Make Christmas candy in your slow cooker. It’s a decadent peanut chocolate treat with the addition of peanuts and pecans. Add some holiday sprinkles, and you have another treat for your holiday cookie trays.
Forget oven baking all your treats this year and put your slow cooker to use. Also, try my candied pecan recipe to go along with this Christmas Candy!
What is Crockpot Candy?
- Crockpot candy is a blend of almond bark and peanuts. There are many variations and mine has the addition of peanut butter to make it less hard and easier on the teeth.
- Christmas Candy is perfect for gift giving in trays or tins and also for having around on Christmas Day.
How to Make Crockpot Candy
Ingredients
- Almond Bark – You can usually find the almong bark on the baking aisle during the holiday season. If you can’t find it there I always have luck finding it a craft store such as Micheal’s. You can also use candy melts that are found at craft stores.
- Dark chocolate chips – If you prefer you can use milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Creamy Peanut butter – Adding peanut butter will keep the candy from being rock hard.
- Peanuts – Find dry roasted peanut or regular salted peanuts.
- Pecans – Adding chopped pecans will add another layer of flavor and texture.
- Sprinkles – You can use Chrismas sprinkles or even fall sprinkles.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Add the almond bark, chocolate chips, peanut butter, peanuts, and pecans to your slow cooker.
Step Two – Cook on LOW for 2 hours or HIGH for 1 hour. Stir every 20 minutes.
Step Three – Once the cooking time is up, give the mixture another stir.
Step Four – Place the muffin liners into muffin tins; doing this will help the muffin liners keep their shape. Spoon two tablespoons of the peanut mixture into each muffin paper. You can use a two-tablespoon cookie scoop if you have it, or two spoons work well too.
What is almond bark?
- Almond bark has a similar texture and flavor to chocolate. Almond bark is made with vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter.
- Almond bark is cheaper than chocolate and is great for bulk recipes like crockpot candy.
- You still need to stir almond bark often for it can burn just like chocolate.
How to package crockpot candy for gifts
- You can prepare crockpot candy in muffin liners OR just scoop directly on wax paper into clusters.
- Place in clear bags with ribbon.
- Put on cookie trays or in tins with your other cookies or fudge. This candy makes perfect gifts for friends and neighbors.
Recipes FAQs and Variations
Yes! Add the almond bark and chocolate chips to a large pot set it on low heat. Let the almond bark and chocolate melt, stirring often. Stir in the peanut butter, peanuts and pecans, then spoon into the muffin liners.
I store these in ziplock bags or Tupperware, just as I do with homemade fudge.
Crockpot candy can last in the fridge for two weeks. You can also put it in the freezer though it may not look as pretty when thawed.
Rice Krispies – Replace the peanuts with Rice Krispies, though you’ll want to stir them in after the chocolate melts.
Pretzels – Use 2 cups of slightly crushed pretzels instead of peanuts.
Chow mein noodles (crunchy) – You can make this candy with crunchy chow mein noodles; wait to add them until after the almond bark and chocolate have melted.
Yes! If you want this recipe to stretch more, use mini muffin liners and mini muffin tins to assemble these.
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Crockpot Christmas Candy
Equipment Needed:
- 36 Cupcake liners
- Muffin tins
- A 2 tablespoon cookie scoop
Ingredients:
- 2 cups peanuts dry roasted or regular salted.
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 1 lb. vanilla almond bark
- 1 lb. chocolate almond bark
- 12 oz. dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup Christmas sprinkles optional
Instructions:
- Toss all ingredients, except for the sprinkles, into your slow cooker. Place on low for 2 hours or high for one hour, stirring about every 20 minutes.
- Once your candy is completely melted and combined, place 2 tablespoons into each cupcake liner in a regular sized muffin tin. This helps to keep the candy’s shape. Top with desired Christmas sprinkles and place into your fridge for 1-2 hours until firm.
