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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Crockpot Candy Peanut Clusters

    Published: Dec 17, 2018 · Updated: Dec 17, 2020 by Katie | Wheat by the Wayside · This post may contain affiliate links, through which I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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    crockpot candy on a red Christmas tray

    This easy crockpot candy is fun and festive.  Chocolatey peanut clusters are a holiday favorite!

    a red and gray Christmas tray filled with clusters of crockpot candy

    One of my husband's favorite candies are Brach's Chocolate Peanut Clusters.  I decided last year to try and make them myself.  Of course there were a ton of crockpot candy recipes on good old google.  I whipped up a batch and was proud of my endeavor.  Much to my dismay... my husband preferred the Brach's.  He said my candy tasted too 'fake'. 

    I knew right away the culprit... Almond bark.  Pretty much every crockpot candy recipe out there calls for mainly almond bark with a little 'real' chocolate mixed in.  My chocolate connoisseur was not fooled.  While the almond bark melts amazingly well... the taste is just not up to par.  

    This year I took it upon myself to make a 'better' crockpot candy.  One with high quality chocolate and little or no almond bark.  Kudos to me, the results are in and this version was deemed the winner! 

    Ingredients for 'Better' Crockpot Candy

    three types of chocolate chips in a dish alongside peanuts

    To make my better Crockpot Candy Peanut Clusters you'll need:

    • Chocolate Chips: Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, and Semi-sweet.
    • Dry Roasted Peanuts

    That's it! 

    A couple of notes on the ingredients... go for high quality chocolate.  I used Ghirardelli.  If you want these to taste really good... you need really good chocolate.  

    If you're gluten-free, read the nut labels.  You'll be surprised what you find.  Look for a label that says either: Peanuts.  Or Peanuts, salt.  That's it.  We don't really need a whole bunch of other junk on our nuts, ya know?

    Making Crockpot Candy

    This could not be any easier.  I think that's the genius part of the whole thing!

    steps to make crockpot candy, melting chocolate, adding peanuts
    • Put the chocolate in a slow-cooker.  Turn it to warm and put the lid on.
    • Let it warm for an hour or until chocolate is melted.  Stir.
    • Add in the peanuts and stir to coat.
    crockpot candy in a small white slow-cooker

    Once the nuts are evenly coated in chocolate, portion out the candy into mini-muffin liners.  The liners add a fun and festive touch!

    mini muffin tin with liners being filled with crockpot candy

    Pro-tip: If you want the candies to set and hold a nice & neat round shape (looking at you, Type A folks), line a mini-muffin pan with the mini-muffin liners, then fill with the candy.  Leave in the pan until set.  Voila! 

    Alternatively, portion the candies out free-form style to be more like a peanut cluster you'd buy at the store.

    portioning out nut clusters on a wax paper lined baking sheet

    Just line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.  Portion out about 1 Tablespoon of the candy on the pan and allow it to set. 

    crock pot candy on a red and cray Christmas tray

    Tips for making Crock-pot Candy

    • Use salted or unsalted dry roasted peanuts.  
    • Add sprinkles on top for an extra festive touch!
    • Store at room temperature or freeze the crockpot candy in an airtight container.
    • Any combination of nuts would work in this recipe.

    Recipe

    crock pot candy on a red and cray Christmas tray

    Crockpot Candy

    Katie | Wheat by the Wayside.com
    Crockpot candy peanut clusters made better with high quality chocolate.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Diet Gluten Free
    Servings 160 pieces
    Calories 71 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark.

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 lbs dry roasted peanuts, salted or unsalted
    • 46 oz milk chocolate chips, Ghirardelli
    • 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, Ghirardelli
    • 12 oz white chocolate chips, Ghirardelli

    Instructions
     

    • Place the milk, semi-sweet, and white chocolate chips in a crockpot.  Put the lid on and turn to the crockpot to warm.
    • Let the chocolate warm for 1 hr or until chips are melted and stir.
    • Add in the peanuts and stir.
    • Drop by tablespoon into mini-muffin liners or onto parchment or wax paper lined baking sheets.  Let the candy sit at room temperature until set.
    • Store in airtight container.  Keep at room temperature or freeze if needed.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 71kcal
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and star rating below!
    a red and gray Christmas tray filled with clusters of crockpot candy

    Need more Christmas treats? Make these Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies or Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms!


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    1. Carmella

      December 19, 2018 at 7:46 pm

      5 stars
      These look sooo good! One of my favorite candies is Goobers, chocolate covered peanuts, but I never really considered making my own. I love that you use a combination of chocolates ????????

      Reply
      • Katie | Wheat by the Wayside

        December 19, 2018 at 8:57 pm

        Thanks Carmella! I have fun trying to recreate my favorite treats... Sometimes it’s easier than you’d think!

        Reply
    2. Lynn Thompson

      November 19, 2019 at 10:30 am

      I have been looking for this recipe as I hate almond bark! Do they set up nicely?

      Reply
      • Katie Olesen

        November 19, 2019 at 11:25 am

        Yes they sure do! And they freeze well.

        Reply
    3. Nancy

      November 23, 2019 at 2:24 pm

      5 stars
      Just made a batch of these crockpot peanut clusters for Xmas giving. Fabulous! Do you have a dark chocolate version of this recipe?

      Reply
      • Katie Olesen

        November 23, 2019 at 5:06 pm

        I don’t have one up on the site but that’s a great idea! I imagine you could swap out some of the milk chocolate for dark chocolate pretty easily.

        Reply
    4. Nancy L

      November 24, 2019 at 10:32 pm

      Hi! Made these for Xmas giving and they turned out great! Do you have a dark chocolate version?

      Reply
    5. Diane

      December 09, 2020 at 8:15 pm

      This recipe is so much easier than the other ones out there - and I dare say it tastes way better vs. the almond bark ones. I made it tonight and could not be more pleased. I used the mini-muffin papers. I also added just a small piece of melted paraffin wax to the chips to give then a little shine. My husband says it’s the best Christmas cookie yet out of the many recipes I’ve tried. Thanks for an easy, pretty and delicious recipe!

      Reply
      • Katie Olesen

        December 09, 2020 at 8:26 pm

        Thanks so much for sharing, Diane! Great idea with the paraffin. So happy you enjoyed the recipe!

        Reply
    6. Evangeline

      January 17, 2021 at 10:04 pm

      Hello, These sound amazing! I made the Crockpot Christmas Candy this year before seeing this recipe and it called for 2 lbs of white almond bark. I used it in my recipe and while my candy tasted good, the color was not like I wanted. It didn't shine or look chocolaty enough. It had sort of a whitish look to it. How is the color of yours? Does it look nice and chocolaty like a chocolate bar or does it have a whitish cast to it? Thanks for sharing your version of this treat!

      Reply
      • Katie | Wheat by the Wayside

        February 03, 2021 at 12:51 pm

        Hmm, mine was not whitish. How old was your chocolate? It sounds like chocolate bloom, when the fat separates from the chocolate, giving it a cloudy/whitish appearance. Or maybe try a higher quality chocolate chip next time? I use Ghirardelli.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Katie! I'm the blogger behind Wheat by the Wayside. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2018 and have been following a strict gluten-free diet ever since. The goal of WBTW is to share tried and tested, easy, and delicious gluten-free recipes to give you confidence in the kitchen! 

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