OK, girls! This is a good one, recipe that is! You’ll want to save this one.
I first shared this recipe 6 years ago, it doesn’t seem possible it’s been that long (sweet Aunt Mary is no longer with us), but mom and I made it back then at her house and I made it again this year at my house, so I’m sharing it all over again and added new pics too!
If you haven’t tried crockpot Chocolate Chocolate Candy before, you are going to love how easy and tasty it is. This was a first for our family and our late Aunt Mary brought it to our Thanksgiving spread 6 years ago. I only got one of them that day, but we brought home the recipe to try for ourselves. Aunt Mary said it was so easy and she was telling the truth. It is!
Here’s a disclaimer: This recipe has really taken off on Pinterest and since I originally posted it, I’ve gotten comments that many of you have tried it and the peanuts burned badly and ruined the whole batch. I am not sure how to remedy this, because all crockpots burn at different temps. I’ve heard older crockpots work fine, but newer ones may be too hot. So please be aware that even on low your candy can burn and be ruined. I’m so sorry for those of you who have had problems with it! Check your crockpot watts before your start this, I’ve read that 275 watts will work fine, but any hotter and you may have problems. Thanks!
Crockpot chocolate candy
Note: I made it this year in my crockpot which is probalby 10 years old and it worked just perfectly in it. I decided not to put all the peanuts on the bottom, but I layered it with white chocolate on the bottom with peanuts poured on top and the rest added as well. It all melts together anyway, so I don’t think it really matters how you layer it. Do not stir for 3 hours! Full recipe at the bottom of the post!
What is not to love about cooking in the crockpot. I just never imagined we’d be making candy in the thing. Four ingredients is all you need for this. The vanilla candy coating is sometimes challenging to find, I usually find it at our Kroger.
I did a little Googling and found out that this recipe is from Trisha Yearwood’s cookbook, Home Cooking with Tricia Yearwood. She’s a good Southern girl from Georgia too!
The recipe says to layer the peanuts first but with some people saying the peanuts burned, I decided to just layer it all together. I started with some of the vanilla candy on the bottom, then poured in the peanuts. Dry roasted salted peanuts. Someone in the comments mentioned just adding it all together and letting it cook on low, so that’s what I did this time. It worked great! I added one of the vanilla packages on the bottom and one on top.
After about 3 hours, it’s all soft and melted, on the top and bottom. I did have a few of my chocolate chips burn on the side, but nothing major.
This is the way mom and I did it a few years ago in her crockpot and the layer looked like this, according to the recipe. Do what you think is best for your crockpot!
Per the recipe: Layer Almond bark. You might have to cram it in there to get it all in place, but that is fine too.
Lay out plenty of small cupcake liners.
Fill them up, let them cool and prepare to WOW your friends! These are great gifts for neighbors and friends. It really is a great recipe to share with friends and family.
I will totally warn you, they are addicting.
Here’s mine this year in the crockpot after melting it all for 3 hours and stirring all ingredients together.
I used a small spoon to spoon them out in the small cupcake liners. I bought a pack of 100 small cupcake liners and filled about 85 to 90 of them.
They will cool in a couple of hours and then store them away to eat! Your family will love these!
Crockpot Chocolate Candy
2 lbs (36 oz) salted dry-roasted peanuts
4 oz (4 squares) German’s sweet chocolate
1 12-oz package semisweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
2½ lbs white almond bark
- Put the peanuts in the bottom of a 4-quart slow-cooker. Layer the chocolate over the peanuts, beginning with the sweet chocolate, followed by the chocolate chips, and then the almond bark. Set the temperature on low and cook for 3 hours. Do not stir the mixture.
- After 3 hours, stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth. Drop the candy into cupcake pan liners, using about 2 tablespoons per liner. Allow the candy to cool completely before removing the cupcake liners. Makes 30 to 40 pieces.
If you can’t find almond bark, substitute white chocolate chips.
(Ours made more than that, more like 75 –80 pieces. I think it depends on how much you put in the liner.)
Read more: Recipes from Trisha Yearwood – Crock-Pot Chocolate Candy – Redbook
I do not believe this is your recipe.
It’s from Tricia Yearwood’s cookbook, which I stated in the post and linked to.
I just made this and it burned in less than 2 hours. My crockpot was on low. Do you think it’s because I sprayed my crock with nonstick spray?
Hi, Ronda, I’m so sorry! I heard from others that the new crockpots burn hotter and that might be the problem.
I’m going to try it again tomorrow. I will set my crockpot on the warm setting and keep a close eye on it. I love this recipe. So I’m hoping tomorrow it turns out better.
Ronda, did the “warm” setting work for this recipe?
Valerie, I’m not sure Warm would work, but maybe on the newer crockpots it may work. It’s worth a shot!
I tried to make the recipe tonight and after 1hr and 45 mins. it burned and could not be saved. I guess my low is not low enough. That was an expensive mistake. 🙁
Same thing happened to me. I really want to try it again and just put it on “warm”, but I am scared that it will burn again. You are right, that was a very expensive mistake!
Burnt and it wasn’t even in for 3 hours. I followed her recipe in book, same as this one. So annoyed, what a waste!!! ( and yes it was on low, followed recipe just as listed)
Sorry, Jennifer, it’s happened to several people. I am not sure how to figure out how hot a crockpot gets, but that must be the difference. The older ones don’t get as hot, I think.
