Step aside Peanut Butter & Chocolate Muddy Buddies; these Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies are insanely tasty! This rich, chocolate-y, and cookie-crumb-covered snack mix tastes just like one of America’s favorite cookies — Oreos!
Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies
This Puppy Chow recipe is such a beloved snack recipe on this site! The most common question I’m asked is “What can I use instead of peanut butter or how can they be made nut-free?” I totally get it! My brother is severely allergic to peanuts, so we certainly couldn’t enjoy these treats growing up. (Don’t worry, I made up for any missed batches my freshman year of college, ha!)
So I finally have a solution: Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies! These may even trump the peanut butter version; we can’t get enough of this snack mix at my home! It’s ridiculously sweet, super crunchy, and totally reminiscent of Oreo® cookies.
Chocolate Notes
- Use high-quality chocolate chips for a better melt and a richer flavor. My favorites are Ghirardelli® or Guittard® (not sponsored).
- Microwave the chocolate chips in sturdy, microwave–safe (glass) bowls, rather than plastic or melamine. Melt the chocolate slowly — if it’s overheated, it may turn cloudy and sticky. Going slowly and gradually is the best way to prevent ruined chocolate!
- Control the sweetness. These Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies are very sweet and rich. If you’d prefer a less-sweet mix, use semi-sweet or dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate and leave off the chocolate chip and mini Oreo toppings.
- Work quickly. White chocolate sets very quickly, so when adding the toppings to these muddy buddies, sprinkle them on quickly and press them gently into the mix so they harden and set to the white chocolate.
Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies Tips
- Use a high-powered blender or food processor to crush the Oreos. You can also add the Oreos to a large plastic bag (or two; sometimes the cookies rip through plastic bags as they’re crushed), seal the bag without air in it, and then crush with a rolling pin or meat mallet until fine crumbs are formed.
- While you can certainly use a piping bag and small tip to pipe the melted chocolate onto the mix, you don’t need any special tools. I transfer the melted white chocolate to a small sandwich-sized plastic bag. (See “quick tip” below.)
- Line the sheet pan with parchment paper, a Silpat® liner, or even foil before transferring the Muddy Buddies from bowl to tray. If the tray is unlined, it will be nearly impossible to get this snack mix out nicely!
Quick Tip
Grab a sandwich-sized plastic bag and place in a tall cup. Fold the top of the bag over the edges of the cup and spoon in the melted white chocolate. Once filled, pull the bag out of the cup, squeeze excess air out, and seal the bag. Press the melted chocolate into the lowest corner of the bag and snip off a small corner from the bag. Squeeze to drizzle the chocolate out and over the muddy buddies.
Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies Toppings
The mini Oreos and chocolate chips you see garnishing these Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies are tasty and fun, but completely optional.
- If adding either addition, work quickly to press the toppings into the white chocolate before it sets.
- If you don’t like the idea of large chocolate chips, but want the additional chocolate topping, use miniature chocolate chips instead.
- The miniature Oreos further enhance the cookies and cream flavor, but if you’d prefer these to be even smaller, give them a quick coarse chop before topping the mix.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container or gallon size bag in a cool, dry place; best enjoyed within 2-3 days, but can last up to a week.
- For freezing, use a freezer-safe container or bag, remove extra air, and freeze for up to 2 months.
More Delicious Treats
- Oreo Balls covered in chocolate
- Tiger Butter Fudge only four ingredients
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Snack Mix with mini Reese’s cups
- Avalanche Cookies no baking required!
- Oreo Ice Cream Cake only five ingredients
Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies
Ingredients
- 6 cups Rice Chex cereal
- 16 regular Oreos cookies (185g)
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips (or use semi-sweet for a less sweet mix)
- 3 teaspoons coconut oil (or vegetable/canola oil works), divided
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Optional Toppings
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (mini or regular-sized)
- 1/2 cup mini Oreo cookies
Instructions
- PREP: Line a very large (15x21-inch) sheet pan (or 2 smaller sheet pans) with parchment paper or foil. Set aside. Measure out the Rice Chex cereal and add to a very large bowl.
- CRUSH OREOS: Add the 16 Oreos to a high-powered blender or food processor (don't remove the cream filling-- just add in the whole cookies). Blend or pulse until they are all in crumbs. Measure out 1 level cup of crumbs (135g) and set aside the rest of the crumbs for later.
- MELTED CHOCOLATE AND OREOS: Add milk chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons coconut oil to a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in bursts of 20 seconds, stirring in between each burst for 20 seconds, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Add the 1 cup of crushed Oreos to the completely melted chocolate and stir until combined. Pour chocolate and Oreo mix in the bowl with the cereal. Use a spatula to scrape every bit of chocolate into the cereal. Gently stir the cereal until well coated in the chocolate and Oreo mix. Once well coated, transfer the cereal to the prepared pan(s) in one even layer.
- MELT WHITE CHOCOLATE: Add the white chocolate chips and remaining 1 teaspoon coconut oil to a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in bursts of 20 seconds, stirring in between each burst for 20 seconds, until white chocolate is melted and smooth. Line a cup with a resealable plastic bag and pour the melted chocolate into the bag. Seal the bag with no air in it and cut off the tip of the bag. Pipe the white chocolate generously over the chocolate-coated cereal until you've used all the white chocolate.
- TOPPINGS: Working quickly (white chocolate hardens fast!) sprinkle on the optional chocolate chips and mini Oreo cookies. Sprinkle the reserved remaining cookie crumbs over the mix. Let the mix harden at room temperature until set, about 1 hour (speed this up by refrigerating the tray for 20 minutes). Break the snack mix apart and enjoy! This mix is best enjoyed within 2 days.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
