Satisfying that pesky chocolate craving couldn’t be simpler. My Crockpot Candy recipe is so easy it might need a warning label!
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I used to think there’d be a day, some magical age when I could stroll past the candy looming in the grocery store checkout area without giving it a second thought.
Eventually, I came to grips with the fact that candy and I would have a life-long love affair and decided to embrace that sweet relationship with all the moderation I could muster.
The advantage of being an adult is I no longer have to persuade some reluctant adult to buy it for me. I can buy it – or make it – whenever I want. As it turns out, I can even make it in my crockpot!
Crock Pot Candy probably hasn’t been around quite as long as the Crock Pot itself (which hit the shelves in the 1970s), but chocolate lovers across the world are grateful to whoever discovered you can melt this dark, sweet, nectar-of-the-gods in the slow cooker. Making candy doesn’t get any easier than that which is either a good or bad thing, depending on how seriously you take that whole “moderation” thing!
As anyone who’s ever made chocolate candy before knows, tempering chocolate can be difficult if the temperature’s not perfectly controlled. Scorching chocolate, especially when trying to do it in the microwave, can happen easily and result in a candy disaster that leaves your chocolate craving sadly unsatisfied. Tempering, or slowly melting chocolate, is some culinary chemistry voodoo that helps ensure the texture of the resulting candy is perfect and doesn’t change based on humidity, etc. This is where the crockpot makes candy-making a breeze and does the duty of a double-boiler without any supervision.
My Crock Pot Candy Recipe has exactly four – yes FOUR – ingredients, and all you have to do is dump them in your slow cooker and wait. It’s basically, chocolate, chocolate, more chocolate, and a few peanuts thrown in for good measure. The texture of these little clusters is somewhere between a Hershey’s-style bar and crockpot fudge (yes, you can even make FUDGE in your crockpot!). It has all the complex chocolate flavor with a rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
My recipe is similar to the crockpot candy Trisha Yearwood makes, but I use fewer peanuts to reduce the chocolate-to-nut ratio a bit and capitalize on as much chocolate as I can in each bite. I also increase the amount of almond bark to make mine a little sweeter and creamier.
Almond bark is the stuff you’ll find in big perforated blocks on the aisle with all the other baking goods, and it’s often called “candy coating” in places like craft stores that carry cake-decorating supplies. It comes in a white (or vanilla) flavor and in a chocolate-colored version. There actually aren’t any almonds in it (I believe it’s called that because you can make almond bark with it), and doesn’t have any cocoa butter either.
The product is made with vegetable fats which makes it much less temperamental than regular chocolate, and it has a smoother, slightly softer texture than the characteristic “snappy” chocolate bar. I like to think of it as the Velveeta of the chocolate world – it helps to stabilize any other chocolate you add and melts like a dream.
This recipe also calls for German chocolate, which actually has nothing to do with that country over in Europe. It was created by Samuel German (hence the name) and is a slightly sweeter version of semi-sweet chocolate that has a little chocolate liquor mixed in to intensify the chocolate flavor. It’s also called “baking chocolate” because the strong chocolate flavors stand out better in baked goods than traditional chocolate after being diluted with flour.
A note about the peanuts – some recipes suggest using ½ dry roasted peanuts and ½ unsalted dry roasted peanuts. Since I have fewer nuts in my recipe than others, I haven’t had any problem with this being too salty. If you’re especially sensitive to sodium, though, you might try using the lightly salted variety.
Oh, and yes, you can make my Crockpot Candy with pecans instead. Just be sure to toast them first so you bring out all the wonderful flavor!
This is a really versatile recipe, obviously, and I’m sure the creative wheels are spinning in your head. There are tons of crockpot candy ideas!
You can swap out regular almond bark for the vanilla version. You can also make crockpot candy with caramel by adding 2 (11-oz) packages of caramel bits to the crockpot and reserving the semi-sweet chips to melt and drizzle on top (you’d probably want to use the regular almond bark for this one too). You can also add in a 16-oz package of shredded coconut, which would be particularly awesome if you used pecans or almonds instead of the peanuts.
Crockpot candy crack recipes throw in some peanut butter bits too, or there’s even a perfect crockpot candy Easter version that’s made with just the almond bark and a sprinkle of those pretty pastel M&Ms. You can easily adapt this for any holiday with just a few color-coordinated sprinkles!
Starting with my recipe is a great way to get to know how your crock pot will behave, and, well, my Crockpot Candy is pretty awesome, but definitely let your imagination run wild. The world can only get sweeter with a little more candy in it!
Recipe Notes For Crock Pot Candy:
Careful with your Crockpot – My candy was at the perfect temperature after 2 hours to start the stirring/watching process. Cooking temperatures of every crockpot manufacture vary, though, so if your crockpot runs hot, start stirring the mixture before the 2-hour mark so it doesn’t burn.
Gift Giving – Need a quick and easy gift for hostesses or teachers? These are perfect any time of year! Put a few pieces in a decorative bag, tied with a pretty little ribbon, and just wait for the smiles.
Garnish – This Crockpot Candy makes a beautiful little treat just spooned out onto wax paper, but you can also spoon them into mini-cupcake liners to mold them with little-ridged sides (like the Trisha Yearwood crockpot candy recipe suggests). You can also melt a few dark chocolate chips, or even a little extra white almond bark, and drizzle over the top for a nice color contrast.
Crockpot Candy
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package dry roasted peanuts
- 1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 (4-ounce) bar German sweet chocolate
- 3 pounds (2-24 ounce) white almond bark (aka-vanilla flavored candy coating)
Instructions
- Sprinkle peanuts in the bottom of a 4-quart crockpot. Layer chocolates over peanuts in the order they are listed. Do NOT stir.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook on low, stirring every 30 minutes, for approximately 1 hour (exact time may vary because every crockpot cooks at slightly different temperatures) Turn the crockpot off and stir to combine.
- Meanwhile, Lay long sheets of wax paper on the counter. Drop heaping tablespoonful, spacing the candies 1 inch apart. Allow cooling completely.
Fans Also Made:
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- Christmas Crack –This is another recipe that’s great for gift giving. Super delicious and Super addicting. Proceed in making this recipe with due caution. LOL 🙂
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PNE THING I FORGOT TO MENTION, BEFORE COOKING, PUT A PIECE OF PAPER TOWEL OVER THE TOP OF THE CROCKPOT, THEN PUT THE LID ON, DOING THAT KEEPS THE EXCESS LIQUID YOU GET FROM COOKING IN THE CANDY, WORKS GREAT… THANKS ???
Glad you like it, Paula! 😀 Enjoy!
I STARTED MAKING THIS LAST YEAR, AND I MAKE MINE SUGAR FREE, AND EVERYONE WENT CRAZY OVER IT, I HAD TO TRY AND FIND THE RECIPE AGAIN BECAUSE WILL MAKE IT BEFORE HALLOWEEN, (MY BD)… SOOO YUMMERS. Y’ALL NEED TO MADE THIS❤❤❤ IT ??✌❤
Could you please email your sugar free recipe my hubby is diabetic T2 also
I would love to have the crockpot candy respicts email to me
Hi: I marked vegan but I am more [also] interested in diabetic recipes for “one person” with T-2 diabetes. I like simple….hate to cook….married for like 48 years before my husband went home to be with the Lord….and never really ever liked a meal I had to cook. LOL Thanks….Sue
Looks good I will have to fix this for our Martial Arts School. I think they will love them . Thank you.
Enjoy Penny!
Love the idea and so easy. I can inspire the children to think up their own receipes. Add what ever makes them smile. Thanks for the great idea.
Hope the whole family enjoys <3