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My crockpot candy looks store-bought, and people have a hard time believing I made it in a slow cooker. Sweet white chocolate, creamy peanut butter, buttery toffee and salty peanuts set up into crunchy clusters. Set out a tray and watch people keep coming back for another piece.
I make crockpot candy every Christmas for holiday candy trays and cookie exchanges, because it gives you that homemade candy feel without having to stand over the stove making candy. The slow cooker does all the melting for you.
I add toffee bits to my crockpot candy with peanut butter, and that combination is what makes it different from a basic chocolate peanut cluster. Every piece gets a little of both, with the salty peanuts holding it all together.
This candy is one of my favorite easy crockpot recipes for the holidays, and it’s on my list of homemade Christmas gift ideas too.
HOLIDAY FAVORITE
The Big Batch of Christmas Candy I Make for Gifting
When I want a homemade Christmas gift that looks impressive and doesn’t take a lot of time, this is the candy I make. Everything goes into the slow cooker, and after one stir and a little more time, I scoop it onto a tray, add the sprinkles and the work is done. It never goes in the oven, and it’s pretty fail-proof.
The clusters look adorable packed into a holiday tin or a cellophane bag, and people love getting them. I fill the other half of the tin with my Christmas fudge, so there are two homemade treats in every gift.
What Goes Into Crockpot Peanut Clusters
- Lightly salted, dry-roasted peanuts: I use a salted nut because the salt balances the sweetness of all that chocolate. Regular peanuts work too, and if yours have no salt, add about ½ teaspoon of salt to the pot.
- White chocolate chips: Most of the chocolate here is white, which gives the candy a sweet, creamy base. White baking chocolate or almond bark can go in its place.
- Dark chocolate chips: I use a smaller amount of dark chocolate because it cuts some of that sweetness without taking over.
- Creamy peanut butter: Peanut butter melts right into the chocolate, and along with the toffee, it’s what makes this more than a plain chocolate cluster. Crunchy peanut butter works too if you want more texture.
- Toffee bits: Toffee adds little buttery, caramel-like bites and a bit more crunch to every piece.
How to Make Crockpot Candy
Step 1: Layer the Slow Cooker Pour the peanuts into the bottom of the crock pot first. Then add the white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter and toffee bits on top.
Step 2: Cook on Low and Stir Cook on low for one hour, then stir until the chocolate completely coats the peanuts. Let it cook for another 30 minutes, and line a sheet pan or two with parchment paper or wax paper while you wait.
Step 3: Scoop and Decorate Drop spoonfuls onto the parchment, or scoop them straight into mini muffin liners if they’re going on a candy tray. I like to use a cookie scoop so the pieces come out the same size, and I add the sprinkles and sea salt right away, while the clusters are still warm, so they stick.
Step 4: Let Them Set Let the candy cool for 30 to 60 minutes, until it’s set, before you plate it.
My entire family, my clients, my clients families, my husband’s coworkers… everyone LOVES the crack candy!
How Long It Keeps and How to Freeze It
Let the crock pot candy set completely, then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for several weeks, or a little less time at room temperature. If it starts to stick or soften, lay it out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put it in the fridge or freezer for several hours to firm back up.
To make it ahead, freeze it for a couple of months in an airtight container or a zip-top freezer bag with as much air pressed out as you can. Put parchment between the layers so the pieces don’t stick together, and thaw it in the fridge.
More Christmas Candy Recipes
If you’re filling a candy tray or a stack of gift tins, these are easy ones to make alongside it.
- Chocolate Christmas Candy
- Caramel Peanut Clusters
- Cream Cheese Mints
- Butter Toffee Pretzels
- Rocky Road Candy
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
- 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
- Keep the slow cooker on low and put the peanuts in first. They sit between the heat and the chocolate so it doesn’t scorch.
- Add the sprinkles while the clusters are still warm so they stick to the chocolate as it sets.
- Bigger clusters take longer to set. A few minutes in the fridge firms them up quickly.
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.