock Bags Full
Ingredients
For the Muddy Buddy Portion
- 9 c Rice Chex Cereal
- 1/2 c creamy peanut butter
- 1 c semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter 4 tablespoons
- 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
For the candy-coated popcorn
- 1 bag of popped popcorn
- 1 c peanuts*
- 1-2 blocks of vanilla baking bark also known as almond bark - about 3 oz
- Christmas sprinkles
For the reindeer pretzels
- 12-15 pretzel twists
- 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
- eyeball sprinkles
- mini red M&Ms for the noses
For the Santa pretzels
- 12-15 pretzel twists
- 2-3 oz vanilla baking bark same that you use for the popcorn
- 2 oz candy melts about 20 or so wafers
- eyeball sprinkles
- mini red M&Ms for the noses
Add-ins
- Mini marshmallows 2-3 cups
- Reeses mini peanut butter cups 1-2 cups
- 1 bag Christmas M&Ms peanut butter are the best!
Instructions
To make the Muddy Buddy portion:
- Put semisweet chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter into a medium microwave-safe bowl. (Preferably one that is glass – like Pyrex – vs. a ceramic one. The Pyrex will heat much more evenly and the dish won’t get as hot in the microwave.)
- Microwave for 30 seconds, remove, stir, and microwave again for 15-30 seconds. The chocolate chips will probably be melted by now, but if they’re not, then try again for 15 seconds after stirring. (When I put mine in the microwave, I don’t ever adjust the heat settings. I just use the microwave as-is. However, if yours gets really hot, you may want to adjust the settings to eat at a lower temp.)
- Once you have a smooth peanut butter and chocolate mixture, pour about half over half of the cereal in a large mixing bowl. It's easier to work in a couple of batches. Gently stir to prevent cereal from crumbling too much.
- Once it's evenly coated, pour the chocolate cereal mixture into a gallon-size Ziplock. Add about half of the powdered sugar, zip up the bag, give it a shake, and then repeat that same process with the remaining peanut butter mixture/cereal/powdered sugar, and then set the Muddy Buddy portion aside.
To make the candy-coated popcorn portion:
- Put a couple of chunks (about 3 ounces) of vanilla baking bark into a microwave-safe bowl, and heat that up the same way you did the chocolate chip mixture – in 30-second intervals, stirring in between.
- Once it’s melted (probably after 1-2 turns in the microwave), you’ll pour it over the popcorn & peanuts & give it all a good stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Pour the popcorn & peanut mixture onto a foil-covered (or you can use wax paper) baking sheet. Add Christmas sprinkles right away if you’re going to use them. The candy coating sets quickly!
- Set this aside for a bit to allow the candy coating to harden (or you can stick it in the fridge for super quick hardening – it’ll set in about 10 minutes in the fridge).
>>> See blog post for making the reindeer pretzels & Santa pretzels - I give you some tips in there to help yours turn out perfectly the first time! <<<
- Once you've made everything, add the whole mix together and store in large Ziplock bags (or other airtight containers). It'll keep for a few days. Enjoy at your Christmas gatherings or packaged up as homemade gifts - this is a perfect treat for giving away in baggies or mason jars!
Notes
Tip for the popcorn: when you’re putting the popcorn into the mixing bowl, consider scooping it out of the bag with your hands vs. pouring the popcorn into the bowl. This will help you avoid most of the unpopped kernels from getting into the bowl, sticking to the candy coating, and then entering into your mouth for a hard bite!