- Once they are set, enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- Rice Krispies – Replace the peanuts with Rice Krispies, though you’ll want to stir them in after the chocolate melts.
- Pretzels – Use 2 cups of slightly crushed pretzels instead of peanuts.
- Chow mein noodles (crunchy) – You can make this candy with crunchy chow mein noodles; wait to add them until after the almond bark and chocolate have melted.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Do you have to use dark chocolate chips? Or could you use semi sweet or milk chocolate?
You can use any, will work great.
Have you tried making this with real chocolate? Either all chocolate chips or the big chocolate bars from trader joe’s? I’m not a fan of almond bark but would like to try this recipe. Thank you
You can do real chocolate. But it can burn very very easily. Be sure to cook on low.
Is it the same amount of chocolate instead of almond bark? And I imagine if one was wanting to use real chocolate instead of almond bark, you could use different kinds, such as milk and dark? Also, have you tried this using dried fruit as an addition?
You can use chocolate but it burns VERY quick in the slow cooker. You can add anything, dried fruit would be great.
definitely for chocolate lovers!!! do not skimp on the peanuts and pecans, it really balances the chocolaty sweetness of this treat! i used 48 mini cups (silicone cups) + a regular sized muffin tin (12 muffins); this recipe yields more than what i had available to use.
our walmart here sells store brand chocolate chips in a 10 oz bag; i don’t think anyone will be able to notice that i shorted 2 oz as the recipe calls for. i found both vanilla and chocolate almond bark at target (store brand); 9 squares was equal to 1 pound.
next time i will probably decrease to about 6 squares each of the almond bark, that’s roughly 2/3 cup each, but i think by doing that, i will not have so much leftover at the end.
i cannot wait to gift these to coworkers and friends! sure, i can easily purchase a bag of chocolate or a tin of cookies, but what fun is that??! my husband always tell me “take pride in your work!”
i have a question for you Sarah– how can i store the leftover chocolate, and am i able to melt it back in the crockpot to make an additional batch the next day? thank you.
correction to my note regarding the “2/3 cup each” of almond bark — that was supposed to say “two-thirds of a POUND”, not “cup”. sorry.
Can you use melting chocolate instead of almond bark?
That’s what I used and it turned out great.
Sara, what size crockpot did you use for this recipe? I have a 2 1\2 qrt cooker. Thank you!
I used a 4-quart one and it was pretty full. I would suggest you do a half batch if using a 2.5-quart crockpot. This makes a lot anyways and you can do variations that way.
We have a grocery store called “Aldi’s”
It’s located in our city and our surrounding cities… They sell almond bark at a great price. It’s a good size thick bar!
Also, I noticed in our local grocery store in the international foods Isle the other day I couldn’t find coconut cream anywhere for a macaroon recipe I want to try so I headed into this isle and found multiple types of baking chocolate/melting chocolate.. I was very amazed ! Lol
Can you please tell me which isle you found the almond bark? Thanks
I live in Australia and have never heard of almond bark. Can I use anything else?
Yep, you can use chocolate chips, large chocolate candy bars, you can mix it up with white, milk, dark, butterscotch chips… any kind will work.
What other chocolate can you use and there is allergy to almond?
There is no almond in almond bark, it’s fake chocolate.
Like to make cnd and this is easy and less time consuming. Thank you
Do you know how to make Christmas Crack?!?
Annie, I have a popular recipe and I don’t know if this is the one you are asking about? It has so many different that people call it.. last I knew it was called “Almost Candy”. It’s made with chocolate, saltines, brown sugar, butter.. none ever believes me when I tell them there are saltines in it! Lol
If this is the recipe you can reply back.. Happy Holidays!
I make the cracker candy often. You’re right, no one believes it has saltine crackers on the bottom. Really good candy!!!
Can I add raisins in place of pecans, would you still use same amount as the pecans? Thank you
I would do the same amount.
Can you use almond butter
Yes! That will work fine.
I would think adding some coconut oil would make it creamy for those that don’t like peanut butter