A fun and festive Christmas Puppy Chow recipe the kids can help make, this Red and Green Muddy Buddies recipe is made with frosting (or candy melts) for a colorful no-bake dessert perfect for gifting or enjoying for a family night.

Christmas Puppy Chow Recipe

Puppy chow (or muddy buddies, depending on where you’re from) are traditionally made with melted chocolate and peanut butter. However, this has been a family favorite for so long that I’ve found myself experimenting with so many different ways of making muddy buddies over the years.

We’ve experimenting with candy melts and flavor extracts often, but using melted frosting is a new-to-me method of making fun colored muddy buddies.

These sweet and crunchy muddy buddies use red and green pre-made frostings mixed with white candy melts (or white chocolate chips) to achieve their fun color and flavor, however if you can’t find those frostings locally you can use red and green candy melts for the same effect. (You can also use candy colorings to dye white candy melts to different colors – just be sure not to use regular food dye as the water content in them will cause the candy melts to separate and harden.)

Muddy buddies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week (if it doesn’t disappear faster in your house) or can be frozen in an airtight freezer bag or your favorite freezer containers for up to two months. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)

More Christmas Muddy Buddy Recipes

• Snickers Muddy Buddies
• Peppermint Bark Muddy Buddies
• M&M Muddy Buddies

The below video shows how to make a standard muddy buddy recipe (with melted chocolate chips and peanut butter) but I thought I’d include it in this post just in case:

Christmas Puppy Chow Ingredients

• Red Frosting
• Green Frosting
• White Candy Melts or White Chocolate Chips, divided
• Shortening, if needed
• Chex Cereal
• Powdered Icing Sugar

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: if you can’t find red and green frosting, swap it out with red and green candy melts or use candy melt coloring to achieve the same festive color combination.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Microwave-safe bowls
• Large ziptop bags
• Cookie Sheet
• Spatula <– I like these spatulas because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty.

How to Make Christmas Puppy Chow

Grease or line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the red frosting and 1/4 cup white chocolate chips (or white candy melts) in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 35 seconds.

Stir and reheat as needed. If it seems stiff, add some shortening or coconut oil to loosen it up.

Stir in 2 cups of the Chex cereal and coat completely.

Place 1/2 cup of the powdered icing sugar in a large zip-top bag and add in the candy-coated cereal.

Close the bag and shake well to fully coat the cereal with sugar.

Empty the cereal onto the prepared baking sheet.

Repeat with the white candy melts and green frosting.

Let dry for an hour before packaging or serving.

Pin this Christmas Muddy Buddy recipe for your next holiday baking session:

Grab your free printable recipe card for our Christmas puppy chow recipe:

I hope your family loves this Christmas puppy chow recipe as much as mine did!

For more decadent no-bake desserts, check out our full no-bake dessert recipe collection here:

For more decadent desserts, check out our full dessert recipe collection here:

For more recipes kids can make, check out our full kid-made recipe collection here: