Slow Cooker Peanut Clusters
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These crock pot chocolate peanut clusters are a sweet and salty candy you can make in the slow cooker or on the stovetop. Simply melt, scoop, and allow to harden. You can make them any size you want and they make a great easy candy recipe for the holiday season.
SLOW COOKER CHOCOLATE PEANUT CLUSTERS: CANDY MADE EASY
Don’t let the word “candy” scare you– not all homemade candy is made the same! While some require a candy thermometer, many don’t, like my lemon truffles, buckeyes, peppermint bark, graham cracker toffee bark, s’mores fudge, candied almonds… You get the idea!
This easy recipe for peanut clusters is no different.
You’ve seen these before, likely at Christmas time, though they can certainly be made, served, and eaten any time of year! They are an incredibly quick recipe to put together, and most of the time is hands-off thanks to the slow cooker.
They make a great addition to cookie trays and gift tins, and the salty peanuts combined with the smooth melted chocolate are like a peanut butter cup with all kinds of texture from crunchy peanuts!
There are a lot of different combinations of nuts and coatings that you can use, so be sure to check the “variations and substitutions” section for any questions you may have about ideas to change up the recipe.
INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED
You only need 4 simple ingredients to make peanut clusters. Again, be sure to check below for variations of these ingredients that will work with this easy recipe.
For these slow cooker peanut clusters, you will need:
• unsalted dry roasted peanuts
• salted cocktail peanuts
• semisweet chocolate chips
• peanut butter chips
• white chocolate chips
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT PEANUT CLUSTERS
I’m not kidding when I say this is this easiest candy recipe. If you can pour ingredients and stir a pot, you’re well-equipped to tackle this peanut cluster recipe.
STEP #1
Pour all of the ingredients into a slow cooker.
STEP #2
Set the slow cooker to low, then cook for about 2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes.
STEP #3
Using a small cookie scoop, drop scoops of chocolate covered peanuts onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, wax paper, or silicone baking mat and allow to harden.
SUCCESS TIPS
While this recipe is pretty straight-forward, there are some things to keep in mind while making these crockpot chocolate peanut clusters.
CHOCOLATE TO PEANUT RATIOS: while you’ll find a lot of suggestions below about variations for these little clusters, you’ll want to make sure you’re using 2 pounds of peanuts to 3 and ½ pounds of chocolate/various melting chips.
STIR OFTEN: everyone’s slow cooker is different. You’ll want to check on your mixture often to make sure it isn’t scorching. If your slow cooker runs hot, you may want to consider making this crockpot peanut clusters recipe on the stovetop (see more about that below).
HALVE THE RECIPE: if you want to halve this recipe, see notes below about making them on the stovetop.
VARIATIONS & SUBSTITUTIONS
BAR CHOCOLATE: if you prefer working with bar chocolate, you can substitute any of the chips for a chopped up bar instead. You can also use white almond bark in place of the white chocolate portion of the mixture.
CHOCOLATE: you may be tempted to use all semi-sweet chocolate chips for this recipe, and while that will still be delicious, you won’t have much in the way of sweetness in your clusters. If you’d like to omit white chocolate chips completely, I suggest using milk chocolate chips in their place. You can use dark chocolate chips in place of the semi-sweet ones.
PEANUT BUTTER CHIPS: while I’m sure this recipe would work just fine with actual peanut butter in place of the peanut butter chips, I haven’t actually tested that method.
BUTTERSCOTCH CHIPS: butterscotch chips would make a tasty substitution for the peanut butter chips! If you want to include both peanut butter and butterscotch (for a haystacks vibe!), I would swap the white chocolate chips for another portion of semi-sweet chocolate chips since butterscotch chips are quite sweet.
PEANUTS: I liked the way half salted and half unsalted peanuts worked in this peanut candy. If you taste the mixture and find it isn’t salty enough for you, you can add a sprinkle of coarse sea salt to the tops of the clusters before the chocolate sets.
SPRINKLES: add a festive flair to your slow cooker peanut clusters with some holiday sprinkles! Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Hanukkah, Easter… Make a batch for every holiday and just change out your sprinkles each time!
NUTS: technically, you can use any kind of nuts you want in this recipe. Keep in mind, however, that the size of peanuts makes them great for bite-size treats. If you want to use a larger nut like almonds, macadamia nuts, or cashews, you will want to chop them up a bit.
CAN I MAKE THESE PEANUT CLUSTERS ON THE STOVETOP?
You can absolutely do this on the stovetop or even in the microwave or double boiler. In fact, if you want to halve this recipe, I highly recommend using one of these methods so the chocolate doesn’t scorch in the slow cooker. Just be aware that it will take quite some time to melt this volume of chocolate elsewhere and you’ll need a very large pot to contain all of the ingredients.
This slow cooker candy makes great holiday gifts and is the perfect treat to make when you’re short on time, oven space, or want to get ahead of your treat-making schedule. The creamy chocolate and peanut butter mixture is such a nice contrast to the crunchy and salty peanuts, and believe me when I say you will have a hard time stopping at just one!
PEANUT CLUSTERS RECIPE FAQs
Slow Cooker Peanut Clusters Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (454g) unsalted dry roasted peanuts1
- 16 ounces (454g) salted cocktail peanuts1
- 24 ounces (680g) semisweet chocolate chips2
- 20 ounces (567g) peanut butter chips
- 12 ounces (340g) white chocolate chips2
Instructions
- Layer all of the ingredients in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker3 then stir to combine. Cover the slow cooker and heat on low for about 2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes, and stopping when all of the chips are melted.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Using a spoon or cookie scoop (I use this #50 cookie scoop), drop mounds of the clusters onto the baking sheets. Allow to set up at room temperature until completely hardened, about 1 to 2 hours. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Clusters freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Notes
- Peanuts: this is a great combination of saltiness without being too salty. You may want a different combination of peanuts! Be sure you’re reading all labels when choosing peanuts. Try to stay away from honey roasted as they may make this treat too sweet.
- Chocolate: you can use chopped bar chocolate here if you prefer, but chips are really easy and work well in the slow cooker.
- Melting the chocolate: you can absolutely do this on the stovetop or in the microwave or double boiler. In fact, if you want to halve this recipe, I highly recommend using one of these methods so the chocolate doesn’t scorch in the slow cooker. Just be aware that it will take quite some time to melt this volume of chocolate elsewhere and you’ll need a very large pot to contain all of the ingredients.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
I just loved how simple this recipe was to put together. We love Holiday baking but it can be so time consuming so this recipe quickly became a favorite.
So glad you enjoyed it, Jules!
My grandmother made these every year! I looked forward to them as my favorite Christmas treat! These tasted just like hers! Melted in my mouth and oh so nutty! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
So good, right? I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
These are SO GOOD!!! and so easy. I’m trying not to eat them all at once.
Thanks so much, Sam! I agree– I have a lot of self-control around goodies but these ones are hard to stop nibbling!