Crockpot Candy is a holiday essential that combines rich chocolate and crunchy nuts with just five simple ingredients! Made entirely in your slow cooker, this delicious treat is perfect for cookie trays, gift-giving, and festive gatherings. These chocolate-covered peanut clusters will impress everyone at your celebrations and become a favorite year after year!
Try my Cream Cheese Mints for another melt-in-your-mouth sweet treat!
Crockpot Peanut Clusters
Crockpot Candy is one of those holiday essentials that I can’t live without. With just five ingredients—peanuts, two types of chocolate, toffee bits, and peanut butter —this recipe creates a perfect blend of salty and sweet. The best part? It’s made entirely in the slow cooker, so I can set it and forget it while tackling other holiday prep. When I bring this treat out for cookie trays or gift-giving, it never fails to impress everyone!
What I love about this chocolate peanut clusters recipe is its versatility. You can easily mix in your favorite nuts or add pretzels or Rice Krispies for an extra crunch. The combination of creamy chocolate and crunchy peanuts is so addictive that I often have to hide a few pieces just for myself!
This isn’t just any candy; it’s a delightful blend of flavors and textures that feels indulgent but is so easy to make. Each batch yields plenty to share (or keep for myself!), making it a must-have for the holidays.
Crockpot Candy ingredients
- Lightly salted, dry-roasted peanuts: For this recipe, feel free to use your favorite nuts, such as honey-roasted peanuts, chopped walnuts, almonds, cashews, or pecans. If you don’t like nuts or have a nut allergy, try using chopped pretzels or graham cracker pieces!
- White chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips: Instead of white chocolate chips, try some white baking chocolate or white almond bark (FYI, Almond bark is sometimes known as vanilla candy coating). Alternatively, you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate, or German chocolate, but I love how the dark chocolate balances the sweetness of the other chocolates.
- Creamy peanut butter: You can also use crunchy peanut butter for added texture.
- Toffee bits
- Festive sprinkles (optional garnish)
- Sea salt (optional garnish)
How to make Crockpot Candy
- Place Ingredients In The Crock Pot: Place the peanuts at the bottom of a crock pot and top with the remaining ingredients.
- Cook: Cook on low for one hour and stir to completely coat the peanuts. Cook for another thirty minutes.
- Drop and Decorate: Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate and peanut mixture onto parchment paper, wax paper, or cupcake liners(I love to use a cookie scoop to get uniform candy pieces). Top with sprinkles and sea salt, optional. (You can also
- Serve: Cool for 30-60 minutes or until set before plating and serving. Enjoy!
PRO-TIP: You can pop it in the fridge to help it cool and set faster)
Variations & Tips
- Change The Chips: You can use butterscotch chips or peanut butter chips for a different flavor candy.
- More Mix-Ins: Feel free to add your favorite sweet or salty ingredients for more flavor and texture contrasts. Some ideas include pretzels, candy pieces, cereal (like Rice Krispies or Chex), mini marshmallows, crushed cookies, or pumpkin seeds. It’s best to add your mix-ins after slow cooking the chocolate mixture to ensure they maintain their texture.
- Customize Your Colors: Decorate your candy with festive sprinkles and assorted colors to match a holiday or party theme. Use red and green colors for Christmas, pink and red for Valentine’s Day, and orange for Halloween. Drizzle with caramel and sea salt for an extra special treat.
- Christmas Clusters: For an extra festive flair, sprinkle some chopped dried cranberries, crushed candy canes, or green and red nonpareils on top. (If you’re decorating your candy with holiday sprinkles, add them while the clusters are still melted and warm. This will ensure the sprinkles stick to the chocolate as it hardens.)
- Fill a cookie tin or cellophane bag with your crock pot candy and give it as a gift for the holidays.
Can I make Crockpot Christmas Candy on the stove?
If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can make this candy on the stovetop. Just add all of the chocolate ingredients to a large pot. Melt the chocolate on low heat, be sure to stir it frequently.
