valentine muddy buddies {and a free printable valentine!}

by | Jan 23, 2014 | candy, creating, design, dessert, free printables, holidays, muddy muddies, recipes, valentines

growing up, valentine’s day was one of my mom’s favorites.
still is.
she has her invites out already for this year’s “sweetheart dinner”
that usually only adult couples can come to {bring a date!}
and they ALWAYS have some fun theme…
she has somethin fun cooked up this year and i just might even throw my own 
“sweetheart dinner” with my own friends…
{that is, if they can all forgive the fact that we will be eating in a teeny box…}

so, in efforts to get things in the mood, i wanted to try and make the perfect valentine muddy buddy mix to have out and feel all festive and amorous
{i’ll wait while you go look that one up…}

 
it took me all week of trying and failing at a few different recipes, they either looked or tasted super gross, and i finally landed on this. i think it’s pretty naughty. then i thought it would be cute to give away as a homemade treat rather than store bought candy or valentines… if you’re into that. it takes hardly any time at all!

printable valentine here.
{designed to cut to bags like here, or use as a straight tag if you want, like i did above.
if you use it, tag your photo with #BRCprintable so I can see!}

some of the recipes i found used cream cheese, so i made it both ways and you couldn’t taste the cream cheese really at all. some used red velvet, and some used strawberry…. 
both good so that’s up to you, but white chocolate or not, i missed the peanut butter taste in them so found a way to keep that in! 
{of course you can do without if you want too}

valentine {red} muddy buddies

8 C. Rice Chex cereal
3/4 C. white chocolate melts or chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
3-4 oz red candy melts {or white, then color with red*}
1 1/2 C. Strawberry {or Red Velvet} Cake mix
3/4 C. powdered sugar
Valentines colored M&M’s {i used PB}
Sprinkles, mini marshmallows, optional

what to do:

1. Measure out Rice Chex cereal and divide into 2 separate bowls {4 in each}
2. Mix cake mix and powdered sugar and divide into 2 large plastic bags or tupperware with lids.
3. Melt chocolates {not the red yet!} and peanut butter together in the microwave at 15-20 second intervals until smooth, careful not to over heat. stir until creamy.
4. Pour chocolate mixture over 1 bowl of Rice Chex cereal and stir until coated.
5. Dump cereal into one of the bags of powdered sugar and cake mix and shake violently until coated. {you may need to break up some of the “parties” of clumped together chex and re-shake to coat em all}. Dump onto a cookie sheet and let cool.
6. Melt red candies {or white and color them red AS you melt until the desired color, i went hot pink instead of red}. Pour right over the 2nd bowl of chex until fully coated.
7. Dump cereal into 2nd bag of coating and shake until covered. Pour out to let cool.
8. Mix together and add candy and sprinkles, smile at the prettiness, then eat immediately.


Copyright © BigRedClifford  Adapted from these recipes here & here

Note: It’s not the coating that turns them red, it’s the inside. Half of these will look more white/tan and half will look pink/red {depending on what your melted chocolate looks like!} The red dye in the mix won’t activate unless wet, and it doesn’t really get wet enough with just chocolate, but it does add a light pink hue and of course a good flavor!