Chunky Monkey Muddy Buddies

I just cannot get how you people are so anxious to jump into the fall season!

Rocky Road Muddy Buddies

When I like something, I crazy like it.

Cinnamon Roll Muddy Buddies

Have you seen Mallow & Co.? It's a whole site dedicated to rice krispy treats.

Seriously. The whole site is krispy treats! BTS, Mojito, Blueberry Muffin, Strawberry Pretzel Salad, a ton of krispy treats!

Patriotic Red Velvet Cream Cheese Muddy Buddies

Have you ever thought of something, only to find out that people have already done it?

This happened to me a lot during Valentines Day last year. I even talked about it on the blog. Back then my head was sort of exploding with muddy buddy ideas.

Similar to now.

I was thinking of all the possibilities, any mix, pudding, cake, cookie, and any chocolate, could make a totally different muddy buddy!

I really wanted to make red velvet ones.

I even put it in my journal. That's serious people.

But then I found out that everyone had done it. Seriously.

So I put it off for later. Yesterday I got a serious muddy buddy craving. I was gonna make something with the cinnamon chips I got, but then I got on the computer.

Oh my gosh guys! The 4th of July is next week! So I got really bored and racked my brain for ideas.

I'm good at coming up with ideas when I have a flavor. Color combos, not so much. Then, I saw this. Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes, that got all jazzed up for the 4th.

Major duh moment! Just use red velvet and cream cheese. That already gives you the red and white part, all that's left is blue! Which can be easily solved with sprinkles, candy melts and food coloring.

So, I decided to make Red Velvet Cream Cheese Muddy Buddies. Perfect, who would think of muddy buddies at 4th of July?

I'll tell you who. Someone else before me! Sigh. Being a dessert blogger isn't easy.

Buuuut, I didn't want to have to change my mind after already buying the ingredients, so I just went with it.

I should go with it more often, dontcha' think?

So, people often try to do different flavors of muddy buddies, but they mess up. Classic muddy buddies have peanut butter in them. It gives it a certain softness that makes it really good. It doesn't allow the chocolate to ever fully harden. When people make it, they just leave it out, and you have white chocolate and something muddy buddies.

Ashton from Something Swanky had the idea of using frosting in place of peanut butter. It has the same soft texture! Plus it gives you a lot more flavor options. So, I figured I'd do something similar.

Most cake batter muddy buddies have the cake mix added with the powdered sugar. I did that too, but for an extra flavor boost I put some in with the white chocolate. I was thinking about using a red velvet bark in place of white chocolate and then thought, why not just put some cake mix in with the frosting goop?

It makes it look sort of pink, but it doesn't really matter because it all get's covered up with cake mix and powdered sugar.

Frosting muddy buddies have a different texture/flavor than normal ones. They're really sweet, I'd probably add a pinch of salt next time, and they're really soft. Normal ones are crunchy/soft. These ones are soft. These are chewier in a way. It's like chewy and soft got morphed together. I like normal muddy buddies when they're still warm, but these ones tasted a lot better the next day. The flavors blend and complement each other better, and it's crunchier, but with a soft texture. It's kind of hard to describe, but it's cool.

Really cool.

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Muddy Buddies
Muddy buddies get a new twist in this delicious patriotic treat! In place of peanut butter is cream cheese frosting, which then get's smothered in a red velvet powdered sugar mixture. The result is a soft sweet treat that you can't resist!
Prep Time: 10 min.   Total Time:10 min.   Serves: 6
Ingredients:

• 4 1/3 cup chex cereal
• 1/2 cup white chocolate
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup cream cheese frosting
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon red velvet cake mix
• 1/2 cup red velvet cake mix
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Measure the chex and pour into a large bowl. 
2. Microwave white chocolate, butter, and frosting. Take out and stir about every 20 seconds. After 1 minute, add vanilla and 1/2 tsp red velvet cake mix. Stir, and microwave until smooth. 
3. Pour frosting mixture over the cereal. Mix it until coated in the mixture. 
4. Pour powdered sugar and 1/2 cup cake mix into a gallon size zip-loc bag. Seal and shake together until mixed. 
5. Use a large spoon to scoop the cereal into the bag. Seal the bag and shake until coated. 
6. Serve. This is good at any stage, but I prefer it the next day when the flavors sort of blend and it get's crunchier. 