Add it the peanut butter and toffee bits and stir until the peanut butter is melted and fully incorporated into the melted chocolate. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool (about 5 minutes).
Stir in the peanuts and make sure they are completely coated. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop the candy onto the parchment paper.
Top with sprinkles and sea salt and let cool for 30-60 minutes or until fully set.
Proper Storage
- To Store: Store your candy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few weeks or slightly less at room temperature.
- Freeze: You can make your candy ahead of time and freeze it for a couple of months. Store it in an airtight container (or in a ziplock freezer bag – be sure to get as much air out as possible) and place parchment between each layer to prevent the candy from sticking together. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Other Easy Chocolate Treats
- Chocolate Turtles
- Chocolate Coconut Balls
- Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pretzel Bites
- Hot Chocolate on a Stick
- Easy Chocolate Fudge
- Mexican Ice Cream
- Chocolate Mint Fudge
- Chocolate Christmas Candy
- Dubai Chocolate Bar
Christmas Crock Pot Candy Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounce jar lightly salted, dry-roasted peanuts
- 22 ounces (2 11-ounce bags) white chocolate chips
- 5 ounces (½ 10-ounce bag) dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup toffee bits
- Festive sprinkles optional garnish
- Sea salt optional garnish
Instructions
- Place the peanuts at the bottom of a crock pot.16 ounce jar lightly salted, dry-roasted peanuts
- Add the white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter, and toffee bits into the crock pot.22 ounces (2 11-ounce bags) white chocolate chips, 5 ounces (½ 10-ounce bag) dark chocolate chips, ½ cup creamy peanut butter, ⅓ cup toffee bits
- Let it cook on low for one hour and then stir everything together so that the chocolate mixture completely coats the peanuts.
- Cook for another thirty minutes and prepare a sheet pan or two by lining them with parchment paper.
- Once the thirty minutes has passed, drop spoonfuls of the chocolate and peanut mixture onto the parchment paper and sprinkle with festive sprinkles and sea salt, optional. (I love to use a cookie scoop)Festive sprinkles, Sea salt
- Let cool completely, about 30-60 minutes or until set, before plating and serving.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store your candy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few weeks or slightly less time at room temperature.
- If you’re decorating your candy with holiday sprinkles, make sure to add them while the clusters are still melted and warm. This will ensure the sprinkles stick to the chocolate as it hardens.
- You can scoop your candy clusters into mini mini muffin liners instead of onto parchment paper. Then arrange your candy in a pretty presentation on a dessert platter among the cookies and other treats.
- Fill a cookie tin or cellophane bag with your crock pot candy and gift it as a gift for the holidays.
- You can drizzle your cooked candy with some caramel to make it extra special.
Can the crockpot candy be made without adding the peanut butter. Maybe substituting marshmallow fluff?
I have not tried that substitution to advise. Sorry!
I cannot have peanuts. What can be substituted for them??
I’m have a lot of allergies, so I would make this with cashew pieces and cashew butter and either milk chocolate or butterscotch pieces instead of dark chocolate.
Rachel
Made these last night, so simple & very good. I do have a question though, I spooned mine into cupcake liners & when they set, the bottom of liners were greasy? Any idea why?
Such a good and easy recipe. Can’t wait to put them in with our gift tins of cookies. I too put them in cupcake liners and found that the bottom was greasy, thinking maybe oil from the peanut butter used ? (I used Jif )
I made this last year and it was a huge hit. I mixed up various ingredients and every batch was amazing. So very easy!
Hi Cherie! So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this candy for my adult sons EASTER baskets …OMG…everyone loved it! I will definitely make it again ! Thanks for sharing❤️
This candy was a hit! Everyone loves it!
My entire family, my clients, my clients families, my husband’s coworkers… everyone LOVES the crack candy!
Very delicious
I met a delightful lady while shopping. She had three jars of peanuts in her cart. I said that was sure alot of peanuts and she told me it was for a delicious candy she made every year in her slow cooker. This is what she was talking about! Can’t wait to try it.