Muddy Buddies. Puppy Chow. I’ve heard it called both, but I’ve always known this type of treat to be called Muddy Buddies, so that’s what I’m sticking with. Either way, this has always been one of my favorite treats. I particularly love making it this time of year, and I think it’s great to put in a festive tin and give as a gift. Seeing as I have been guilty of indulging in more of this stuff than I probably should, I wanted to come up with a healthier way to make it. The original recipe calls for melted butter and lots of powdered sugar, and while it’s delicious, I knew I could make it with more “waist-friendly” ingredients, so I gave it a whirl.
What’s fun about this recipe is that it uses protein powder in the place of powdered sugar, so the flavor possibilities are really endless. My new favorite brand of protein is the PEScience brand, and for this batch I used their peppermint bark flavor. I believe that one can be tough to find this time of year, so feel free to try it with your favorite vanilla flavored protein powder. This brand makes a ton of great flavors, and I think the snickerdoodle or chocolate peanut butter cup powders would also taste amazing here. Whichever route you go, you won’t be disappointed.
Protein Muddy Buddies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup of enjoy life chocolate chips or your favorite semisweet morsels
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 1.5 Tbs coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4.5 cups rice or corn flavored Chex cereal
- 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder or your favorite flavor. I used peppermint bark here
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
- In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the peanut butter, chocolate chips, honey, and coconut oil. Melt by microwaving at 50% power for 20 second intervals, stirring each time until melted and combined.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add in the Chex cereal and gently stir until it is well coated with the chocolate peanut butter coating.
- Add the mixture to a large ziplock bag, and pour in your 2 scoops of protein powder. Seal the bag and shake well until the cereal is evenly coated with protein.
- Store in an air tight container and enjoy!
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