Notes:
*if you want the patriotic version of this, follow all of the directions. Divide the muddy buddies in half and add a lot more powdered sugar to one. This will make it white. Roughly toss the white and the red together, then drizzle with blue candy melts
*you really just need 1/2 cup cake mix, and 1/2 tsp cake mix. There really is only 7 ingredients, not 8, I just added that for clarification.
*these are really sweet, you can add a pinch of salt to the white chocolate to tone it down a little
*I used canned frosting because it's a little smoother and easier to melt, but you can use homemade if you want.  

 These muddy buddies are different than the original. I like them both equally, but in different ways. 

The red velvet has almost a salty/sweet taste because sometimes the cream cheese shines through. 

The original is crunchier, but the red velvet is chewier/softer. It literally melts in your mouth. They both have a lot going for them, and I really recommend trying this version, it's super yummy. 

So, I have 2 title photos. They just both looked so good! Feel free to pin either one (or both, or all of them, I'm good!)

Root Beer Muddy Buddies

Guys. I have a secret. A dark, dirty secret.

Are you ready?

I don't like soda that much.

It's just too fizzy and sweet, and it makes me burp and hiccup. And hiccups are like the black plague. Seriously. And when I burp, I burp loud. Which is sort of rude and embarrassing, not to mention that I can sort of feel the root beer gas coming through my nose. Gross.

But, I do like some sodas.  Hope is still there!

Want to know the sodas I like?

There's two. And I'm super picky about one of them.

They are . . . (drumroll please) tiki punch and orange soda.

Tiki punch is made by the Shasta company. It's basically carbonated fruit punch, and I LOVE it! It's super yummy, I'd almost go as far to say that I'm addicted.

I'm very picky about my orange soda. No Fanta or Sunkist, I only like the kind found in WalMart. And it cannot be the Walmart Great Value brand (do they even make soda?). Just a normal boring kind from Walmart. Or the Dollar Store.

That being said, I'm not a huge fan of root beer. But one way that I like root beer?

Muddy buddy form.

Root Beer Muddy Buddies
Muddy buddies that taste just like root beer.

Serving: 10     Prep Time: 10 min.      Total Time: 10 min.

Ingredients:

• 9 cups Rice Chex Cereal
• 1 cup white melting chocolate
• 1/2 cup Duncan Hines Frosting Creations frosting
• 1 teaspoon root beer extract
• 1/2 teaspoon root beer
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2  cup powdered sugar 

Directions: 

1.  Add root beer and extract to frosting. Mix until totally combined
2. In a large mixing bowl, microwave the white chocolate and the frosting for 1 minute, add the vanilla. Mix together until smooth.
3. Pour the cereal and chocolate mixture into the bowl, and use a large rubber spatula to mix the cereal until it's coated in the chocolate mixture.
4. Pour the powdered sugar into a gallon sized zip top bag. Use a large spoon (or whatever method works for you) to scoop the cereal into the bag. Seal the bag and shake until the cereal is coated in the powdered mixture.

Notes: This is delicious at all stages, but I think it tastes best eaten within the first two days. Some people have trouble fitting all the cereal into the bag. It's always fine with me, but if you have this issue do half the cereal at a time.

Hugely Adapted from Something Swanky


This is super good, and not to mention easy! It reminds me of a root beer float that didn't get enough ice cream, which always bugs me, but in muddy buddy form it's actually pretty good!

I edited some photos by Two Peas and Their Pod. I made them say root beer muddy buddies at the bottom for my own purposes. This post is just a shout out to Maria and her delicious Chocolate Coconut Chex Mix. Thanks for the delicious recipe Maria! Everyone, go check it out! Because this post is all about Maria! Because while it looks like it's about the newest version of muddy buddies , it's really all about honoring our fellow blogger and friend Maria. Keep up the good work Maria! You are a great example of blogging and I just wanted to dedicate this post to you. That is why I wrote this post. I just wrote about the muddy buddies for fun, because really, this is all about you. This post is for you. The sauce is just a nice little addition, like a present for you. The whole purpose of me writing this is to honor you. Not the muddy buddies. Because this is all about you. The whole reason of my blog is so I can honor bloggers like you. I do the recipes just to attract people here so they can see what a truly amazing personality you have. I hope you aren't angry that I edited your photos. The only reason I did it is so that I can compare the differences between our recipes and show that even though we're different, we're both awesome. Again, I hope you're not angry that I honored you like this. That is why I edited your photo, to honor you and show how cool you are. I hope I can grow up and make as many cool things as you.Once again, if you are offended by me editing your photos, well think of it like this. This is just a shout out to you, like many bloggers do with their friends at the bottom of their posts.  

Now here's a question: What time is it? Before & After Time!

Here's Maria's                                                         


and mine

Butter Pecan Muddy Buddies

I love cake mixes.

