Harvest Puppy Chow

This Harvest Puppy chow is an easy fun fall treat!  It combines the classic flavors of puppy chow with some new ones! 

Harvest Puppy Chow Recipe

When I was a teenager I used to babysit my neighbors kids.  Sometimes the couple would go on a date other times the wife just needed some time to get stuff done around the house and I was a nice distraction for the kids. I always had a fun time playing with the kids but my favorite time to babysit was when Mrs. Wolfe was home. 🙂

 Many times instead of using her time to get things done she would invest time in me.  I remember her favorite snack to make was the classic puppy chow.  I had never had puppy chow before and I was hooked from the start. Ever since those days I always think of her when I make puppy chow. I love how different scents and tastes can bring us back to our yester-years.  

Recently I realized that I had never actually made puppy chow for my kids so being that it was close to Fall we decided to spruce the classic treat up a bit and make a harvest puppy chow version.  Of course puppy chow is delicious on it’s own but it’s fun to throw some extra flavors in there too! 

Muddy Buddies vs Puppy Chow? 

This popular treat is known by both names! We have always called it Puppy Chow growing up while others and the Brand General Mills call it “Muddy Buddies”.  “Puppy Chow” is thought to have originated from the Midwest and was given it’s name because of how similar it looked to a popular dog kibble.  However, this treat is meant for human consumption and NOT actual dogs 🙂 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR HARVEST MUDDY BUDDIES

You only need a few simple ingredients for this harvest puppy chow. Of course you need the classic ingredients such as:

• peanut butter
• butter
• Chex Mix
• vanilla
• chocolate chips 

We then decided what fall candy we wanted to add to our harvest puppy chow.  We chose these fun additions:

• pretzels
• M&M’s – I took out the green and blue to keep with the fall theme
• candy corn and candy pumpkins

HOW TO MAKE HARVEST PUPPY CHOW

• Pour your Chex Mix cereal into a large mixing bowl, set aside. 
• Place your chocolate chips, butter & peanut butter in a small bowl and melt in the microwave at 30 second increments.  You can add a touch of canola oil if needed to help smooth the mixture. 
• Add vanilla extract to melted chocolate sauce
• Pour chocolate sauce over cereal and mix until all cereal is covered.
• Place cereal in a large gallon size bag with powdered sugar and shake until all the cereal is covered. 
• Place on a silpat or parchment covered baking sheet and allow to cool
• Place in large serving bowl and add your favorite add ins

We love to serve this Fall treat at parties or pack them up into little baggies and give them away to friends and family as a simple and delicious small treat!

For more Fall Treat ideas try these:

Fall Leaf Cut Out Cookies

Pumpkin French Toast

Pumpkin Dirt Cups

 Harvest Puppy Chow Recipe