Just 5 minutes, 4 ingredients and 2 hours in the crock pot will get you great candy for holiday giving or use these chocolate peanut clusters for the cookie exchange, or the office holiday party.
It is the holiday season, and we are all rushed. Or at least you are, I'm retired now, YEA.
So I have for you a recipe that will take you only 5 minutes preparation time mostly spent breaking up the chocolate and almond bark. 2 hours on low in the crock pot and a few minutes scooping. Use your two hours any way you want. I took a nap.
I have seen this recipe around for a few years, and I'm sure it is a lot older than that. I will use the Food.com version as my stated inspiration piece.
But I found at least six variations. Some used half unsalted nuts. There is some variation in the chocolate and a few add vanilla.
My Rating
An easy 5. These are evil good.
This recipe is part of Christmas Candy Recipes. Check out other easy candy recipes.
Pro Tips: Recipe Notes for Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Clusters
It is alway interesting to read the comments on recipes. The comments on this one will tell the story. Everybody gave it 5 stars.
There were lots of variations by the commenters, so this should tell you it is a very forgiving recipe. Change the nuts, add some coconut, switch out the almond bark for something else. It just always works.
The Almond Bark
Almond bark is a vanilla flavored candy coating is made with vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter. It also has some coloring and flavors added.
Almond bark comes in bars and chunks and it is very a chocolate-like in uses texture and tastes but tends to be harder. Sometime called coating candy.
It is a bit "old school" to use almond bark since the newer (ok not that new) candy melts are basically the same or at least close enough, you use the same weight.
Almond bark is sometimes hard to find. Smaller market will usually have during the holiday season. Walmart, I believe, usually has it in stock.
The Nuts
I used standard dry roasted peanuts. The recipe calls for two pounds, and my container was just over the 2 pounds. I eat the extra. But it would have been fine just to dump it all in.
Some recipes use part or all unsalted. Cashews or almonds would be great substitutes. Some added coconut which would also be a nice addition.
The size of the recipe and servings.
I know this is to be a large amount. But my wife had plans to give some away. I suggest a half recipe for most households.
The serving size is about one tablespoon which is about one heaping kitchen teaspoon. Make them a little small says the guy who has eaten a hundred of these.
Low Vs. High on the Crock Pot.
Why low? Can I just turn it up? No, please don’t do that.
On low, most crock pots are about 200 degrees. On high some crock pots may run 250+ degrees. They shouldn't but they do. That is just too high for chocloate and will ruin the texture.
I use a standard size (6-8 quart) size crock pot for this recipe. If you cut it in half, you can use a smaller crock pot.
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Crock Pot White Chocolate Almond Clusters
Only 4 ingredients.
Dump the peanuts into a medium to large crock pot. Top with the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours.
Mix well. Spoon heaping spoonfuls onto parchment paper. Try not to make them too big. It is candy not cookies.
Allow to cool for about 2 hours.
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Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Clusters
Ingredients
- 2 pounds dry roasted peanuts - salted or light salted
- 2 pounds white almond bark - May use candy "melts"
- 1 pound semi-sweet chocolate chips - or chunks
- 4 ozs German milk chocolate bar
Instructions
- Dump the peanuts into a medium to large crock pot (6-8 quart). Top with the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours.
- Mix well. Spoon heaping spoonfuls onto parchment paper. Try not to make them too big. It is candy not cookies.
- Allow to cool for about 2 hours.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Cook on low with cover on. Do not cook on high.
- You may use candy "melts" if unable to find almond bark.
- I like the German chocolate but if you must, substitute in more chocolate chips.
- I suggest a half recipe for most households.
- The serving size is about one tablespoon which is about one heaping kitchen teaspoon. Make them a little small.
- I like lightly salted nuts here, but full salt is ok. Some recipes call for a pound each of salted and unsalted.
Nutrition
Cynthia W
Hi DrDan,
Thanks for your response to my question regarding nut substitutions. Will give it a try.
How long will the candy last? Will be making your recipe with the nuts for gift giving. Thanks much.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi again,
I would say airtight container for about 1 week at room temperature, 2-3 weeks refrigerated and probably 2-3 months frozen. I think these are very conservative numbers and are based on other candy. I have never had this last more than 3 days since they are quick to be eaten.
