Monkey Munch

Call it what you want..."Monkey Munch", "People Puppy Chow", or "Muddy Buddies"...it is just plain good. If this little treat has never crossed your lips, then you're in for a little bit of yum.

The recipe is basically the same no matter what you call it. When my mom made this when I was a kid, she was a die-hard Chex user. My sister-in-law, Lisa, always uses Crispix. And when my college roomie, Lori would bring it back from Topeka, I am pretty sure she always used the Crispix version, too. No matter which "crunch" you prefer, this is a great recipe to make with kids. Around here, we call it "Monkey Munch", and like my mother, I stick to Chex....the original.

Monkey Munch
9 cups Chex cereal (any variety)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Put Chex in a large bowl and set aside.
Place chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter into a quart-sized
microwavable bowl.
Stir the ingredients together.
Microwave the mixture uncovered for a minute on "high." Stir the mix again and continue to zap in thirty second intervals until it mixes smoothly.
Add the vanilla and stir.
Pour chocolate mixture over Chex and gently mix.
Put combination into a 2-gallon, Ziploc freezer bag.
Add powdered sugar, seal the bag and shake until distributed.
Spread Monkey Munch out on wax paper to cool and dry.

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for storage.