Pink Muddy Buddies are coated in pink and white candy melts and strawberry cake mix to bring you a delicious — and festive — take on traditional Muddy Buddies.

There’s something about making festive treats for any holiday. I love making the traditional sugar cookies for Valentine’s Day, but these pink muddy buddies are just too much fun to pass up!

A plate of pink and white muddy buddies on a pink plate.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Delicious spin on muddy buddies. I love the chocolate peanut butter combo, don’t get me wrong, but I adding a unique muddy buddy flavor is always a good idea.
  • Easy to scale up. I love this recipe because it is easy to scale it up so you can make a lot to give out as gifts to friends or family. 
  • Easy Valentine’s Day treat. This recipe is super easy to make! It’s perfect for those last minute Valentine’s Day treat bags, and because they’re pink in color you can use them for a baby shower too!

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients used to make strawberry Chex mix (pink muddy buddies) on a gray background.
  • White Candy Melts: Half of the mix will be white. I prefer white candy melts over white chocolate chips because the color is much whiter and the flavor pairs well with the pink candy melts. 
  • Red/Hot Pink Candy Melts: Half of the mix will be pink! I used hot pink because I wanted a really vibrant pink color.
  • Strawberry Cake Mix: Muddy buddies are traditional coated in powdered sugar. Using the strawberry cake mix allows us to have a pink powdered like powdered sugar to get the two different colors. 
  • Colored M&M’s: You can add these for extra chocolate and fun, but they aren’t required. You can also use Valentine’s Day sprinkles, too.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Prepare the Chex cereal. Place 2½ cups of Chex cereal in a medium sized bowl and 2 ½ cups in a separate bowl. Grab 2 Ziplock bags, place the powdered sugar in one and the strawberry cake mix in another. 
  1. Prepare the candy melts. Melt the candy melts in a microwave safe bowl, stopping every 20-30 seconds to stir. Once melted, pour the chocolate into the two separate bowls of the Chex cereal. Mix until combined. 
  1. Coat the Chex cereal. Transfer the white-covered Chex cereal to the powdered sugar bag. Transfer the red/pink-covered Chex cereal to the strawberry cake mix bag. Zip close both bags and shake until the cereal is fully coated.
Pink covered muddy buddies in a ziplock bag.
  1. Add M&Ms. Let the chocolate dry and then combine the two-colored muddy buddies and add Valentine’s colored M&M’s or sprinkles!
A plate of white and pink colored muddy buddies tossed with pink, red, and white M&M candy.

Recipe Tips

Shaking to coat the Rice Chex pieces in the sugar mixture is better than mixing in a large bowl to coat them. Since the Rice Chex cereal breaks easily, shaking will do a better job at keeping the cereal pieces whole. 

You can use red velvet cake mix if you aren’t a fan of strawberry cake mix.

Let the white and pink batches of muddy buddies cool/set completely before combining. If you combine too soon, some of the color may transfer to the white Chex pieces. 

You can add more powdered sugar if you’d like. I’ve found this ratio is my favorite. For me, too much powdered sugar takes away from the flavor.

If you don’t like your muddy buddies generously coated in the cake/chocolate mixture, feel free to add more Rice Chex cereal to the mix. 

You can also use mini white chocolate chips instead of red, pink or white M&Ms. 

This is a great treat to put in little bags and give out to those you love on Valentine’s Day!

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing

Store the Valentines puppy chow in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. 

This is a perfect treat to make in advance! Make a few days before and store the strawberry Chex mix in an airtight container at room temperature. 

To freeze, store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

A close up photo of bright pink and white covered Valentine's Day Muddy Buddies.

FAQs 

Is it muddy buddies or puppy chow? 

I feel like this is a common question! There are so many names for this delicious treat. Growing up, my family called it dog food, which is a take on the commonly used puppy chow. Whatever name you call it, it’s muddy buddies, puppy chow, dog food, reindeer food, etc. if it’s Chex cereal coated in some kind of chocolate and tossed in powdered sugar.

Can I adapt pink muddy buddies for different holidays?

Definitely! Play around with different colored chocolate candy melts and different colored cake mixes to adapt this for St. Patrick’s day, Halloween, Christmas, and more!

Can I use a cake mix for the white pieces?

Sure! I’d probably try something mellow like a white cake mix or a vanilla cake mix that will pair well with the strawberry muddy buddies. If you try one of those options, leave a comment and let me know how it tastes!

What’s the difference between candy melts and chocolate chips?

Candy melts use oil instead of cocoa butter which makes it so the candy melts don’t have to be tempered. When chocolate is melted, the fat particles break down. Tempering is brining those fat particles back together, which results in a smooth chocolate consistency. 

A plate of pink and white Valentine's Day Muddy Buddies against a gray background.

More Valentine’s Day Treats

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Strawberry Chex Mix with colored M&M's in the mix.
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5 from 4 votes

Pink Muddy Buddies

This Pink Muddy Buddies recipe features white and bright pink chocolate covered chex cereal that has been tossed in powdered sugar and strawberry cake mix. Not only are the colors so fun and festive but the strawberries and cream flavors will surely become a new favorite of yours! You can wrap these in celophane bags and tie it off with ribbon as a cute love day gift.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 13 minutes
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup white candy melts - about 6 oz
  • 1 cup hot pink candy melts - can use red color candy melts, about 6 oz
  • 5 cups Rice Chex cereal - divided
  • 1/2 cup strawberry cake mix - dry
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • colored M&M's - optional

Instructions
 

  • Divide the Chex mix in half. Place 2 ½ cups in a medium sized bowl, and place 2 ½ cups in another medium sized bowl. 
  • Grab 2 gallon-sized Ziplock bags, place the powdered sugar in one and the strawberry cake mix in another. 
  • Melt the white candy melts in a microwave safe bowl, stopping every 20-30 seconds to stir. Once melted pour the chocolate into one of the Chex mix bowls. Mix until combined. 
  • Transfer the white covered Chex mix to the powdered sugar bag. Zip close and shake until the cereal is fully coated. 
  • Melt the red or pink candy melts at half power in the microwave, stopping every 20-30 seconds to stir. Once melted pour the red/pink chocolate into the last bowl of Chex mix cereal. Mix until combined. 
  • Transfer the red/pink covered Chex mix to the strawberry cake mix bag. Zip close and shake until the cereal is fully coated. 
  • Let the chocolate set and then combine the two-colored muddy buddies and add valentines colored M&M’s if you’d like!

Notes

Nutritional information is an estimate. It does not include the M&M’s or strawberry cake mix (as they can differ per brand). 

Nutrition

Calories: 145kcal (7%)Carbohydrates: 25g (8%)Protein: 1g (2%)Fat: 5g (8%)Saturated Fat: 4g (20%)Sodium: 118mg (5%)Potassium: 18mg (1%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 16g (18%)Vitamin A: 208IU (4%)Vitamin C: 2mg (2%)Calcium: 42mg (4%)Iron: 4mg (22%)
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
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Recipe adapted from Life, Love, and Sugar.