This might be the easiest chocolate candy ever. It’s a simple concept of mixing melted chocolate with nuts, and maybe sea salt flakes. They’re delicious, ready in 25 minutes, and the perfect treat to make with kids, for kids’ birthdays, and as a holiday gift.
PREPARATION TIME
Total Time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 pound chocolate, tempered is best (a mix of semisweet, white, and milk, only one or two of them) see Notes below
1 ¾ cup toasted or roasted peanuts (see Notes below)
Pinch of sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
NOTES
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Melt chocolates together in the microwave, in 10-15 seconds (at the most) spurts and whisking it thoroughly until some pieces won’t melt before microwaving it again. Stop when it’s all mixed, don’t overcook it because it goes from smooth to scorched in seconds. Or in a bowl over simmering water, being careful the chocolate doesn’t touch the water.
Add peanuts, salt, and mix very well, until it’s all coated.
Drop by tablespoons (or with a ⅛ measuring cup) onto prepared sheets.
Let dry completely at room temperature, which will take about 15 minutes. Larger mounds will take longer.
Keep at room temperature, in a cool place. I like to use metal tins, but they disappear
Organization: always read the recipe before starting and make sure you have all the ingredients measured and at the right temperature, the right pan size, utensils, and enough counter space to work comfortably.
Chocolate: I highly recommend using already tempered chocolate for a better finish. But, since it can sometimes have other ingredients that you might not like, tempering it first is a good idea. If you don’t (it’s a quick step but here’s a good way of tempering chocolate without a thermometer) the peanut clusters will not be shiny but the flavor will be great. Types of chocolate: I like to use ¾ semisweet and ¼ white chocolate OR ⅔ semisweet and the final ⅓ half milk and half white. But any combination works really.
Peanuts: to make your life easier, you can use already salted peanuts and omit the salt in the recipe. The downside is that you can’t control the amount of salt.
Parchment paper: or wax paper, they both work very well and make it easy to remove once the clusters are dried.
Easier cleaning: using parchment paper will make your life simpler because if some chocolate gets stuck you simply throw the paper away and don’t have to clean the whole tray o baking sheet.
Nuts: peanuts and chocolate never fail, but you can use hazelnuts (amazing combo!), walnuts or any other nut you like paired with chocolate.
