Chewy Chocolate Peanut Candy Bars — If you like See’s Candies you are going to LOVE these fast, EASY, no-mixer candy bars!! Soft, EXTREMELY chewy, a little bit crunchy, with the perfect amount of chocolate! Ridiculously DELISH!!
Easy Homemade Candy Bar Recipe
One of my favorite candies in the entire world are See’s Candies Walnut Squares, and this chocolate peanut candy recipe reminds me of them so much.
The recipe is fast, easy, you don’t need a mixer, and if you’re looking for an accidentally egg-free dessert, this one checks all those boxes.
There’s a salty-sweet aspect from the salted nuts along with supreme chewiness and just the perfect amount of chocolate to balance things but not overwhelm the other flavors. And there’s a smidge of a Seven Layer Bar vibe going on too. Another personal favorite.
These chocolate peanut candy bars would make amazing hostess gifts or candy/cookie exchange gifts because they stay fresh a long time and they’re so fast and easy to make.
Plus, because they’re quite rich-tasting, you can get away with cutting them pretty small and really getting quite a bit of mileage out of one 9×13-inch pan.
First things first, I generally don’t like nuts in my chocolates but See’s Walnut Squares and Turtles Candies are two notable exceptions. As well as this recipe.
I know it sounds crazy, but I really don’t taste the walnuts in the Walnut Squares, the pecans in Turtles, or the peanuts in this recipe even though there are two cups of peanuts.
They add crunch and some peanut flavor, but if you’re looking for a very peanut buttery or peanut-forward flavored dessert, this is not the recipe at all for you. Check here instead.
Between a light crust, the crunchy peanuts, the butterscotch-scented chewy factor, and the chocolate, these were so ridiculously good that I promptly donated them to my daughter’s teacher or I would have worked my way through the entire pan by myself.
What’s in the Chocolate Peanut Candy Bars?
For these peanut chocolate bars, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Light brown sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Butterscotch chips
- Light corn syrup
- Salted roasted peanuts
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Candy Bars
The star of the show in these bars is the chewy gooey component that’s made from melted butterscotch chips, butter, and corn syrup. An amazing sauce indeed.
After pouring the sauce over an easy flour-brown sugar-butter crust that’s topped with peanuts and chocolate chips, you bake it briefly.
During that time the melted sauce will bubble gently, and after taking the pan out of the oven things will look very soupy but never fear. In time, that sauce sets up to yield the perfect ultra-chewy consistency.
The chewy factor is reminiscent of a 100 Grand candy bar or a Payday bar. Or a See’s Walnut Square or a Turtle. <– We’re back to talking about my dream chocolates.
How to Store Homemade Candy Bars
Store the chocolate peanut candy bars in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll last up to 1 week.
Can the Corn Syrup Be Substituted?
No, it’s a key ingredient that helps hold everything together and also lends the bars that chewy factor.
Tips for Making Homemade Candy Bars
Note that this recipe calls for light colored corn syrup, not lite (i.e. lower sugar) corn syrup.
I recommend using roasted salted peanuts for these bars. Raw peanuts will be bland and won’t deliver the same texture or flavor.
For even more sweet and salty flavor, try sprinkling the tops of the bars with a flaky finishing salt.
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Chocolate Peanut Chewy Candy Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 11- ounce package butterscotch chips
- ½ cup light-colored corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups lightly salted dry roasted peanuts
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a 9x13-inch pan with aluminum foil for easier cleanup, and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, and whisk to combine.
- Add the 1/2 cup diced butter and cut the butter in with a fork until you have small crumbly bits.
- Transfer mixture to prepared pan, hard pack it with a spatula or the palm of your hand, and bake for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until barely golden browned.
- While the crust bakes, to a medium saucepan add the butterscotch chips, corn syrup, 2 tablespoons butter, and heat over medium heat to melt. Stir nearly continuously. The butterscotch chips may be a bit resistant to melting, but just keep stirring to encourage them to melt. Stirring is important so the corn syrup doesn't burn.
- After the crust is done baking, evenly sprinkle the peanuts, evenly drizzle the butterscotch sauce mixture, and evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips.
- Return pan to oven and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the butterscotch sauce is lightly bubbling and likely the chocolate chips will have softened and spread a bit but not completely melted into puddles.
- Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for about 2 hours on a wire rack, or until bars have set up completely. Immediately upon pulling the pan from the oven, it will be very soupy looking on top and not at all set, but in time it will set completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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great
I finally tried these today. The one substitution we made was using Ghirardelli caramel chips in place of the butterscotch chips. I think for my own personal taste, there were too many peanuts so that I was nonstop crunch in each bite, so not much as much chew. I used salted butter but next time I would add some salt as well, maybe to the top… or use regularly salted peanuts instead of lightly salted. And regular caramel might be a little more decadent that the melted chips method. Glad to try a new recipe though.
I finally tried these today. The one substitution we made was using Ghirardelli caramel chips in place of the butterscotch chips. I think for my own personal taste, there were too many peanuts so that I was nonstop crunch in each bite, so not much as much chew. I used salted butter but next time I would add some salt as well, maybe to the top… or use regularly salted peanuts instead of lightly salted. And regular caramel might be a little more decadent that the melted chips method. Glad to try a new recipe though.
Could I freeze these and they still be good?
These bars look absolutely amazing! The gooeyness is out of control! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning and they were definitely gooey and we loved them!
These bars look absolutely amazing! The gooeyness is out of control! Pinned!
Oh my—these do look incredible! Jon just asked what we should bring to the neighborhood Halloween party tomorrow and I think these look like they would work!
Oh they are so good. I loveeeeed these. I think they would be a hit for sure and super easy!
Wow. These sound amazingly decadent.
They were *so good* Definitely a personal favorite!