Peppermint Bark Puppy Chow "Muddy Buddies" (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free)

Your favorite holiday treat in snack form! Peppermint Bark Puppy Chow (Muddy Buddies)! This vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and allergy-free recipe uses dairy-free white chocolate and dark chocolate with crushed peppermint candy canes to transform plain Chex cereal into a perfect Christmas treat that's great for munching and gifting!

Sweet, crunchy, minty, chocolaty! This puppy chow recipe is the most addicting treat you will ever make! One of the best seasonal holiday treats, peppermint bark, combined with a year-round favorite sweet snack, muddy buddies, to create the ULTIMATE Christmas treat...ever. The best part is...this recipe is gluten-free, vegan, and allergy-free (but no one will ever know!)

Ingredients You Need

You can make this puppy chow with just 6 or 7 ingredients! It's so easy and super kid-friendly, making it a perfect at-home holiday activity that doesn't require any baking! It's easiest to make this peppermint puppy chow in two batches. One for the white chocolate portion and one for the dark chocolate portion.

White Chocolate Portion:

• Rice Chex
• Allergy-Free White Chocolate Chips
• Peppermint Extract
• Candy Canes or Peppermint Candies
• Powdered Sugar Sweetener

Dark Chocolate Portion:

• Rice Chex or Chocolate Chex
• Allergy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips
• Peppermint Extract
• Candy Canes or Peppermint Candies
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (optional, if using plain rice Chex)
• Powdered Sugar Sweetener

For the chocolate portion, you can use chocolate Chex cereal to really BOOST the chocolatey-ness or you can just use the same box of plain rice Chex cereal that you used for the white chocolate portion and add some extra cocoa powder! You can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips if you prefer, for a less intense chocolate taste.

No Peanut Butter Required

Classic puppy chow (or muddy buddies) uses peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar. You don't need any nuts or dairy in this allergy-free recipe! It's a Christmas miracle! You can even reduce the sugar by using powdered Swerve or erythritol for a "slightly" healthier mix! Regardless, these muddy buddies are 100%:

• Gluten-Free
• Vegan
• Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Corn-Free, Coconut-Free)
• Kid-Friendly
• Delicious and Santa-Approved!

Tips & Tricks for making THE BEST Chocolate Peppermint Puppy Chow

• Have all your ingredients "mise en place". Meaning, have everything measured, set up, and ready to go.
• Crush your candy canes ahead of time using a food processor or a hammer and plastic bag. (I tend to opt for the hammer route, haha!)
• Melt your chocolate chips in a wide bowl, slowly in the microwave. Use increments of 20 to 30 seconds and only mix when you start to see the chips melt. If you have trouble melting your chocolate chips, you can add a touch of coconut oil or oil-based vegan butter (make sure the fat/oil you use, matches what is used in your brand of chocolate chips). You can also use a double boiler on the stove if you have the setup.
• If you opt for using plain rice Chex instead of chocolate Chex for the dark chocolate portion, reduce the powdered sugar needed by ¼ and replace it with the cocoa powder.
• Have your Chex cereal ready to go in a plastic gallon-size Ziplock bag, add the melted chocolate, mix everything a bit first, before adding in the powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and crushed candy canes.
• You can then pour the puppy chow out into a colander to remove and excess broken Chex and extra sugar.
• Let your puppy chow dry and cool on a cookie sheet before storing!
• You can add extra chocolate chips and peppermint pieces to the finished mix or even add some broken up homemade peppermint bark!

Check out the video to see the process!

How to Store and Gift

• Once your puppy chow has air-dried and cooled from the melted chocolate, you can store it in a sealed, airtight container at room temperature for 7 to 10 days for freshness. You can keep it in the fridge if you'd like it slightly chilled!
• You can gift it in small festive gift bags or in holiday jars if you plan on shipping it to your recipients so it doesn't get crushed! It's great in small batches as a stocking stuffer or in larger batches for homemade edible gifts.
• Peppermint Bark Muddy Buddies are also essential for holiday or Christmas party snacking, while you're decorating your Christmas tree, or wrapping/unwrapping gifts!

Peppermint Bark Muddy Buddies Recipe

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Fair warning though, this is ADDICTING! If you really want to send a STANDOUT gift that's also low-key, this is the recipe to give! You'll love it, the lucky recipients will love it (and you). This puppy chow is a MUST, just plan on making more than one batch!

More Edible Gift for the Holidays:

• Homemade Vegan Peppermint Bark
• Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Covered Pretzels
• Cinnamon "Sugar" Pretzels
• Sesame Seed Crunch Candy
• Mint Chocolate Skillet Granola

So tell me:

+ What is your favorite peppermint treat during the holidays?

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