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Puppy chow may be thought of as a great treat for kids, but today we are making it for the adults! Chocolate and Baileys are combined in this addicting Baileys Irish cream puppy chow – perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
Muddy Buddies for Adults
Who says the kids should get to have all the fun? This Baileys puppy chow will have you coming back for more. Here’s why.
- Easy to make – Puppy chow is super quick to make. The only time you have to worry about is drying/cooling time. You can have this ready in no time.
- Amazing flavor – Who doesn’t love Baileys and chocolate?! It’s one of my favorite combinations and it’s so good in this.
- Great for sharing and snacking – Puppy chow is super portable – just put it in a container and go. Plus, it’s easy to share in cute bags or just grab and snack. It’ll be hard to resist!
- Festive! – The green color makes it perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
What You’ll Need
This is a very simple recipe, but you need to make sure you have the right ingredients. You’ll find exact measurements if you scroll to the recipe card below.
- Rice chex cereal – You can use rice chex, corn chex or even chocolate chex. I use the rice chex cereal.
- Irish Cream Liqueur – Feel free to use your favorite brand. I always use Baileys, but there are lots of options.
- Heavy whipping cream – Stick with heavy cream. Milk or half and half will be too thin.
- Green gel icing color – Don’t use food coloring, it’ll be too thin. Wilton and Americolor both have great gel icing color.
- White chocolate chips – I used Nestle brand, but feel free to use your favorite.
- Milk chocolate chips – Stick with milk chocolate here. Other kinds, like semi-sweet, are a different texture. You need milk chocolate for this so that it doesn’t get too thick to coat the cereal properly.
How to Make Baileys Puppy Chow
It’s a simple process, but don’t stray from the instructions. I tested this quite a few times to be sure the two kinds of chocolate and Baileys won’t seize or separate when combined. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
Make the Green Puppy Chow
- Make white chocolate mixture – Combine 2 tablespoons of Irish Cream, one tablespoon of heavy cream and green gel icing color in a small bowl. Add the white chocolate chips and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth.
- Add the Chex – Add the melted white chocolate to one bowl of the chex cereal and stir everything to evenly coat the cereal with the green chocolate. Be careful to not break the chex cereal too much.
- Add powdered sugar – Add half a cup of the powdered sugar to the green chex and gently stir to coat evenly. Pour the chex onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and spread it out so it can dry. If you need to toss it with a little more powdered sugar, you can. Set aside to dry.
Make the Brown Puppy Chow
- Make chocolate mixture – Add the chocolate chips, remaining 2 tablespoons of Baileys and remaining tablespoon of cream to a small microwaveable bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth.
- Add the Chex – Add the melted chocolate to the other bowl of the Chex cereal and gently stir to coat. Be careful to not break the Chex cereal too much.
- Add powdered sugar – Add the remaining powdered sugar to the chocolate Chex and gently stir to coat evenly. Pour the Chex onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and spread it out so it can dry. If you need to toss it with a little more powdered sugar, you can. Set aside to dry.
- Once completely dry, combine the two kinds of puppy chow together and toss with the M&Ms.
Tips For The Best Puppy Chow
This baileys Irish cream puppy chow isn’t hard to make, but there are a few things to keep in mind to avoid mishaps.
- Melt everything together – Don’t be tempted to melt the chocolate and then add the Irish Cream or gel coloring, etc. If you melt the chocolate and then add the Baileys (or something that’s a cooler temperature), the chocolate and white chocolate will seize and be unusable. Trust me – I tested it.
- Don’t add more Baileys – If you add more, the chocolate doesn’t dry/harden as well and the puppy chow can became a big glob. This goes for the heavy cream, too.
- Do add more powdered sugar – After adding the powdered sugar to each puppy chow mixture, let it dry for about 5 minutes, then break up the pieces a bit. The powdered sugar can soak into the puppy chow a bit, so you can add 4-6 tablespoons more of powdered sugar, if you’d like.
Storage Instructions
This puppy chow is best eaten within about 3-4 hours of making it. Because of the Baileys in it, the moisture soaks into the cereal over time and it will begin to soften and lose it’s crunch. It’s still tasty and you can totally eat it, but it will become more chewy. So if it makes it long enough to need to be stored, do so in an air-tight container at room temperature.
More Great Baileys Desserts
- Baileys Chocolate Cookies
- Baileys Fudge Brownies
- Mini Baileys Chocolate Cheesecake Trifles
- Baileys Chocolate Poke Cake
- No Bake Baileys Cookie Balls
- Caramel Baileys Pound Cake
This post was originally published February 2013 and updated February 2025. For the original recipe, download the recipe PDF.
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Baileys Irish Cream Puppy Chow
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Puppy chow may be thought of as a great treat for kids, but today we are making it for the adults! Chocolate and Baileys are combined in this addicting Baileys Irish cream puppy chow – perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
Ingredients
- 5 cups rice Chex cereal, divided
- 4 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur, divided
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided
- Green gel icing color
- 5 ounces white chocolate chips
- 1 cup powdered sugar, divided
- 5 oz ounces milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup green and brown M&Ms
Instructions
- Divide the rice Chex cereal evenly between two medium sized bowls, with 2 1/2 cups in each bowl.
- Combine 2 tablespoons of Baileys, one tablespoon of heavy cream and green gel icing color in a microwaveable small bowl. Add the white chocolate chips. Microwave the mixture in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each, until melted and smooth.
- Add the melted white chocolate to one bowl of the Chex cereal and gently stir everything together to evenly coat the Chex cereal with the green chocolate. Be careful to not break the Chex cereal too much.
- Add half a cup of the powdered sugar to the green-covered Chex cereal and gently stir to coat evenly with powdered sugar. Pour the Chex onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and spread it out to allow it to dry. If you need to gently toss it with a little more powdered sugar, you can. Set aside to dry.
