Almond Joy Puppy Chow (GF and Vegan Option)

3/5/19

This puppy chow recipe adds the flavors you love in an Almond Joy candy bar to a classic muddy buddies recipe. This almond butter puppy chow is peanut-free and gluten-free, with a vegan option!

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Almond butter puppy chow with Chex cereal and almonds covered in chocolate and coconut is a sweet no-bake snack that tastes just like an Almond Joy. This recipe for puppy chow combines the chocolate, almond and coconut flavors of the popular candy bar with the flavors in a classic muddy buddies recipe. In fact, this Almond Joy Puppy Chow covered in chocolate and coconut is one of the best gluten-free no-bake dessert recipes you can make!

I like to convince myself that my friends and I were actually really cool in middle school and that it was everybody else who, well, just wasn’t.  So they just could not comprehend and appreciate our level of coolness.  As adults, not much has changed, except now our get-togethers are less frequent (the last one was five years ago – we can’t let that happen again) and involve alcoholic beverages. Yes, we were your typical goody-two-shoes – no bending the rules.  Our strongest drink back then was probably Dr. Pepper.

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One thing that has changed is our selection of food.  When we were kids, our party snacks of choice were Bugles, Cheetos, and Onion Dip.  We may not have matured all that much, but our snacks have gotten a bit more sophisticated.

Potato skins, Buffalo chicken dip, chocolate-covered cheesecake strawberries, and Almond Joy puppy chow!

This almond butter Puppy Chow recipe makes one of my favorite muddy buddies flavors!

Almond Joy Puppy Chow!

a.k.a. Coconut Chocolate Almond Butter Puppy Chow

a.k.a. Insane Chocolaty Nutty Goodness

This puppy chow recipe is addictive, and I mean, seriously addictive.  But I managed to control myself at the party and then proceeded to devour a lot of the leftovers in the car on the ride home. Sorry, oops, that never happened.

How do you make Muddy Buddies without peanut butter?

Some emails from CKC readers ask if you can make muddy buddies without peanut butter. The answer is YES, yes you can! For this recipe, I simply swapped the peanut butter for almond butter.

I love the combination of chocolate, almond, and coconut, like in this Flourless Almond Joy Cookie Dough Ball. So if you want your almond butter puppy chow to taste like an Almond Joy Candy Bar, there are just a few simple swaps from the classic recipe:

• As I mentioned, swap peanut butter for almond butter.
• Replace butter with coconut oil.
• Use almonds in place of some of the Chex cereal.
• And finally, pulse some coconut in a blender or food processor and combine that with the powdered sugar for coating the chocolate snacks.

FYI – since we were a small group and there were going to be a few desserts, I actually only made up a half batch of the puppy chow recipe, but the full amounts are shown in the recipe here. So you can definitely cut the recipe in half if you don’t want to make so much.

Can you make gluten-free muddy buddies without peanut butter?

Since several varieties of Chex are gluten-free, this is an easy sweet treat for anyone who has to avoid gluten.  And if you have a peanut allergy, you’ll be happy to know that these are muddy buddies without peanut butter; we make the puppy chow with almond butter instead!

If you want to make a recipe for puppy chow that is vegan, that is an option too.  Just make sure to use gluten-free and/or vegan chocolate chips, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.

If you like this recipe for puppy chow, here are other muddy buddies / puppy chow recipes to try:

• Chai Tea White Chocolate Puppy Chow
• Key Lime Pie Puppy Chow
• Frosted Animal Cookie Muddy Buddies (recipe on Inside BruCrew Life)

And if that isn’t enough, there are even more fun Puppy Chow recipes. In fact, there are over 30 of them!

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Almond Joy Puppy Chow Recipe

Whether you want to call this a recipe for puppy chow, muddy buddies, or something else, the most important thing to do is make it. Because seriously, let’s face the facts; it’s pretty difficult to eat this delicious no bake snack it if you don’t make it first. But it won’t be difficult to make the entire bowl disappear in no time. That classic peanut butter chocolate Chex snack mix is already irresistible. Now add almond and coconut flavors, just like that Almond Joy Candy Bar, and just try to keep your hands away. With almond butter and almonds plus coconut oil and coconut, there is no shortage of deliciousness.

I hope you’ll leave a comment and give it a FIVE STAR rating or share a photo on this pin on Pinterest!

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5 from 2 votes

Almond Joy Puppy Chow (GF and Vegan Option)

This puppy chow recipe adds the flavors you love in an Almond Joy candy bar to a classic muddy buddies recipe. This almond butter puppy chow is peanut-free and gluten-free, with a vegan option!

Prep Time10 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Snacks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: almond butter puppy chow, gluten free snacks, muddy buddies, no bake snacks, puppy chow recipe

Servings: 16

Calories: 339kcal

Author: Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Ingredients

• 1 c powdered sugar
• 1 c shredded sweetened coconut flakes
• 8 c Chex any variety, or a combination
• 2 c unsalted almonds
• 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips use vegan and/or gluten-free chocolate chips, if needed
• 1/2 c almond butter
• 4 T coconut oil* see note below
• 1 t vanilla extract

Instructions

• In a food processor or Magic Bullet, combine the powdered sugar and coconut, and chop until the mixture is mostly a powder.
• Place the sugar-coconut mixture in a large plastic storage bag.
• Combine the Chex and almonds in a large bowl, and set aside.
• Combine the chocolate chips, almond butter, and coconut oil in a medium bowl and microwave on High for 1 minute (or melt on the stove over low heat, preferably in a double boiler).
• Stir until completely melted, then stir in the vanilla extract.
• Pour the chocolate mixture over the Chex and almonds, and stir until the cereal is completely coated.
• Dump the mixture into the bag with the sugar and coconut, seal,and toss until the cereal and almonds are evenly coated.
• Pour onto wax paper to cool and dry. Stir in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

*If you don't have coconut oil, you can use butter, and maybe a little coconut extract for that additional coconut flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 266mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 5.1% | Vitamin C: 3.6% | Calcium: 12.1% | Iron: 33.7%

This almond butter puppy chow recipe was adapted from Chex Muddy Buddies.

Enjoy! Originally published on May 30, 2012.