Reindeer Chow

Christmas Reindeer Chow — 🎄🦌❤️ A holiday twist on classic Muddy Buddies that’s EASY, ready in 15 minutes, and perfect for hostess gifts or cookie exchanges!! Chex, chocolate, peanut butter, pretzels, M&M’s, and sprinkles make this dessert snack mix totally IRRESISTIBLE!!

Easy Recipe for Reindeer Chow 

If you need a ridiculously easy, no-bake dessert or snack for a party, Christmas cookie exchange, or just have a spur of the moment craving for chocolate and peanut butter, or a salty-and-sweet treat, this fun and festive Reindeer Chow recipe is a perfect recipe that’s ready in 15 minutes.

Reindeer Chow (aka Reindeer Food or Reindeer Mix) is a holiday twist on classic Muddy Buddies, which are made with Chex cereal, melted chocolate, and peanut butter, and tossed in confectioners’ sugar. From there I added pretzel twists, holiday sprinkles, and red and green M&M’s.

I gave nearly the entire batch to some family friends and I got a text that said, “I hate you for the Reindeer Chow because every time I walk past my kitchen, I have to have some. It’s so delicious and addicting.”

Reindeer Chow Ingredients 

What makes this recipe so wonderful (and so dangerous!) is that it comes together quickly with minimal ingredients.

To make this reindeer snack mix, you’ll need the following ingredients: 

• Semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Creamy peanut butter
• Unsalted butter
• Vanilla extract
• Salt
• Chocolate Chex
• Pretzel twists
• Powdered sugar
• Holiday M&M’s 
• Holiday sprinkles

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

How to Make Reindeer Chow

Making reindeer puppy chow at home is so simple, but the results are incredibly festive and fun! Here’s an overview of how the recipe for reindeer mix is made: 

1. Melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter on the stove.
2. Once melted, stir in the vanilla.
3. Add the Chex and pretzels to a very large bowl and pour the chocolate mixture over top.
4. Give it a good stir to disperse the chocolate mixture, then add the confectioners’ sugar.
5. Once the reindeer Chex mix has been thoroughly mixed and is coated in the confectioners’ sugar, stir in the holiday M&M’s and sprinkles. 

Recipe Variations to Try

Loaded reindeer Chex mix is so quick and easy to assemble, and you can customize the recipe so many different ways!

• Semi-sweet chocolate chips: You can use milk, white, or dark chocolate chips instead.
• Peanut butter: Can be replaced with another nut or seed butter.
• Butter: Swap with margarine or dairy-free butter if needed.
• Chocolate Chex: Any kind of Chex cereal will work.
• Pretzel twists: Can be swapped with mini pretzel sticks.
• M&M’s: Use any color you like to suit any holiday. Or, replace them with chocolate chips if you’re out of M&M’s.
• Sprinkles: Any color and shape may be used.

Recipe Video Tutorial

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4.54 from 49 votes

Reindeer Chow

By Averie Sunshine

This reindeer chow is a holiday twist on classic Muddy Buddies. EASY, ready in 15 minutes, and perfect for hostess gifts or cookie exchanges! 🎄🦌❤️

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 pounds

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ▢ ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 12.8 ounces Chocolate Chex Cereal, (other varieties of Chex may be substituted if necessary)
• ▢ 4 cups small pretzel twists, divided
• ▢ 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ▢ 1 pound Holiday M&M's
• ▢ 1 cup holiday sprinkles, or to taste

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• To a medium saucepan, add the chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter, and heat over medium-low heat to melt, stir very frequently until smooth and combined.
• Remove from the heat, add the vanilla salt, and stir to combine; set aside.
• To a very large bowl, add the Chex, 1 cup pretzels, pour the chocolate-peanut butter mixture over the top, and stir very well to combine.
• Add the confectioners’ sugar and stir to combine. At this point I recommend transferring everything into a jumbo (2.5-gallon) plastic storage bag. You can shake the sugar around easier, more effectively, and unless you have a ginormous bowl, it will become hard to accommodate the remaining ingredients.
• Add the remaining pretzels, M&M’s, sprinkles, and shake or stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Notes

Making the recipe: This reindeer snack mix recipe makes a huge quantity — about 2 pounds, although I did not weigh it. You’ve got a box of Chex, a pound of M&M’s, chocolate, peanut butter, butter, sprinkles, and pretzels, so that’s why it makes two pounds worth, but that is a lot to accommodate in one bowl.

So I recommend starting the recipe in the biggest bowl you have. Then, after adding the confectioners’ sugar, transfer everything into a jumbo (2.5-gallon) plastic storage bag. You can shake the sugar around easier, more effectively, and unless you have a ridiculously ginormous bowl, it will become hard to accommodate all the ingredients.

Sprinkles and M&M’s: If you’re not making the Reindeer Chow for Christmas, you can easily omit the holiday sprinkles and red and green M&M’s or use seasonally appropriate colors such as red and white for Valentine’s Day, pastel for Easter, and so forth.

Storage: Reindeer Chow will keep airtight at room temp for 1 month or in the fridge for at least 2 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 417kcal, Carbohydrates: 63g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 430mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 34g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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