But I never make cakes with them. Because I always feel like they're too dry.

No, I like making other stuff with cake mixes. Especially cake mix cookies. And muddy buddies.

I love easy stuff and shortcuts. If it takes too long, it's not worth it. That's how I got stuff like pudding custard, and puffy bar cakes. Because I was too impatient for the normal thing, so I made an easy version.

It's been so long since I made a real cookie recipe. I always just do cake mix cookies! I actually tried a real cookie recipe yesterday and . . . it was super yummy sugar cookies. But I felt like it took along time! Because I'm so used to just throwing three ingredients in a mixer and then having the cookies five minutes from then.

Homemade sugar cookies = okay, measure sugar. add flour. There's no flour! Run downstairs and scoop flour out of a big bucket. add salt. There's no measuring spoons except for the lame black ones that don't tell you what measurement they are. You hope that you are adding 1/8 tsp and not a tablespoon. now it's time to add the baking soda. there is no baking soda in sight. You frantically search the cupboards for it, but there is none in sight. So you have to run all the way down the stairs and look in your food storage room for it. Then you have to go back up the stairs, open the box, go through the whole teaspoon thing again. And then when the cookies are baking you burn the second batch.

See how much easier it is to just do cake mix cookies?

Cake mix cookies = grab cake mix. open cake mix. crack two eggs. add butter. stir at high speeds on a kitchenaid. plop onto sheet. wait ten minutes. eat. the end.

I think the easiness might be why I love muddy buddies so much. Who has time to make a cheesecake? Just make muddy buddies, and they're just as good.

I love all muddy buddies, but I think I love these ones just a liiitle bit more.

Sorry?

Butter Pecan Muddy Buddies
 Muddy buddies that just got sophisticated and glamorous. Made with pecan butter, butter pecan cake mix and pecans, these are made for movie stars. Or even just your everyday muddy buddy addict.

Serves: 12    Prep Time: 20 min   Total Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

• 9 cups Rice Chex Cereal
• 1 cup white melting chocolate
• 1/2 cup pecan butter (you can buy it, or use this recipe)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cups butter pecan cake mix
• 1 cup roughly chopped or whole pecans

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, microwave the white chocolate and the pecan butter for 1 minute, add the vanilla. Mix together until smooth.
2. Pour the cereal and pecans into the bowl, and use a large rubber spatula to mix the cereal and pecans until they're coated in the chocolate mixture.
3. Pour the cake mix and powdered sugar into a gallon sized zip top bag. Seal and shake together until mixed.
4. Use a large spoon (or whatever method works for you) to scoop the cereal into the bag. Seal the bag and shake until the cereal is coated in the powdered mixture.

Notes : Pecan butter from the store is really expensive, it's so much cheaper and yummier to make your own! I like Summer's recipe. Some people have trouble fitting the cereal all into the bag at one time. I can usually get it all in, but you can do it in half batches if you need to. Muddy buddies are good at all stages, but usually taste best within the first two days.


So these have pecan butter in them. They're all fancy. I hear that's what movie stars eat, shh don't tell.

So if you want to be a fancy glamorous person without making a souffle, these muddy buddies are for you.

I edited some photos by Something Swanky. I made them say Butter Pecan Muddy Buddies at the bottom for my own purposes. This post is just a shout out to Ashton and her delicious cream cheese carrot cake muddy buddies. Thanks for the delicious recipe Ashton (and the great tip that you can use frosting instead of peanut butter)! Everyone, go check it out! Because this post is all about Ashton! Because while it looks like it's about the a super delicious muddy buddy recipe (fancy with no effort!), it's really all about honoring our fellow blogger and friend Ashton. Keep up the good work Ashton! You are a great example of blogging and I just wanted to dedicate this post to you. That is why I wrote this post. I just wrote about the muddy buddies for fun, because really, this is all about you. This post is for you. The muddy buddies are just a nice little addition, like a present for you. The whole purpose of me writing this is to honor you. Not the muddy buddies. Because this is all about you. The whole reason of my blog is so I can honor bloggers like you. I do the recipes just to attract people here so they can see what a truly amazing personality you have. I hope you aren't angry that I edited your photos. The only reason I did it is so that I can compare the differences between our recipes and show that even though we're different, we're both awesome. Again, I hope you're not angry that I honored you like this. That is why I edited your photo, to honor you and show how cool you are. I hope I can grow up and make as many cool things as you.Once again, if you are offended by me editing your photos, well think of it like this. This is just a shout out to you, like many bloggers do with their friends at the bottom of their posts. I've even seen you doing it! I just thought it was so sweet of you, and wanted to return the favor!


