Sweet and creamy chocolate wrapped around peanuts and pretzels then topped with colorful M&M candies! This delicious and easy crockpot candy is the perfect holiday treat, and easy enough the kids can help.
Ingredients
12ounceschocolate almond bark
12ouncesvanilla almond barkalso called white almond bark
4cupsdry roasted peanutsunsalted, see notes
2cupschocolate chipssemi-sweet chocolate chips
3 1/2cupsmini pretzel twists
1 1/2cupsM&Msoptional, I have used holiday M&Ms
Sea saltoptional- use as garnish
Instructions
Set the crockpot to low heat. Layer chocolate almond bark, vanilla almond bark, unsalted and salted peanuts, and chocolate chips in the bottom of the slow cooker. No need to stir at this point.
Cover and cook the chocolate mixture on low for one hour.
Stir the chocolate mixture well until the peanuts are fully coated in chocolate.
Add the pretzels and stir until the pretzels are completely coated in chocolate.
Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Use a large three tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the candy mixture onto the parchment paper.
Top each candy with an optional sprinkle of sea salt and a sprinkle of M&Ms. Let cool completely on the pan for 30 minutes, then enjoy.
Notes
Chocolate Chips Tip
Chocolate chips can be substituted for the chocolate almond bark and white chocolate chips can be substituted for the vanilla almond bark. 12 ounces of almond bark equals about two cups of chocolate or white chocolate chips.
What Kinds Of Peanuts Should I Use?
You can use salted or unsalted peanuts in this recipe, but definitely use a roasted peanut. When I use salted peanuts I prefer to use two cups of salted roasted peanuts and two cups of unsalted roasted peanuts to keep the candy from becoming too salty.Using all unsalted roasted peanuts is my personal preference since the pretzels already have a bit of salt in them too. Then I just sprinkle a little bit of sea salt across the top of each candy and it's the perfect amount.
Can I Use Bigger Pretzels?
You can use bigger pretzels twists or even sticks. I recommend if you have larger pretzels breaking them up into smaller bite sized pieces before adding them to the chocolate.I don't recommend pretzel rods or hard sourdough pretzels, as they usually are a little too thick for this dessert.
What Do I Use If I Don't Have A Large Cookie Scoop?
I used a large cookie scoop that is about 3 tablespoons. You can make smaller candies with a two tablespoon cookie scoop, which is a common scoop many people have. You can also use a larger ice cream scoop to make large candies.If you don't have any scoops available, you can use a large spoon to place dropfuls of chocolate on the parchment paper. I find the scoops help to keep the candies about the same size, but a spoon will work just as well.
Setting And Chilling The Chocolate
Placing the parchment paper on a baking sheet allows you to easily transfer the chocolates to the refrigerator or freezer. I like to place them in the freezer to chill as they set more firmly then if you leave them to set on the counter.