- Add the chocolate chips, remaining 2 tablespoons of Baileys and remaining tablespoon of cream to a small microwaveable bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each, until melted and smooth.
- Add the melted chocolate to the other bowl of the Chex cereal and gently stir to coat evenly. Be careful to not break the Chex cereal too much. The chocolate mixture is a little thicker than the white chocolate mixture, so if you notice that, it’s ok.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar to the chocolate covered Chex cereal and gently stir to coat evenly with powdered sugar. Pour the Chex onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and spread it out to allow it to dry. If you need to gently toss it with a little more powdered sugar, you can. Set aside to dry.
- Once completely dry, combine the two kinds of puppy chow together and toss with the M&Ms. Serve. Keep in mind that the Baileys in this puppy chow does make the chocolate coatings a little softer than normal (it should not be sticky or way to soft), and that moisture will cause the Chex cereal to soften more quickly than other kinds of puppy chow. It’s best if eaten within about 3-4 hours of being made, so that it stays crunchy. It’ll still taste good after that, but will begin to lose its crunch.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 779
- Sugar: 102.7 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Fat: 29 g
- Carbohydrates: 121.7 g
- Protein: 6.7 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
What about using Irish creme syrup? Think it will work?
It’s hard to say, I’ve never tried it. I’m sorry.
For those not wanting to use the alcohol… The baileys coffee creamer works great too…had to do this in cupcakes for husbands work.
Did you use it in the puppy chow as well? I’ve been curious if the flavor would be as strong, since such a small amount is used.
Not yet..but having worked with both in other recipes I can tell you the flavor of the coffee creamer is actually better for things like this. It’s smoother, and if you are wanting a stronger flavor adding more doesn’t make mixtures watery like the alcohol because the creamer is thicker…you also don’t kill the other flavors with the alcohol flavor. In icing I usually make half with each and the creamer always works better for keeping it thick.
Wow, interesting! I’ll have to try it. Thanks Sheila!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Made this for st patty’s day but was disappointed the moisture from it all absorbed into the cereal and it was chewey the next day when i went to bag it up for gifts. Any thoughts?
It might to help to let it sit out overnight. That could dry it out a bit.
Making this for poker night
Awesome! Enjoy it!
Love the idea of this! I just made a batch for my tennis match snack tomorrow and mine doesn’t look quite as awesome as yours. I used white chocolate baking chunks from Kroger, added the baileys in before microwaving and still, not right. It was like the liquid wasn’t fully integrated into the chocolate. It had a consistency closer to canned frosting instead of melted chocolate. Any suggestions for the next batch?
Hi Jenna! I’m sorry you are having trouble. I have never used the Kroger brand before, so I don’t know if that could possibly make a difference (though I doubt it). However, white chocolate tends to be thicker when melted than regular milk or dark chocolate. That’s why the candy melts can be nice – even though the white and colored ones are still thicker than the chocolate ones, it’s less thick than actual white chocolate. You might even describe it as canned frosting like. Sometimes white chocolate can be difficult to work with. I used green candy melts for the dark green pieces in mine and Nestle white chocolate chips for the lighter green pieces. Like I said, the white chocolate chips are thicker – you just have to do a little more stirring and coat it with the powdered sugar before it will look just the same. If you are still having trouble with the white chocolate, you could always use regular milk chocolate – you wouldn’t get the color effect, but the Baileys would still taste great. I hope that helps!
Could you use milk chocolate chips in this recipe?
Yes, definitely!
I have tried adding food coloring to chocolate melts and it always seizes. How Di you add the coloring and not seize? Is it because I am using the bars and not the candy melts?
I actally added food coloring to white chocolate chips. If I’m using candy melts, I either get the correct color or I use gel icing color. I’ve never tried regular food coloring in candy melts. You have to be kind of careful though because the gel color can thin out the candy melts if you add too much. I hope that helps.
Could you please send me this recipe for puppy chow ..thank you
Hi Pamela! At the bottom of every post there are buttons to share the post on Facebook, Pintrest, etc. Underneath the “More” button is a button that will allow you to email it. Just use that to send it to whomever you like! Thanks for sharing!
I wonder if you could use creme de menthe instead of baileys
I’ve never tried it, but I’d think so.
Do you know if Bailey’s coffee creamer would be ok to sub since I don’t want my daughter to have the alcohol? BTW I am making Thin Mint Puppy Chow this morning.
Yes, the coffee creamer should work fine, the Baileys flavor just may not be as strong. Just make sure you microwave it with the chocolate like you would with the Baileys.
Genius! Not only is it sooooo adorable- but I bet it tastes wonderful!
I LOVE this puppy chow. How freaking delicious is this???? Amazing!
Thanks Dorothy!
I have become a recent fan of puppy chow and this is WONDERFULLY delicious for St. Patty’s Day! And a different dessert/snack than you typically see for this holiday. YUM
Thanks Jess! Puppy chow is a new fave of mine too 🙂
I LOVE puppy chow in any which way!! I’ve never ever thought to throw bailey’s into it before! This is pure genius! I love those colorful candy melts too. They are so much fun to bake/coat with!
Thanks Sally! Puppy chow is so versatile – I love the different flavors you can add. And I’m so into Baileys right now it seemed perfect! 🙂
1. How have I missed this puppy chow phenomenon for so long
2. Hooow. I’ve been missing out, haven’t I.
3. This looks delicious and I’m absolutely using the last of the Bailey’s in my house to make it.
Haha, I think you have been missing out. Puppy chow rocks and is so easy! Plus, I’m kind of obsessed with Baileys at the moment. 🙂
Unf who isn’t, ever. Baileys is the liqueur that can do no wrong.