So, of course you guys want to see the before and after photos, right?
Here's Ashton's                                   And mine
 

Both look awesome, right? Anyways, go make these muddy buddies. Fast! You can enjoy eating them and all their buttery goodness, and still act like you're a fancy rich person!

Savannah Smiles Muddy Buddies

So. The walk-a-thon this year was a huge failure.

Ginormous flop.

Tremendous disaster.

It just didn't work. Only 1/10 of the entire student body donated anything.

But, of course, no one cares about that part of it except for the school.

I mean the walking part.

It had been really nice the day before, sunny skies and all that. And then on the day of the walk-a-thon, the weather forecast predicted rain.

When we first started walking, it was super windy. So windy that my hair flew in my face and got stuck to my lip gloss. So windy and freezing that the hand not cozily nestled in my pocket was getting numb from holding the water bottle.

There were brief moments when the wind would go away and it would be okay, but like I said, very brief.

I was on my third lap when it started hailing.

Seriously. Hailing. During the walk-a-thon when most kids are just wearing a shirt.

Anyways, the whole experience just stunk.

To get rid of the bad memories, I came home and made muddy buddies.

GS style of course.

Savannah Smiles Muddy Buddies
Chex mix slathered in a lemon frosting white chocolate mixture, doused with powdered sugar and sprinkled with Savannah Smiles GS cookies, these muddy buddies are sure to bring a lemony smile to all who eat them.
Ingredients:

• 9 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 1 1/4 cup white vanilla baking chips
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 4 tsp grated lemon peel
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup roughly chopped Savannah Smiles GS cookies

Directions: Measure cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside.  In a microwaveable bowl, microwave chips, butter, lemon peel and juice uncovered on high for 1 minute; stir.  Microwave about 30 more seconds or until mixture can be stirred smooth.  Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.  Pour into a 2-gallon resealable food storage plastic bag.  Add powdered sugar and cookies, seal bag and shake until all the cereal is well-coated.

Notes: This recipe is actually SS flavored. It's not just muddy buddies with SS thrown in, it actually tastes like them, because SS's flavor combo is powdered sugar and lemon.
 

I was dying to come up with a new girl scout muddy buddy after the samoas one (cookie sales are still in full swing here in my town).

Savannah Smiles was the obvious choice, because it's covered in powdered sugar. I love having flavors where you don't have to use the actual cookie.

This is Savannah Smile flavored because it's a lemon base covered with powdered sugar.

Just like Savannah Smiles.

I edited some photos by Apple a Day. I made them say Savannah Smile Muddy Buddies at the bottom for my own purposes. This post is just a shout out to Kelsey and her delicious Lemon Buddies.  Thanks for the delicious recipe Kelsey! Everyone, go check it out! Because this post is all about Kelsey! Because while it looks like it's about a delicious muddy buddies recipe, it's really all about honoring our fellow blogger and friend Kelsey. Keep up the good work Kelsey! You are a great example of blogging and I just wanted to dedicate this post to you. That is why I wrote this post. I just wrote about the muddy buddies for fun, because really, this is all about you. This post is for you. The muddy buddies are just a nice little addition, like a present for you. The whole purpose of me writing this is to honor you. Not the muddy buddies. Because this is all about you.

Go say hi to Kelsey for me!

Cake Donuts Muddy Buddies

Have you ever been sort of obsessed with something?

No matter how hard you try to think of something else, that one idea keeps coming back and nagging you?

That's exactly what's happening with me.

With muddy buddies.

I'll be sitting in PreAlgebra, looking out the window into the field, seeing the gym kids doing track stuff, which I know is torture, but at the moment looks so much better than being here.

In PreAlgebra.

With the teacher droning on and on about does everyone understand isoceles and that to find the value of x you first have to divide y by 37?

And while I'm looking out the window, my mind will wander to puppy chow.

This is seriously one of the worst things to be obsessed with.

As a food blogger at least.

Because a regular person would just go home and make some muddy buddies, and then it would be over.

A dessert blogger is trying to think of a new kind of muddy buddy.

Which would be totally fine, but muddy buddies are so hard to come up with new flavors.

There's always one roadblock, either with the chocolate or with the spread

(Muddy buddies have 3 key factors that cannot be left out, some type of spread like peanut butter, and some kind of chocolate, like peanut butter chips)

I'll be able to come up with a good chocolate, but then I'll get stuck at the spread idea.

Ashton has come up with a new way to get out of this, frosting. 

