Muddy Buddies Oatmeal

Or Puppy Chow Oatmeal. Or Monkey Munch Oatmeal. My family called it puppy chow, but I think it’s more widely known as muddy buddies, so that’s what I’ll name it.

Whatever you know it as, it’s the same thing: a “Chex”-type cereal coated in peanut butter and melted chocolate, and then tossed in powdered sugar. How did I turn this into “healthy” oatmeal? I didn’t. I tried, and it didn’t work. This is one of those go-for-it-or-pick-a-different-recipe kind of posts.

Don’t you dare skip the powdered sugar.

What you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup milk of choice*
• 2-3 chopped dates, or 2-3 tsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats*
• 1/3 cup grated yellow squash or zucchini (peeling optional)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 1 rounded tbsp cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• Chex or Chex-like cereal for topping
• powdered sugar, for topping

How to make it:

1. Bring liquid and dates to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to a simmer. (If you’d like to add a teaspoon of flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
2. Add grated zucchini/squash. Stir occasionally.
3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract, peanut butter, cocoa powder, and salt. (If not using dates, add maple syrup now.) Stir. Taste; add more maple syrup if necessary, but remember that you will be adding powdered sugar on top!
4. When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Top with another splash of milk, a small handful of Chex cereal, and a dusting of powdered sugar.**

Just an FYI:

All things considered, this recipe isn’t that unhealthy. It’s on par with my Triple Chocolate Baked Oatmeal or Peanut Butter Cookie Baked Oatmeal. Or really, it’s on the same level as any of my recipes that combine chocolate and peanut butter. The only true difference is that you top it with powdered sugar!

Honestly, if you’re not willing to put this powdered sugar on your oatmeal, you should just make a different recipe. It won’t taste anything like puppy chow without the powdered sugar–I promise!

Did you know you can make your own powdered sugar? I have no real need for powdered sugar, so I didn’t want to buy an entire bag of it. Thus, I made my own by blending up the organic cane sugar I use for my kombucha with some arrowroot starch (cornstarch works, too). Some sites say you can just blend straight sugar, but that didn’t work for me; I definitely needed the arrowroot!