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If you crave a peanut butter and chocolate snack with less calories, these Skinny Muddy Buddies are your new best friend! They taste just as good as the muddy buddies you remember, without the guilt.
I feel like you are never too old for your favorite sweet treats! I grew up eating muddy buddies and they were always one of my favorite snacks. If you are in the mood for some nostalgic childhood treats, you’ll love this simple no bake cookies recipe (or these peanut butter versions) and these no bake oreo balls.
Skinny Muddy Buddies
Do you guys remember making muddy buddies as a kid? I remember the first time I had it I was absolutely hooked. I could eat an entire batch by myself! And back then it was easier to get away with. Now days, when I binge like that I definitely feel it more. I was missing this treat and really wanted a version that wouldn’t give me a sugar rush.
Enter skinny muddy buddies! They are lower calorie and have way less sugar, and they are just as good as the original! They are coated in a sugar free pudding powder instead of powdered sugar. It’s amazing!! If you don’t mind the extra sugar though, you should definitely try these cookies and cream muddy buddies and these snickerdoodle muddy buddies.
Ingredients
The key to these skinny muddy buddies is choosing ingredients with less sugar. There are some delicious and healthier substitutions that you will be amazed with! The flavor of these muddy buddies is so delicious it’s hard to believe they have hardly any sugar! You can find the measurements below in the recipe card.
- Rice Chex Cereal: This is the base of the whole treat. You could use wheat chex if you were looking to get a little more nutrients!
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter: This helps the peanut butter and chocolate melt together into a creamy delicious ganache.
- Peanut Butter Creamy All Natural: I like to use a nice natural peanut butter because it has less of the bad stuff and all of the same delicious flavor!
- Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding Mix: This is the coolest part of this recipe. You will use the pudding mix just like you use powdered sugar in the traditional recipe. It works exactly the same and because it’s sugar free, it’s just as sweet with way less calories.
- Sugar Free Chocolate Chips: This is also a key to cutting calories. Sugar free chocolate chips taste amazing and make a great coating for the cereal.
- Powdered Sugar: This is an optional ingredient because the pudding mix works like the powdered sugar. You can add just a little bit to get the same flavor that you love in traditional muddy buddies if you want!
Skinny Muddy Buddy Recipe
Skinny muddy buddies is a great recipe to make with kids because it’s super simple and a great way to build confidence in the kitchen. This recipe doesn’t require using the stove and it will only take 35 minutes. Cleaning up is really easy and at the end you have a delicious treat to enjoy together.
- Make Ganache: Add the I can’t believe it’s not butter, peanut butter, and chocolate chips to a bowl and melt in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring between.
- Add to Cereal: Add the Chex to a large bowl and pour the melted chocolate mixture over top. Mix until all the cereal is evenly coated. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Add Powder: After the mixture has mostly hardened, pour it into a large ziplock bag and add the box of pudding mix and shake gently. If desired, also add the 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar at this time. Let the muddy buddies chill in the fridge for an hour before serving.
Tips for Making Skinny Muddy Buddies
This skinny muddy buddies recipe is really simple. I don’t think you’ll have many questions when you go to whip up this delicious dessert, but I do have some tips when you are looking for ingredients and other choices you have.
- Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding Mix: This is the perfect substitute for powdered sugar! The flavor is delicious and it gives the same texture as the powdered sugar would. If you wanted to use something else instead, you could try Stevia in the Raw! It doesn’t give it the same color but the flavor is perfect.
- Using a Bag to Mix: After you put the ganache on the cereal, I like to put the pudding mix into a bag. You could also use a large bowl with a lid, but you want to make sure it’s a big enough bowl for the cereal to have lots of room to move around. I think a bag is the best way to get the cereal completely coated.
- Variations to Skinny Muddy Buddies: Instead of sugar free chocolate, you can use a dark chocolate. Anything above 70% will have way less sugar. You can also use a nut butter like almond or cashew instead of peanut. Just make sure that they don’t have added sugar.
Storing Leftovers
I really don’t think these skinny muddy buddies will last very long! But if you do happen to have any leftover, they do make great leftovers. They are also a great recipe to make ahead.
- On the Counter: You can store your leftovers in a zip lock or an airtight container on the counter for up to a week. They would probably be ok for longer, but I’ve never had them last even that long!
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Add the I can’t believe it’s not butter, peanut butter, and chocolate chips to a bowl and melt in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring between.
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Add the Chex to a large bowl and pour the melted chocolate mixture over top. Mix until all the cereal is evenly coated. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
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After the mixture has mostly hardened, pour it into a large ziplock bag and add the box of pudding mix and shake gently. If desired, also add the 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar at this time. Let the muddy buddies chill in the fridge for an hour before serving.
Updated January 2023
Serves: 4
Calories218kcal (11%)Carbohydrates24g (8%)Protein3g (6%)Fat13g (20%)Saturated Fat7g (35%)Polyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat4gTrans Fat0.2gCholesterol15mg (5%)Sodium199mg (8%)Potassium72mg (2%)Fiber1g (4%)Sugar6g (7%)Vitamin A425IU (9%)Vitamin C3mg (4%)Calcium56mg (6%)Iron5mg (28%)
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.