Crock Pot Peanut Clusters
Making these Crock Peanut Clusters are so simple that people won’t believe you! They have just the right ratio of sweetness and salt that create an irresistible crockpot candy that everyone will love.
All you need is a few ingredients and a Crock Pot. Peanuts, three types of chocolate, and almond bark transform into a dessert in your slow cooker with ease. You don’t even need a bowl, just pour everything right into the Crockpot and get baking!
Easy Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Clusters
There is a special combination when it comes to peanuts and chocolate that people can’t ever get enough of. Just look at Snickers and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, which happen to be my two favorite candies! I love to make these No Bake Peanut Butter Bars for a quick dessert too. So you can see my love of chocolate and peanuts runs deep.
This Crock Pot Peanut Cluster recipe takes that winning combo and makes simple and homemade crockpot candy.
Per usual, my Crockpot always comes to the rescue when I don’t want to put a lot of time and effort into making a recipe. It amazes me every time how many different recipes you can make in the Crockpot. This recipe will be sure to become a family tradition that will impress all made in the slow cooker!
We have been making these Crock Pot Peanut Clusters along with my Crockpot Christmas Crack for holiday gifts for family and friends for several years. And I don’t only make them for Christmas! These work for any party, birthday, or potluck.
Crockpot Peanut Clusters Recipe
This easy Crockpot dessert has so many great reasons to make them! Here are a few reasons to go on Amazon or the grocery store today and get the ingredients.
SAVE MONEY- You can save money by making these in bulk and not buying store-bought desserts for special events. This recipe makes a lot of clusters. You can use a small scooper and make even more for bite-size treats!
FUSS FREE- This recipe is a breeze to make. You pour everything into the slow cooker and stir it a few times. I really don’t know if I can make a recipe any easier than this one. Once everything is melted together you scoop it onto baking sheets and it’s all done.
EASY TO MAKE- My kids can make this recipe on their own. I have literally given them all the ingredients and they have made it by themselves. Is there a mess? Yes, there is when it comes to scooping but other than that this Crockpot candy is so easy for kids can make.
Peanut Clusters in the Crockpot
If you need a quick recipe that will make you look like a gourmet pastry chef to everyone, try this recipe. It works for any event, holiday, or celebration.
No one will believe how little effort is put into making this tasty treat!
This recipe always has a feeling of nostalgia for so many people because it has been around for so long. Each time someone bites into these Crockpot Peanut Clusters it reminds them of the holidays or a special time when they had them.
Plus, there is nothing better than introducing this to a kid for the first time! My daughter literally said the first time she took a bite “WHAT IS THIS??” IT’S AMAZING”. And from now on in life, she will remember these peanut clusters every time.
Chocolate Peanut Clusters
These little pieces of heaven are the best fuss-free way to make homemade candy that people will rave about. Once you start making easy desserts in the crockpot you will wonder why you made them any other way before.
One of the things I love during the holidays is having special treats that are ready for when people stop by. These are one of those recipes that are easy to prep and you can have them on hand to make the holidays special.
Time is always one thing we don’t have enough of all year round but especially during the holidays. This crockpot peanut cluster recipe will be your go-to recipe once you see how easy and fast you can make these.
Kitchen Tools Needed
Crockpot- I love to use my All- Clad Ceramic Crockpot for this recipe because it is so easy to clean and is a 7 qt size so I can double the recipe and still have room. But you can use any crockpot that is 4 qt or bigger to make this recipe.
Crockpot Liners- You may want to use the crockpot liners for easy cleanup to save you time. The liners go inside your crockpot and you can just throw them away once you are finished cooking. This is a perfect recipe for these handy helpers!
Scooper- I like to use an ice cream scooper for this recipe with a release so I don’t have to get my hands dirty. But a spoon works great too!
Parchment Paper– Using parchment paper to line baking sheets for when you scoop out the clusters makes clean-up easy!
Ingredients for Crockpot Peanut Clusters
Almond bark or Melting Chocolate– The first ingredient and most important in this recipe is melting chocolate or almond bark.
White melting chocolate is crucial to this Crock Pot peanut cluster recipe so you can’t swap it out for other chocolate. You can find melting chocolate in the baking aisle of your grocery store. It is usually next to the chocolate chips. It comes in a bar form or in a bag of little disks.