I doubt the pretzels will stay crunchy though since they will absorb the oil. You might want to freeze quickly if using other than nuts.
Dan
Dan
Cynthia W
Hi Dr Dan,
Thanks for this easy, yummy candy recipe. My son is allergic to nuts, so I want to substitute pretzels and/or granola for crunch and salty taste. Would it be better to melt chocolates and almond bark and then mix in pretzels/ granola at the end to keep them crunchy?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Cynthia,
Welcome to the blog. Your plan sounds good.
There is no water in the ingredients but there are oils that would absorb into the pretzels or granola and could make them soft.
So get it all melted and mixed evenly. Then when you turn off the crock pot, mix in your things quickly since they are room temperature and will make the chocolate set up a bit faster. Make out the candies quickly also.
I hope that helps and thanks for the rating.
Dan
Kellie
I just took your earlier comment suggestion on how one might tweak for a half batch (12 oz. choc. chips, all 4 oz. baking chocolate, 10 oz. almond bark) and am happy to report that it looks and tastes like a successful first-ever batch of these. With a big glass of milk (and a few antacid tablets), I could eat a pile of 'em for breakfast.
Patty
my mixture was way too thick & I added water. i guess that was a mistake. Will they still harden up?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Patty,
Welcome to the blog and sorry you are having issues with this recipe. I have done this one at least 20 times (lots of holiday giving) and it works fine with my crock pot and ingredients which I vary at times.
So, let's look at your problem. If it was too thick, cook it a bit longer. Some crock pots are hotter or cooler than others.
As a general rule, water is the mortal enemy of chocolate. Adding water will make the chocolate seize up into a gooey mess and it usually can not recover from there. This is a texture issue and not a taste or safety issue so people will use the seized chocolate in baking.
If this happens again, definitely cook longer 30-60 minutes. The thickness is like half-melted ice cream usually. If you become convinced it needs something, a teaspoon or two of corn or canola oil. If you have Cisco shortening it would be preferred but most people don't have that. Be careful with either, they will make the final result softer at room temperature.
Sorry, you had issues and I can't be much help this time. Google seized chocolate for more information.
Dan
Connie
How do you cook half the recipe. Thanks for all the helpful info.
DrDan
Hi Connie,
Welcome to the blog.
To cut in half, you can just use half of the amount of each ingredient. But you can also change it up some.
We have 2 pounds of nuts to 52 oz of "chocolate" (chocolate chips, almond bark and baking chocolate) So for 1 pound of nuts, you need about 26 oz of "chocolate" give or take a little. So you could do 12 oz bag of chocolate chips, 4 oz bar of baker chocolate and about 10 oz of almond bark or candy melts. That uses the whole baking bar and bag of chips.
Happy Holidays
Dan
sara
This is my go to 'Christmas Candy Recipe'-- well not this particular one but one like it-I have been making this for about 10 years now and it just gets easier and easier-when I first started making it the recipe called for 2 1/2 hours on low- using one of the old REVEL (?)crock pots-- you could not remove the lid- you had to follow recipe exactly-- that accounted for a lot of burnt crock pot candy-through trial and error I came up with low temp- not more than one hour and you a change the recipe drastically and get some pretty darn good candy-I always use the almond bark- not the German Chocolate any more-I throw in a broken Hershey's with almonds bar if I have one - Peanuts are always salted, dry roasted and while the cluster are cooling I add some sea salt to each one-- so yummy--(:
DrDan
Hi Sara,
Welcome to the blog.
Those old crock were an adventure in cooking. Most did not have any sort of internal thermostat and just got hotter the longer they were plugged in. They could reach over 300 degrees. Chocolate will burn over 120 degrees or so.
Current crock pots should not get over 212 degrees on either high or low. High and low has more to do with timing to get to the top temp. At least that is how they should work but many don't. But still better than the old timers.
With the mass we put in the pot and on low, we are just gently melting things.
This is super easy now with the current crock pots. Almost impossible to not go well. I just published a white chocolate almond version that is even better. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/crock-pot-white-chocolate-almond-clusters/
Thanks for the note and the trip down memory lane.
