Chex Mix Muddy Buddies Go Cookies and Cream

The Guilty Pleasure: Chex Mix Muddy Buddies Cookies and Cream
Where to Get It: Grocery Stores
Price: $2.98
What it Really Costs: A trip back to memory lane, longing for snack time at school (and probably some cavities)

If you’ve never eaten Muddy Buddies (or Puppy Chow or any other name for it) before, we feel deeply sorry for you.

The recipe is simple, and it’s been executed in American mothers' kitchens for far longer than it’s been available in a neatly packaged bag. To make it, you take some Chex (preferably an entire box or two), pour a mixture of melted chocolate and peanut butter over them, stir it until all the pieces are coated, and then throw them in a bag with some powdered sugar. Boom, you’ve got one of the most delicious snacks known to mankind.

So, what happens when you take this after school delicacy and mix it with another favorite sugary snack in a distinctly Oreo-based flavoring? Well, it tastes exactly like you’d expect the combination of the two to taste, for better or for worse.

Rather than the chocolate and peanut butter flavor that usually accompanies the ever-so-pleasant texture of Muddy Buddies, each bite tastes primarily of cookies and cream. There was also a subtle hint of something a little more savory, perhaps the peanut butter as used in normal Muddy Buddies if it wasn’t the Chex pieces themselves. Either way, it was a welcome addition to cut into the sweetness.

As with all Muddy Buddies, the cookies and cream variety is increasingly addictive. Eventually, the only thing that can stop you from throwing more handfuls back is the bottom of the bag or dire need for water to aid against the sugar overload occurring in your mouth. The Oreo-like taste isn’t hindered by the additional sugar nor the crispness of the Chex, and it actually all works well enough together to seem more like a cookies and cream snack than just a modified version of Muddy Buddies.

While the flavor may be a little different, these Muddy Buddies still hold true to the proper texture of their old school counterparts. The key to the perfect consistency is to have just enough chewiness on the outside that it counteracts some of the harsh crunch of the Chex. Then you factor in the pleasant mouth-feel of chocolate covered in powdered sugar, and it's a textural wonderland between each bite.

Ultimately, these snacks can’t rival the original Muddy Buddies — but that’s primarily because of nostalgia and comfort. If you’re some lost soul who’s never eaten Muddy Buddies, you’ll probably think the cookies and cream ones are plenty good. For the avid fans, it’s a change of pace, but it probably won’t be replacing the OG flavor anytime soon.