Puppy Chow Cheese Ball

Whether you call it Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies, this Puppy Chow Cheese Ball is for you! Cream cheese, chocolate, and crunchy Chex cereal!!

Puppy Chow Cheese Ball

You know you’ve come to the right place for party foods when you find more than one variation on a cheese ball recipe!

I love taking a classic recipe and changing it up just a bit to create something that will make people do a double-take and then proceed to hang out around the dish, guarding it, and making sure no one else eats any 🙂

Some of my fave variations on a traditional cheese ball recipe are my:

• Mexican Cheese Ball
• Dirty Martini Cheese Ball
• Honey Mustard Cheese Ball with Pickled Mustard Seeds
• Summer Sausage Cheese Ball

But have you had a sweet version of a cheese ball? What about your favorite dessert turned into a cheese ball?

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Read my disclosure policy.

Making sweet versions of a cheese ball is just as fun! These sweet cheese balls versions have wowed:

• Cannoli Cheese Ball
• Italian Cream Cake Cheese Ball
• Breakfast Cheese Ball

All this experimenting led me to this latest sweet cheese ball variation: Puppy Chow!

What is puppy chow?

Also known as Muddy Buddies, Puppy Chow is a sweet snack mix consisting of Chex cereal that has been coated with chocolate and peanut butter then tossed in powdered sugar.

It got its name because it looks like puppy chow food that you feed the dog but it is so much better than eating actual dog food!

What could be better than crispy squares, covered in chocolate and peanut butter? Oh yeah, tossing them in powdered sugar to keep the chocolate and peanut butter from melting.

Now we are talking super healthy snacking! NOT!

Variations on Puppy Chow Recipes

Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies is like any other snack mix in that you can add or take away any ingredient to customize it to your specific tastes.

A few of my favorite variations on traditional Puppy Chow Mixes are:

• Coconut Puppy Chow
• Cake Batter Puppy Chow
• Caramel Crispix Snack Mix
• Muddy Buddy Bars

Even after seeing all these different versions, I still haven’t seen a Puppy Chow Cheese Ball! So let me introduce you to one! VIOLA!

For more insider tips & tricks, and a candid behind the scenes look follow me on social media! Check use out on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter (yes, people still use Twitter, LOL!)

How to Make a Puppy Chow Cheese Ball

The Puppy Chow Cheese Ball delivers everything you love about Puppy Chow but in a neat round ball that looks great at a party instead of reaching your hand into a plastic bag and pulling out a handful of Puppy Chow Snack

Mix along with your hand now covered in melted chocolate and powdered sugar.  MESSY!

The puppy chow cheese ball starts with the cream cheese powdered sugar base that is the start of most sweet cheese ball recipes. 

To make sure the chocolate is on point I add instant chocolate pudding mix, just the powder not prepared with milk, and get it fully incorporated into the cream cheese base. 

The addition of creamy peanut butter smooths it all out and gives it the balance you like in the snack mix.  A hint of vanilla and salt complete the flavor profile.

But what about the crunch from the Chex cereal?  Crushed cereal is folded into the cheese ball mix along with a little more chocolate in the form of mini chips to add the crunchy texture that you love about Puppy Chow. 

At this point, you can wrap up the Puppy Chow Cheese Ball and store in the fridge for a few days and dress it up when you are ready to serve it.

In terms of dressing up, this just means I unwrap the chilled Puppy Chow Cheese Ball and roll it in the remaining crushed cereal and powdered sugar to give it a nice clean look. 

I like to serve the Puppy Chow Cheese Ball with salted waffle pretzels for the extra hint of salt and a nice large surface on which to spread the cheese ball!

If Puppy Chow is your snack of choice, next time switch it up with a Puppy Chow Cheese Ball instead!

Creamy peanut butter, chocolate pudding, and crispy chocolate Chex cereal are reimagined into the Puppy Chow Cheese Ball. Enjoy your favorite Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddy Snack Mix but in a new shape!

©TakeTwoTapas.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.