It doesn't get much easier than this recipe for Crockpot Candy! Peanuts are coated in a variety of melted chocolate, creating a homemade candy that is absolutely delicious!
While this candy looks like a classic nut cluster or chocolate-covered peanuts, it is made with a variety of chocolate and peanut butter chips creating a treat that is a welcomed surprise.
Why You Will Love Crockpot Candy
Crockpot Candy is the ultimate homemade candy.
- It only requires 5 simple ingredients. And my recipe for Crockpot Candy does not use Almond Bark. Meaning that it tastes richer!
- No baking is required. Perfect to make when it is too hot to bake or you simply want an easy treat to enjoy.
- Minimal hands-on work. The only hands-on time for this recipe is scooping out the nut clusters--super simple!
- Everyone LOVES this recipe for Crockpot Candy. Who doesn't love peanuts combined with sweet chocolate?!
Notes on Ingredients
- Chocolate Chips: I use both dark and semi-sweet chocolate chips for the best of both worlds. The dark chocolate adds a rich chocolate flavor and bitter note to help balance out the sweetness of the white chocolate chips. The semi-sweet chocolate adds a classic chocolate taste.
- White Chocolate Chips: The white chocolate adds a sweet undertone to the candy clusters.
- Peanut Butter Chips: Peanut butter and chocolate are a natural combo and the peanut butter in this candy adds a creamy, rich, nutty undertone. Delish!
- Peanuts: It is best to use dry-roasted salted nuts for this recipe, as the salt will help to balance out the sweetness of the candy. If you happen to have unsalted nuts, simply add ½ teaspoon of kosher salt to the mixture.
Equipment Needed
- Slow Cooker: This recipe is designed for a standard, 6-8 quart, slow cooker. The low heat of the slow cooker will melt the chocolate evenly and beautifully--it is really quite something!
- Cookie Scoop: To scoop out the nut clusters, I use a medium or small cookie scoop. If you don't have a cookie scoop, using spoons will work just as well.
- Parchment Paper: You will need parchment paper or a silicone mat to place the candy on. This will prevent the chocolate from sticking to the surface as it cools.
- Kitchen Towel: You will need a clean kitchen towel to place between the lid and base of the crockpot to absorb condensation.
How to Make Crockpot Candy
- Lightly grease the liner of your slow cooker with coconut oil or nonstick cooking spray. This will make clean-up MUCH easier!
- Spread the peanuts out on the bottom of the slow cooker. If your nuts are not salted, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. The salt will help to balance out the sweetness of the candy.
- Add the 4 different kinds of chocolate chips over the peanuts.
- Place a clean kitchen towel over the liner of the slow cooker and then place the lid on the slow cooker. This is REALLY important as the towel will absorb any condensation, preventing moisture from dripping into the chocolate--that would cause the chocolate to potentially seize up.
- Turn the slow cooker to LOW heat. Cook on low heat for 1 hour.
- Remove the lid and towel and give the mixture a stir. If needed, recover and continue to cook for 15-30 minutes until the chocolate is fully melted. I find that 1 hour is typically sufficient to melt the chocolate.
- Once the chocolate has fully melted, be sure to mix well to fully coat the nuts in the chocolate.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Use a small cookie scoop or 2 small spoons to scoop 1-2 tablespoons of the crockpot candy into small mounds onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Allow the chocolate to sit in a cool space to fully harden. You can speed up the process by placing the baking sheets into the refrigerator.
- Once the chocolate has fully hardened, remove the nut clusters from the parchment paper or silicone mats and place them in an airtight container.
Storage
Crockpot candy needs to be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry spot. If your house is on the warmer side, it is best to store the candies in the refrigerator, rather than at room temperature, to prevent the chocolate from melting.
Crockpot Candy will keep for up to 14 days. While you can freeze the nut clusters in an airtight freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months, keep in mind that freezing chocolate can cause the chocolate to change color and the flavor will be slightly impacted.
Variations
- Crockpot Christmas Candy: After scooping the chocolate peanut clusters out onto the parchment paper, sprinkle them with festive Christmas sprinkles before the chocolate hardens.
- Almond Crockpot Candy: Feel free to use 16 ounces of whole roasted almonds in place of the peanuts.
- Nut-Free Crockpot Candy: If you are nut-free, small pretzels, raisins, or mini marshmallows are a great alternative to use to make these candies. I would suggest using 2-3 cups total of mix-ins in place of the peanuts. You will also want to replace the peanut butter chips with either additional white or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Butterscotch Crockpot Candy: I have replaced the peanut butter chips with butterscotch chips for a sweeter, buttery-tasting Crockpot Candy. While I prefer the peanut butter variation myself, the butterscotch variation received rave reviews from my various taste testers.
