An easy crockpot candy recipe to make a sweet treat packed with chocolate and peanut butter flavors the whole family loves!
Making slow cooker candy is super easy! This recipe makes peanut clusters covered in chocolate and melted peanut butter chips.
Gina’s Recipe Rundown:
Texture: Just a perfect balance between almost creamy chocolate that melts in your mouth and crunchy nuts.
Taste: Haven for every sweet tooth – rich chocolate flavor with the sweetness of peanut butter and a nutty, a bit salty, touch from the roasted peanuts.
Ease: Very easy candy recipe. Dump and go crockpot candy you can make with no experience in cooking, and get a delicious treat for the whole family or party!
Why I love it: The recipe makes a big batch of candy for family gatherings or gifting, and it is almost hands-off! My go-to holiday baking recipe.
You get healthier homemade candy in just about 1 hour. It is a life-saving trick for the holiday season, when you can customize these candies as you please and yet don’t break the bank on buying candy from the store!
My best tip for crock pot candy is to use good quality chocolate and peanut butter chips – it really affects the flavor and texture – cheap chocolate chips can be harder to melt completely! For the stovetop version, see Expert Tips at the bottom!
You can make so many desserts with your slow cooker. Check out my Crockpot cobbler recipe, Crock Pot Dulce de Leche, and Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Super quick prep time – just 10 minutes, load and set the slow cooker to do all the work.
- Simple. No need for a double boiler to melt the candy or for standing by the stove stirring occasionally. Just dump and go!
- Versatile. You can swap the kind of nuts you are using, chocolate, toppings – everything is customizable!
- Holiday Essential. Add heart sprinkles for St Valentine’s Day, or with some crushed candy canes and festive sprinkles, these crockpot chocolate peanut clusters make amazing Christmas holiday candy!
- Extremely freezer-friendly. Cooked and portioned, frozen crockpot candy will last a whole year!
- A perfect gift for teachers, neighbors, coworkers, you name it! The good thing is that these clusters don’t have any flour or added sugars, so they can be a nice gift even for people who can’t eat gluten.
Ingredients Notes
The recipe calls for just 5 simple ingredients. You can check the exact quantities and nutritional information on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Peanuts. I use roasted salted peanuts and unsalted peanuts for a sweet and salty combo – that’s how I like my own candy, but it is easily customizable!
- Chocolate almond bark. It melts easily and quickly, plus it is often cheaper and adds a bit of vanilla flavor to the clusters. It is not made of chocolate but with vegetable fats, so it helps the candy to hold its shape once chilled really well.
- Semisweet chocolate chips are my go-to choice in baking with balanced sweetness.
- Peanut butter baking chips or butterscotch baking chips.
Kitchen Equipment
- 7-qt slow cooker
- Cookie scoop
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper/wax paper
How To Make Crockpot Candy
1: Cook The Candy
- Spread the nuts in an even layer on the bottom of the cooker insert.
- Top with the chopped almond bark, chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips.
- Cover and cook on the lowest setting for 1 hour or until the chips have melted. Remove the lid and stir to combine. If it needs a little more time, recover and let it cook for another 15-30 minutes. Stir again.
- Turn off the slow cooker.
2: Portion Candy
- Using a large (tablespoon-sized) cookie scoop, portion clusters onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving ¼” spacing between each scoop.
- Let set at room temperature for at least 1 hour to cool completely, or if you have room in the fridge for a baking sheet, you can chill these crockpot peanut clusters for 20-30 minutes to set them faster.
Storage
Store crockpot candy leftovers in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
You can also freeze crockpot candy in a freezer bag for up to 1 year! Thaw for 30 minutes and serve.
Substitutions & Variations
- Change up the nut mixture – we used roasted and salted along with unsalted. But use different nuts you have on hand in place of peanuts, like pecans, cashews, walnuts, even macadamia nuts, or add some extra texture with pretzel bites, rice krispies, pumpkin seeds, etc. The recipe is very versatile.
- Kinds of chocolate. Instead of chocolate almond bark, you can use the same amount of dark chocolate candy melts or chopped Baker’s German chocolate bar. Almond bark is a more cost-effective candy coating option. White almond bark is great too, it will change the color!
- Chocolate chips. Milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips will also work.