I made these peanut candies strictly from the recipe above. My crockpot must cook hotter than most as my peanuts burnt. An entire batch was ruined. Please check at two hours or something. I plan to double boil my chocolate and mix nuts from there next time. I threw a lot of money in the trash.
So sorry, Jenny, the same thing has happened to a lot of people and that’s why I cautioned about the crock pot heat in my post.
I made this recipe tonight and it was awful. I put my crockpot on low and left it for 3 hours, came back and it was burnt throughout the sides and bottom. I am heart broken. These were going to some deserving families and I just lost all that money that is already tight. 🙁
OH, I’m so sorry! I’ve tried to put a warning in this post. Every crockpot heats differently, some are way hotter and my mom and I didn’t have any problem with her crock pot, but all of them are not the same. So sorry for your problems with it!
Well, nuts. I wish I would have read through the whole thing before I ruined a whole batch. Too hot, burnt peanuts, chocolate granulated, bigger mess than I had success. 30-40 pieces? 75-80? I used 100 mini papers and still had to spread what I had leftover on a cookie sheet and add pretzels just to get rid of the rest. Hope it doesn’t taste horrible. Very disappointed in this recipe. Stir your chocolate, DONT let it sit. It’s an expensive wasted mess.
I had the exact same problems! It ended up being a crumble of peanuts and gritty chocolate. What asnt burnt to the sides, anyway. I still filled 100 mini cupcake liners and then dumped the rest. My mom said it’s still yummy, even if it is falling to pieces. Hate I put so much money into it, but it is all about trial and error.
I followed the instructions to a T and my peanuts burned. I checked the wattage on my crock before I started and it showed 210 watt, so I thought I’d be fine. Very disappointed I wasted all that money! ?
Val, I’m so sorry that so many of you have had problems with this. I don’t understand how all crockpots can be so different especially since yours is the lower wattage. It worked so well for us.
Do you put the whole 2 pounds of
Peanuts and the whole package of 4 oz German chocolate into the crockpot?
Yes, the measurements listed are what we used. Be sure to read the crockpot part, some run hot and people are having problems with burning. So keep an eye on it!
I’ve been making these for many years. Everyone who tries one, loves them. Sometimes, in place of chocolate chips, I add a bag of butterscotch. It’s awesome!
The only time my Peanuts burned, was if I didn’t stir at the end of three hrs on low.
I made this in microwave, after reading comments about burning and not knowing the temp of my crock. I just stuck everything minus peanuts in at 30 second intervals Til melted then added peanuts. Came out yummy and was easy peazy
HI, Torri, that is good to know, thanks for chiming in!
Can you use white chocolate in place of German chocolate.
White chocolate or vanilla is already in there, so I’m sure you could leave out the German Chocolate.
Sounds good got to try this love makeing candy at Christmas
I’ve made this recipe several times after seeing it on Trisha’s show. I use my new crock pot too. I set it on warm and it comes out perfect every time. This candy is delicious and I give it as gifts every Christmas.
Michelle, that’s good to know! I’m about to make it this year in my newer crockpot, so hope it all works too. It’s a great recipe!
I have been making this candy for years. I see the recipe says to put peanuts in the crockpot first and people are having trouble with the candy burning. I have always just put all the chocolate in my crockpot on high for one hour then if the chocolate is not melted turn on low until it does. After chocolate is melted add your peanuts. Way less time and no burnt candy.
Hi, thanks for sharing your experience. Sounds like a good plan so the peanuts don’t burn.
I’ve made this recipe for years. I use a crockpot liner now to make cleanup easier. I always put crockpot on low. Sometimes, I add dark chocolate chips and always use 3T. cocoa powder with 1T. oil as substitute for square of german chocolate. I always add the peanuts when mixture is completely melted. I use this chocolate coating for everything….covering my candy turtles, coconut haystacks(just add toasted coconut instead of peanuts, although takes much less chocolate than the peanut clusters),pretzels, almond clusters, etc. HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄🎁 🎄
Thanks for the suggestion on using a crockpot liner!! This is a messy recipe but I have made it in my old (pre-1990) crockpot and also my new (2017 ) crockpot but it has never burned! I do watch it closely and even give it a stir to rotate despite the recipe saying not to stir! YIKES…but it’s a delicious easy recipe…and I am glad you posted it! I had forgotten to add it to my “goodie treat” list!
Thank you for re-sharing! Just one quick question, Rhoda. The recipe and your photo calls for vanilla chocolate, but you mentioned almond bark in the verbiage. Which one?
Sounds like using the crockpot on warm might be the answer! I may give this a go. I’ve got 32 of my family coming for Christmas Eve dinner – I can send home what we don’t want to keep. This may be our new Christmas crack, lol. Last year it was Planter’s brittle medley, and we can’t find it this year!
Merry Christmas to you, Rhoda & Mark, and your entire family!
Rita
Rhoda, I just now re-read, and saw your postscript on the substitution of vanilla, white chocolate and/or almond bark. Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe several times since seeing years ago….it is fantastic!! I use my trusty old crock pot and it never fails. It’s not only delicious, makes a batch large enough to share, but on a serving tray looks so beautiful, especially if you can find Christmasy colors in the paper candy cups.
My co-worker’s and I loved these. Planning to make them again for sure.