Chex Muddy Buddies

Ingredients:

• 9 cups corn chex cereal (You can also use rice chex or chocolate chex instead)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 bags M&Ms milk chocolate candies (optional)
• 3-4 cups cocktail peanuts (optional)
• 4 cups mini pretzels (optional)
• 3-4 cups candy corn (optional)

Directions:

1. Add the chex cereal into a gallon ziplock bag. Set aside.
2. In a microwavable bowl, add the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Microwave in 30 second intervals until everything is melted and fully combined. Stir in between each interval. Stir in vanilla.
3. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the cereal. Zip the bag completely and shake well until all of the cereal is fully coated.
4. Add in the powdered sugar, zip the bag and shake until the chex is fully coated.
5. Divide the chex evenly between two separate clean gallon ziplock bags. Add the optional mix-ins, dividing them equally between each bag. Zip and shake to mix. If you are not using the add-ins, you can fit all of the muddy buddies into a clean ziplock bag on their own.

*This recipe is great for sharing. You can add it all to a large bowl at parties or game nights and allow your guests to graze on it. You can also divide it up between gift bags to send your guests home with a treat. You can also divide it up to share with family, friends and neighbors for the holidays.

*This recipe can be edited and personalized to fit the holiday and occasion by substituting different colored M&Ms to coordinate with the season. You could also use peanut M&Ms or even peanut butter M&Ms instead. You can also add in some holiday sprinkles to make the mix extra festive and fun. You could also add in candy eyes for Halloween, mini marshmallows or dehydrated marshmallows for Christmas, and anything else that you can come up. The possibilities are endless!

Servings: 36 with optional mix-ins, 18 without mix-ins