Homemade Chocolate Peanut Clusters
When I was a little girl, there was an old-fashioned candy kiosk at our local shopping mall that sold all of the traditional candy store chocolates: chocolate stars, turtles, real peanut butter cups, and chocolate peanut clusters. Peanut clusters were my mom’s favorite, and she’d sometimes buy a small bag for us to share in the car on the way home.
The best peanut clusters I’ve ever had, though, are the ones my friend Amanda and her mom, Barbara, make at Christmastime every year. They’re incredibly simple and easy to make. You use a mixture of different chocolates along with almond bark and a mixture of salted and unsalted peanuts. The result is just the right amount of salty/sweet taste and crunchy/smooth texture. They’re among my favorite Christmas treats.
About almond bark, if you’re not familiar (I wasn’t). Almond bark doesn’t have almonds in it; it’s actually a chocolate-flavored confection that’s made with vegetable oils rather than cocoa butter, which makes it incredibly smooth and perfect for dipping. Mixing it with real chocolate allows for a chocolate binder that has the flavor of the real chocolate, but without the propensity to clump when heated for a long time. If you’ve ever used the little bags of chocolate discs that are for candy making, those are basically almond bark. I’m guessing it was called almond bark because people traditionally use it to make a thin chocolate “bark” that has almonds in it. If you can’t find it in the grocery store, look online.
Anyway, here’s the peanut cluster recipe. They’re super easy to make, and a big hit at any party. Irresistible, really. You can literally watch people coming back for more.
If you have a peanut allergy in the house, you can switch out the peanuts and use almonds or pecans instead.
Homemade Chocolate Peanut Clusters
2 pounds almond bark, broken into pieces
12 ounces milk chocolate chips or chopped milk chocolate
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped semi-sweet chocolate
16 ounces unsalted peanuts
24 ounces salted peanuts
In a large saucepan over low heat, stir together the almond bark, milk chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate until fully melted and combined.
Stir in the peanuts.
Remove from heat, and drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow to cool completely.
Makes several dozen.
Here’s the printable recipe.
Cheers!