Dan
Jenny
I added a bag of small marshmallows to this recipe, it worked out perfectly!
Chris
Would there be a difference between vanilla almond bark and chocolate almond bark?
DrDan
Hi Chris,
Welcome to the blog.
The chocolate usual has some cocoa but does not have to where the vanilla has vanilla ( I had to say it). I think the vanilla adds a little something but extra cocoa wouldn't be bad either. So use what you can find.
Dan
Diane
Can you use
milk chocolate chips
DrDan
Yep, it should be fine. The milk chocolate has more sugar and less cocoa so the flavor will be slightly different but still fine. If you made a batch of each, you might not be able to tell them apart but I think I could if I knew there was a difference. But I believe I would like both equally.
Dan
Helen
Using a plastic crock pot liner makes this an even better experience!!
Gloria
What can I do if my candy is too dry
DrDan
Hi Gloria,
Welcome to the blog.
Since there are only a few ingredients one of them is not acting right. Old or poor quality chocolate would seem to be the most likely.
Also, chocolate can "seize" becoming stiff and clumpy. This can happen if exposed to water or too much heat. Here is a discussion of that. https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-fix-overheated-or-burnt-chocolate-521579 and discusses some solutions.
Dan
Lori
Going to make these today. Is there a specific nut that stands out more than another for this recipe? I saw some suggestions but wondering what the consensus is.
DrDan
Dry roasted lightly salted peanuts are my favorite. Friends use roasted almonds.
Eva
Have made different recipes for crock pot fudge before without much luck! Made this recipe and it is delicious🤗. Am making another recipe for gifts 👌🏻
monica
Well...I've made this before but I forgot the German Chocolate at the store and cant get there for a few days and I need to make it. :) So, I am going to give it a try without GC. I think all it does is add a bit more sweetness to it or more balance...I dunno. Gonna try anyways.
DrDan
Maybe some chocolate chips?
Dan
Joe
I made several batches of these, and this recipe is VERY flexible. I tried it with almonds and coconut. I added caramel chunks to the peanuts, and I also made a batch with white chocolate and cashews. Then, I tried pretzel sticks instead of nuts. We put one of each variety in gift bags to hand out during the holidays.
DrDan
Many of our friends did this over the holidays with endless variations. It just always works.
Thanks for the note and Happy Holidays.
Dan
Rita D.
I too changed out the almond bark for more chocolate. And I found something interesting. I now know why you say to use parchment paper or waxed paper - if you drop it onto aluminum foil to cool, it acts like putting them into the frig and the chocolate dries to a dull finish instead of a shine.
BEWARE all you folks who didn't go out and buy parchment paper!
Robin Baker
I I'm not a big fan of peanuts and neither is my husband, so we switched out the peanuts for cashews and made the recipe otherwise the same way... Oh my goodness! Heavenly is all I can say. Our daughter and her husband finished off what we couldn't, and I swear I put on several pounds, but it was definitely worth it!! Thanks so much
DrDan
Sounds great.
Thanks for the note and happy holidays
Dan
I'm not a cook
What about subbing in a package of caramel bits for some of the almond bark and pecans instead of peanuts. Has anyone tried it? Did it work?
DrDan
I don't know the characteristics of the caramel and how it will react to cooking like this to answer that part. But I have many friends doing pecans and almonds for the peanuts.
Bud
That is a great idea. Try adding 2 tblsp of vanilla and a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg to this recipe along with the original recipe. Add or substitute the pecans and any kind of nuts to this and there you will have them begging for more.
DrDan
I think way too yummy. Bound to be repeated here frequently.
I took a whole recipe to my old office last week. I make the pieces a little more appropriate size and had 120 for the 20 employees. It does make a huge amount. But I would think it would freeze well.
Dan
sara
It does freeze very well-- Christmas is such a busy time-- this is one of those things you can do ahead and freeze- I have made this at Christmas and frozen to share over Valentines Day-
Leslie
5 star recipe, easy and yummy! I put half of the candy I made in my freezer, have not tried (the frozen) version, will update after serving.