More Homemade No-Bake Treats
- Peanut Butter Balls
- Homemade Tagalong Cookies Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Homemade Thin Mints
- Homemade Peppermint Bark
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
- Easy Homemade Fudge
If you enjoyed this recipe for Crockpot Candy, I would love for you to leave a review and comment below.
Crockpot Candy
It doesn't get much easier than this recipe for Crockpot Candy! Peanuts are coated in a variety of melted chocolate, creating a homemade candy that is absolutely delicious! Perfect for gift-giving, Christmas treats, or just a special treat.
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Servings: 48 clusters
Calories: 136kcal
Ingredients
- coconut oil or nonstick spray for greasing optional
- 16 ounces dry roasted, salted peanuts
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Lightly grease the liner of the slow cooker with coconut oil or nonstick cooking spray.
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside.
- Spread the peanuts out on the bottom of the slow cooker. If your nuts are not salted, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Sprinkle the 4 different kinds of chocolate chips over the peanuts.
- Place a clean kitchen towel over the liner of the slow cooker and then place the lid on the slow cooker.
- Turn the slow cooker to LOW heat. Cook on low heat for 1 hour. Remove the lid and towel and give the mixture a stir. If needed, recover and continue to cook for 15-30 minutes until the chocolate is fully melted.
- Mix the nuts evenly into the melted chocolate until everything is nice and combined and the nuts are fully coated in the chocolate mixture.
- Scoop 1-2 tablespoons of the crockpot candy into small mounds onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Allow the candy to set-up and the chocolate to harden at room temperature for an hour or so, or speed up the process by placing the trays into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the candy from the silicone mats or parchment paper and store them for up to 14 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator or a cool, dry spot.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Using Unsalted Nuts: If you happen to have unsalted nuts, simply add ½ teaspoon of kosher salt to the crockpot before slow cooking.
Variations:
- Crockpot Christmas Candy: Add festive Christmas sprinkles before the chocolate hardens to the crockpot candy mounds.
- Almond Crockpot Candy: Use 16 ounces of whole roasted almonds in place of the peanuts.
- Nut-Free Crockpot Candy: If you are nut-free, small pretzels, raisins, or mini marshmallows are a great alternative to use to make these candies. I would suggest using 2-3 cups total of mix-ins in place of the peanuts. You will also want to replace the peanut butter chips with either additional white or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Butterscotch Crockpot Candy: I have replaced the peanut butter chips with butterscotch chips for a sweeter, buttery-tasting Crockpot Candy.
Nutrition
Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 79mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
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Lynda
Hi Kristen,
Sounds yummy! I donated my crock pot when I got my instant pot - could I use the slow cook function on the instant pot? For the same amount of time? I’ve found it to be a little warmer than a crock so far.
Thx!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lynda! I actually have found the slow cooker function to be LESS warm. But it still will work. Here is my guide to how to use your Instant Pot Like a Slow Cooker. For this recipe I would use the NORMAL setting on the slow cooker function and cook a you would on low using a slow cooker.
Lynda
Thank you!! It worked perfectly - and thanks for the link to the video, I probably hadn’t used the setting correctly last time I used it. I found the normal setting for about 90mins (as I forgot about it!) worked great!
Kristen Chidsey
YAY! So happy this worked out for you!
Doris Layhe
I make this all the time, my family loves it!
Jennifer
The BEST crockpot candy ever! Too good, honestly! We are obsessed!
Valentina
This is the ultimate homemade crockpot candy that is perfect for the holidays!
Letty Crocker
This looks so good that I had to buy a new crockpot. My grocery store was out of white chocolate chips. Do you think butterscotch chips would work as a substitute?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Letty! I love hearing you are so excited to make this! I have made the candy with butterscotch chips and while delicious, it has a very strong butterscotch taste and is a bit sweeter. You can certainly do that or simply double the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Enjoy!
Cassandra
I am confused about the towel pit it over the nuts and chocolate?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Cassandra! The towel helps to absorb any moisture that may form due to the heat traped in crockpot. If that moisture dripped down into the chocolate, it could seize up. You can try without the towel and may be fine. If you use the towel, just gently lay over the top of the unit.
Cindy
These look amazing - and so easy! Love the crockpot idea 🙂 Think a cup of peanut butter would work in place of the cup of peanut butter chips?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Cindy! I would try 1/2 cup of peanut butter and increase the semi-sweet chocolate chips to 1 1/2 cups. Using a full cup would make this not as smooth or sweet.
Cindy
I'll try that. Thank you!
Leann
Could I use the mini or regular cupcake/muffin cup liners and scoop the candy into those from the crockpot?
Kristen Chidsey
Absolutely! That makes for very pretty presentation and is a great idea.
Leann
Thank you!