- Add a “crust” to your candy. Place a Graham cracker and then pour some melted candy on top.
- The peanut butter chips give it a little more flavor. You can use butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, or more semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- These can be topped with toffee bits, seasonal colored M&Ms for Easter, Halloween, or Christmas, crushed candy canes, coarse sea salt, mini marshmallows, and holiday sprinkles to make this recipe for other occasions.
Can I Make Crockpot Candy On The Stovetop?
Yes! No slow cooker is not a problem! You can make homemade candy over the stovetop.
Simply add all the chocolate to a heavy-bottom pot and melt it over low heat, stirring occasionally. It will take about 10-15 minutes for the melted chocolate to melt completely without lumps. Then let it cool a bit, and add the type of nuts you want.
The rest of the recipe is the same: scoop and portion the candy and let it harden!
Expert Tips To Make The Best Crockpot Candy Clusters
- The quantity will vary depending on how large you make the scoops. For these, I used a 2-tablespoon-sized scoop. But you can make them bite-sized using a small cookie scoop (it is like a teaspoon-sized cookie dropper) and make A LOT more.
- All slow cookers heat differently, so be sure to check on the candy to make sure it isn’t burning on the bottom. The peanuts can burn if you do not mix them after the initial hour.
- Use a different method called the “Almond bark method” for portioning candy. You can simply spread the cooked candy mixture over parchment paper, wait until it hardens, and then simply break it up. It won’t look as pretty, but it tastes just the same!
- For gifting, portion candy in cupcake liners or mini muffin trays rather than on the sheets.
Popular Questions
What Types Of Candy Work Best In A Crockpot?
Candies that melt easily and mix well, like high-quality chocolate chips, almond bark (a candy coating), and chopped chocolate, work best in a crockpot. However, almond bark is best for holding shape and setting once the candy is done.
How Do I Prevent Scorching In My Crockpot Candy?
To avoid burning the candy, cook it on the lowest heat setting and don’t stir it until the chocolate has melted. Also, check it occasionally to make sure the peanuts or chocolate aren’t sticking or burning at the bottom. Stick to the quantities in the recipe to make sure you have enough melted chocolate to cover all the nuts.
Can I Use A Different Size Crockpot For Candy?
Yes, you can use different sizes of crockpots, but a medium to large size, like a 5-quart or 6-quart crockpot, works best. Smaller ones might be too full, and very large ones might not cook the candy evenly and leave some nuts exposed to burn.
If you love this candy recipe, you’re going to love these other holiday treats, too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
More Great Slow Cooker Treats
Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake
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Crockpot Candy
Ingredients
- 16 ounces peanuts – roasted salted
- 16 ounces peanuts – unsalted
- 24 ounces chocolate almond bark – roughly chopped
- 24 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips 2- 12-ounce bags
- 1 cup peanut butter baking chips or butterscotch baking chips
Instructions
- Spread the nuts in an even layer in the bottom of the cooker insert.
- Top with the chopped almond bark, chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips.
- Cover and cook on low for 1 hour. (or until the chips have melted) Stir to combine. If it needs a little more time, recover and let it cook for another 15-30 minutes. Stir again.
- Turn off the cooker.
- Using a large (tablespoon-sized) cookie scoop, portion clusters onto parchment-lined baking sheets – leaving ¼” spacing between each scoop.
- Let set at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or if you have room in the fridge for a baking sheet, you can chill these for 20-30 minutes to set them faster.
Notes
- The quantity will vary depending on how large you make the scoops. For these, I used a 2-tablespoon-sized scoop. But you can make them bite-sized and make a lot more.
- Change up the nut mixture – we used roasted and salted along with unsalted. But use what you have on hand or prefer. It is very versatile.
- Instead of chocolate almond bark, you can use the same amount of dark chocolate melting wafers. Almond bark is more cost-effective.
- Milk chocolate or dark chocolate will also work.
- The peanut butter chips give it a little more flavor. You can use butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, or more semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- These can be topped with seasonal colored M&Ms and sprinkles to make this recipe for other occasions.
- All slow cookers heat differently, so be sure to check on the candy to make sure it isn’t burning on the bottom. The peanuts can burn if you do not mix them after the initial hour.
- STORING
Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for up to 5 days. - Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Equipment
- 7-qt slow cooker
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Created by Gina Kleinworth
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