One of the easiest candy recipes ever! No candy thermometer, just a few basic ingredients and a slow cooker needed! My version of these peanut clusters or “crockpot candy” uses chocolate, nuts, and marshmallows! This recipe is great any time of year but I love making it around Christmastime as an edible gift… and it makes a ton!
Rocky Road Peanut Clusters, AKA The Easiest Candy (Make it in Your Crockpot)!
I’ve shared a lot of candy recipes on the blog, some easy and some more complicated ones that require candy thermometers and boatloads of patience. But even the easiest candy recipes I’ve shared (looking at you, easy fudge) aren’t as simple as this crockpot candy.
You’ve probably tried, or at least heard of, “peanut clusters” before. They’re chocolate coated mounds of roasted peanuts, and they’re pretty addictive. Here we’re elevating them to new heights and giving that classic candy a rocky road spin by stirring in a bag of miniature marshmallows.
If you’re looking for a quick last-minute Christmas treat (or maybe a last-minute Christmas gift?), these are the perfect choice. This candy takes only minutes to prepare, then it’s simply a matter of letting your slow cooker do all the work.
What You Need to Make Peanut Clusters
- Vanilla almond bark. You’ll need 2 lbs.
- Dry roasted peanuts. Grab lightly salted ones, the salt helps add to the flavor.
- Semisweet chocolate chips. Even though the white, vanilla-flavored almond bark is the predominant coating here the chocolate chips and chocolate bar we’ll be adding are critical for properly flavoring the crockpot candy.
- Dark chocolate bar. I prefer to use dark chocolate for the flavor and because there’s plenty of sweetness going on in this recipe already. A bittersweet chocolate bar works great, I like Ghirardelli 60% cacao.
- Mini marshmallows. These set my peanut clusters apart from any other I’ve ever tried and make them more like “rocky road clusters”. I love the soft chewiness of the marshmallows against the smooth chocolate and crunchy peanuts! So good!
- Sprinkles. Completely optional, but don’t they look nice? A great way to add a festive flair.
You’ll also need a slow cooker, of course! This is the one I use, it’s a 6 quart.
How to Make Crockpot Candy
- Sprinkle your peanuts in an even layer over the bottom of the crockpot.
- Break your almond bark into pieces (they can be large pieces) and scatter over your peanuts. Break up your chocolate bar and add that and your chocolate chips as well.
- Cover and cook on low heat for one hour or until chocolate is melted.
- Uncover and stir until peanuts are coated with chocolate. Briefly stir in mini marshmallows until they are also coated with chocolate (just until they are coated, don’t stir too much or the marshmallows may melt entirely).
- Scoop candy by large rounded spoonfuls onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. If desired, decorate with sprinkles, then allow chocolate to harden before enjoying (this usually takes about 30 minutes or so).
How to Store
These peanut clusters will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for two weeks.
Enjoy!
I originally shared this Crockpot Candy recipe over on The Recipe Critic!
Let’s bake together! Head on over to my YouTube channel where I’ve already uploaded hundreds of recipe videos that you can watch for free!
Rocky Road Peanut Clusters (Crockpot Candy)
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) lightly salted dry roasted peanuts about 4 cups
- 2 lbs (910 g) vanilla almond bark broken into pieces
- 12 oz (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 oz (113 g) dark chocolate bar broken into pieces I like to use Ghirardelli 60%
- 10 oz (280 g) mini marshmallows about 4-5 cups
- Sprinkles optional
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Layer peanuts evenly into the bottom of your crockpot. Add almond bark, chocolate chips, and dark chocolate bar on top.1 lb (450 g) lightly salted dry roasted peanuts, 2 lbs (910 g) vanilla almond bark, 12 oz (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips, 4 oz (113 g) dark chocolate bar broken into pieces
- Cover with lid and cook on low heat for one hour.
- Remove lid and stir well. If all of the chocolate isn't completely melted, continue to cook uncovered on low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 15-30 minutes (or as long as is needed until chocolate is melted).
- Turn off heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add mini marshmallows and stir briefly, just until marshmallows are coated in chocolate and combined (if you stir too much you will melt your marshmallows, you want them to pretty much maintain their shape).10 oz (280 g) mini marshmallows
- Immediately use a 1 ½ Tablespoon sized cookie scoop (or two large spoons) and scoop candy by heaping 1 ½ Tablespoon onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet (you'll need several, this makes a lot of candy).
- Top with sprinkles, if desired, then allow candy to set before enjoying (about 30-60 minutes).Sprinkles
- Store candy in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Bruce
I’ve never understood the attraction of this recipe, taking over an hour and dirtying the bug, heavy crockpot liner. Why not melt the chocolates in the microwave, stir in the peanuts, then the marshmallows?
Tim
My 10 year old daughter and I just made these for our family Christmas get together this weekend. Look forward to trying them! Marshmallows melted a bit and not all of them stayed firm, but I think they’ll taste good anyways!
Sam
I hope everyone loves them! 🙂
Sunny
Ok…so I’m on a roll with various recipes on this site, and this recipe was no exception. First, it’s SUPER easy, and practically foolproof. I follow all of Sam’s recipes to the letter, but I admit that I substituted lightly salted almonds for the peanuts (I like peanuts as much as Sam likes raisins!). They turned out phenomenal!
For those that experienced melted marshmallows, I avoided this by 1) taking the crockpot insert out of the crockpot after an hour and 5 minutes (that’s how long it took for everything to melt for me), and 2) I continually, yet gently, stirred everything (sans the marshmallows) for about 8 minutes to help the mixture cool appropriately. THEN I folded in all the marshmallows and none melted. Yay!
If you use the size scoop that Sam mentions, you’ll yield approx. 70 clusters!
I hope my coworkers haven’t made any dietary resolutions yet, because I’m taking these tasty beauties to the office tomorrow (or I’d polish them off in a week!)
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Sunny! 🙂