Chocolate Chips– I like to use a mixture of two chocolate chips! I like to use milk chocolate to give it that true sweet chocolate chip taste. Then the semi-sweet chocolate chips give it a balance and depth of chocolate flavor.
Reeses Peanut Butter Chips– My love of Reese’s Peanut Butter chips has gone back to when I cooked with my mom and I would just eat these out of the bag. They are my absolute favorite and I use them every time. You can totally swap them for any peanut butter chips in the baking aisle.
Unsalted Dry Roasted Peanuts– The star of the show is peanuts! I like to use two versions of peanuts. Using one can of unsalted peanuts keeps the saltiness of this dessert in check. If you use salted peanuts for both you might end up with too much salty flavor.
Lightly Salted Dry Roasted Peanuts– Salt is a great flavor enhancer so you want to include salted peanuts or party peanuts to the mix as well for balance.
How to Make Crock Pot Peanut Clusters:
Step 1. Add semi-sweet chips, milk chocolate chips, melting chocolate, peanut butter chips, and Peanuts to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
Step 2. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. After thirty minutes stirring every 15 minutes until all the chocolate is melted. Once melted turn the slow cooker to warm.
Step 3. Line parchment paper out for the peanut clusters before you start scooping.
Step 3. Scoop out peanut clusters using an ice cream scooper or cookie scooper.
Step 4. Refrigerate the clusters for 30 minutes to 1 hour until set, if possible. If not allow them to set at room temperature.
How to Store Crock Pot Peanut Clusters-
Once set move them into an airtight container in a cool place or the refrigerator for up to a week.
I don’t think these have ever lasted a week in my house but maybe your house has better self-control.
Can You Freeze Slow Cooker Peanut Clusters?
Yes, you can freeze them. Just make sure to let them dry and set completely before storing them in an airtight container with parchment paper in between layers.
Perfect Holiday Food Gift
These Crock Pot Peanut Clusters make are wonderful to make and give as gifts for the holidays! I typically spend a whole day with my kids making a few Crockpot candy recipes to create our special holiday candy tins.
You can make this extra fancy and festive by scooping them into holiday cupcake liners. This also makes a great way to have individual treats for a holiday party!
Plus add sprinkles, sea salt, or crushed peppermint for an extra touch!
We pass these holiday treats out to teachers, and neighbors, and bring them as hostess gifts for parties. I end up saving so much time, money, and stress making these treats in the slow cooker.
tips &
Swap out the nuts! Don’t like peanuts, don’t worry! This recipe works great with any roasted nut. Just make sure not to get raw nuts. Pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts all work great.
Place a kitchen towel over the lid when you are melting the chocolate. Sometimes water will build up on the lid of the slow cooker and drop onto the chocolate. Water and chocolate don’t mix, and it can seize the chocolate so this helps protect it.
Try different kinds of chocolate! Dark chocolate would work in the recipe. Just make sure to always use the almond bark or melting chocolate.
Double the recipe if you have a big enough Crock Pot!
These work for any holiday! Just change the sprinkles to pink for Valentine’s Day or red, white and blue for the 4th of July.
Trisha Yearwood even jumped on the Crockpot dessert bandwagon and made these tasty peanut and chocolate morsels. In her recipe, it does say to cook it for 3 hours which I don’t recommend. You can even burn chocolate in a slow cooker so you do want to plan on keeping an eye on it.
Food Allergies
All of the ingredients I use are gluten-free. My husband has celiac disease, which means you are allergic to gluten.
This recipe is completely gluten-free! Yay! The Reeses Peanut Butter Chips are gluten-free. There are no substitutions needed for this fabulous recipe.
Crock Pot Peanut Clusters
Ingredients
- 10 oz white almond bark melting chocolate
- 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 12 oz milk chocolate chips
- 12 oz reeses peanut butter chips
- 16 oz unsalted dry roasted peanuts
- 16 oz salted dry roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Add semi-sweet chips, milk chocolate chips, melting chocolate, peanut butter chips, and Peanuts to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. After thirty minutes stir every 15 minutes until all the chocolate is melted. Once melted turn the slow cooker to warm.
- Line parchment paper out for the peanut clusters before you start scooping.
- Scoop out peanut clusters using an ice cream scooper or cookie scooper.
- Refrigerate the clusters for 30 minutes to 1 hour until set, if possible. If not allow them to set at room temperature until set and cooled.
Jane says
I didn’t think this was possible! Candy in a crockpot!?! So easy, and what a taste treat!