Instead of a spread, use frosting. Exact same consistency and result with a lot more flavors.

But, there's only so many frostings a girl can have.

See, I've had this idea for a while.

I'd think, oh, I'll do chocolate chips for the chocolate covered donuts, the powdered sugar that goes with all muddy buddies for the powdered donuts, but what on earth will I use for a spread?

I presented my mom with this problem and she said . . .

"Just put some donut crumbs in a can of frosting."

Of course!

How could I not think of that?

Oh well, I'm glad she did.


Cake Donut Muddy Buddies
Chex mix covered with chocolate for chocolate covered cake donuts, a frosting with donut crumbs, and powdered sugar on top for powdered cake donuts.
Ingredients:

• 9 cups Rice Chex Cereal
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup canned frosting (I used DuncanHines frosting starter)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup donut crumbs
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
• 1/2 cup yellow cake mix

Directions: Combine crumbs and nutmeg with frosting. In a large mixing bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and the frosting for 1 minute. Mix together until smooth.
Pour the cereal into the bowl, and use a large rubber spatula to mix the cereal until it's coated in the chocolate mixture. Pour the cake mix and powdered sugar into a gallon sized zip top bag. Seal and shake together until mixed.
Use a large spoon (or whatever method works for you) to scoop the cereal into the bag. You can work with half of the batch at a time, but I can usually fit all of it into the bag. Seal the bag and shake until the cereal is coated in the powdered mixture. Serve

Notes: The Duncan Hines Frosting Starter is really good for this because it's not overly vanilla. This can be served at any stage, immediately, days later, it doesn't really matter!


(This is just a random picture of powdered donuts used to separate the recipe from the rest of the post.)

My mom said that cake donuts have sort of a nutmeg taste. I wasn't sure, but I added some just for fun. The yellow cake mix is for an extra boost of cake flavor.

Either way, these are some of the best muddy buddies I've ever had.

I edited some photos by Nikki @ Chef in Training. I made them say Cake Donut Muddy Buddies for my own purposes. This post is just a shout out to Nikki and her delicious Chocolate Covered Strawberry Muddy Buddies.  Thanks for the delicious recipe Nikki! Everyone, go check it out! Because this post is all about Nikki!

Samoas Muddy Buddies

Something very bad has happened.

The girl scouts have vanished.

Right in the middle of cookie season.

What! you gasp. But, why, that's just horrible! Secret Baker, how did this happen?

You are right dear readers. This is horrible. Catastrophic really. They have vanished from my town. My state practically. I know this because . . .

There are no girl scouts. Anywhere. No little girls dressed up in uniforms standing in front of Walmart with their pleading puppy dog faces selling cookies.

I have come up with a very realistic solution of how this happened.

One day little Girl Scout Suzy Mae hit's jackpot for cookie selling.


She proceeded to go every year. But one year, she was late. The cookie monster was going into a deprived GS cookie frenzy. As soon as she knocked on his door he burst out, running to the wagon of cookies. He proceeded to eat all of them. The worst part of this is that he was so hungry, he ate every single one. He even ran all the way to the girl scout cookie making people and ate all of those too. He ate all of the ingredients (and then proceeded to jump around and suntan, which is the cookie monster equivalent of mixing ingredients and baking them) so there was nothing left to make cookies with. The girl scout troop just got so sad they decided to leave them gem state and go to Hawaii. They were never seen again.

And that is why I do not have girl scout cookies. But, that doesn't matter, because I went to Walmart! 
Because they have cookies that they make that are pretty darn close to Samoas.

So, Walmart is good in that area (I realize that they are not good in a lot of other areas, but you have to give them credit for having fake GS cookies).

So, I love Samoas (any GS cookie for that matter). And I love muddy buddies.

The two just kind of met, and when they met, it was awesome. Truly awesome Samoas Muddy Buddies.

Samoas Muddy Buddies
Chex mix covered with chocolate and caramel, with toasted coconut and chopped samoas all coated with powdered sugar makes a fun spin on puppy chow.
Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups Corn Chex
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup melted caramel (it works better chilled)
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cups powdered sugar 
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped Samoas

Directions:  Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, caramel and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal and samoas, stirring until evenly coated. Add coconut. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
These are so so soooo good. I love muddy buddies of all kinds, they're just so fun to snack on, but these ones are over the top. With the crunchy chex, the gooey caramel, the and then the whole thing tossed in powdered sugar, you can't just have one bite.

Photo Credit: I edited The Vegan Menu's Vegan Muddy Buddy photos.