Sunday, November 28, 2010

Snickers


Caramel. Peanuts. Nougat. Peanut Butter. Chocolate. It's the HOLIDAY season, guys! What's a holiday without a bit (or a bunch) of indulgence! We can all make a heartfelt New Years resolution in January to cut down on sugar, carbs, eat more veggies, blahblahblah. For now, I would suggest you indulge in a batch of homemade snickers. Ok, these will seriously test your self control, which is why I ended up giving most of them away... cause I apparently don't have such good self-control. Therefore, when I know something as DELISH as these bars is lurking in my freezer, I find every excuse possible to take a trip to the kitchen to partake in the candy goodness. I had them in the house for a total of two days and and probably ate a third of the batch myself. So I decided, in the interest of my health and impending sugar coma, I had better wrap these beauties up and bestow the goodness on some well deserving friends (I became quite popular by the way). I recommend making them in stages. They really aren't difficult, they just require freezing between each layer. You can dip each bar individually in chocolate, but in the interest of time and laziness, I skipped this step. The end result? Chewy, peanutty, carmelly, chocolaty.... fabulous.
My kitchen helper.... Too bad dogs can't eat chocolate...
Ok, now the recipe!

Homemade Snickers
Ingredients:
2 cups chocolate chips or coarsely chopped bar (I used a mix of milk chocolate Hershey's bar and chocolate chips), divided in half
1/2 cup butterscotch chips, divided in half
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, divided into 3 parts (1/4 cup)
5.5 tablespoons butter (divided: 4 Tbsp and 1.5 Tbsp)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk, divided in half
1.5 cups marshmallow fluff
1 teaspoon vanilla
1.5 cups salted peanuts, chopped (or substitute nuts of your choice)
1 pound chewy caramels

Optional: (if coating the sides of your bars)
1 cup chocolate chips or chopped bar
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 creamy peanut butter

Prep
Line your pan with waxed paper or plastic wrap making sure there's plenty of extra draped over the sides and ends of the pan.. I used plastic wrap but next time I'm using waxed paper as some of the caramel stuck to the plastic wrap.
Bottom chocolate layer
Combine 1 cup chocolate, 1/4 cup butterscotch, and 1/4 cup peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 20-second increments, stirring each time, until all ingredients melt together smoothly. Pour into your pan, and spread in an even layer. Stick the pan in the fridge or freezer to set, at least one hour, I recommend overnight.
Nougat Layer
Combine 4 Tbsp butter, 1 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup evaporated milk in small heavy-bottomed pot. Heat on low until the mixture melts, mixes, and starts to bubble. Stir as necessary. Remove from heat, and add 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 cup peanut butter, and 1.5 cups marshmallow fluff. Stir until all ingredients are melted and smoothly combined, then let it cool slightly. Pour into your pan on top of the chocolate, and spread in an even layer. Stick the pan back into the freezer to set.
Caramel and Peanut Layer
Combine 1/4 cup evaporated milk, 1.5 Tablespoons butter, and pound of caramels in the (cleaned) small pot, or melt in increments in the microwave. Stir frequently until the caramels melt into the milk and butter. Allow to cool until it's not going to burn you. Coarsely chop the 1.5 cup peanuts, and stir into the caramel. Pour caramel/peanut mixture into your pan, and spread in an even layer. Stick the pan back in the freezer to set.
Top chocolate layer
- Melt 1 cup chocolate, 1/4 cup butterscotch chips, and 1/4 cup peanut butter, just like you did for the bottom layer. Pour into your pan, and spread in an even layer on top of the caramel.
Stick the pan back in the freezer to set.
Chop
When completely set, remove pan from the freezer, and lift up the waxed paper or plastic to remove the frozen snickers. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Use a sharp, heavy kitchen knife to cut the rough edges off your block, making the edges nice and square and tidy (You can eat the not so pretty ones). Cut into bars. This can be a bit tricky if the bars have not softened enough or have softened too much. Return the block to the freezer as needed to solidify, as it cuts much more tidily when firm.
Dip edges (optional)
Melt 1/2 cup chocolate, 1/4 cup butterscotch chips, and 1/4 cup peanut butter, as you did for the top and bottom layers. Take each individual bar and dip each edge in the melted chocolate mixture. Set on waxed paper and stick in freezer or fridge to dry and set.
Happy Holidays!!

23 comments:

  1. Yumm!!! Thanks so much - can't wait to surprise my boys!

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  2. Wow, wow, WOW! These look absolutely amazing! Sexy Nerd and I love Snickers :)

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  3. Holy cow, that looks SO good! Homemade is always better!

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  4. Can't wait to give these away for Christmas goodies! Yummy!

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  5. Hi Elizabeth!
    I love the new look of your blog as well as everything you post!
    Those Snickers look so darn delicious! I have been pretty good about not having chocolates and caramels, but I now have "the need" to try out the recipe you've just posted!
    They also look so nice!

    Anywho, you wrote that you have a difficult time with self-control when it comes to sweet goodies. Well, you're definitely not alone. I do too!--especially when I feel down or sad, I noticed that I crave sweets even more. It's been helpful for me to journal or think about why I want sweets before I reach my hand to get them. Perhaps journal would help you too.

    This Thanksgiving break was just a BLAST!
    How about yours?

    I've been working very hard on my blog.
    It's been very fun! And your blog is definitely one of my blog role models.
    Blessings,
    Anna Kristianne

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  6. Oh man. Snickers are my favorite candy bar! What a great idea to make them at home. That recipe looks awesome and your photos are making me salivate as I type...

    Great post!

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  7. Oh man! these look so freaking delicious! My Mom is going to the States tomorrow and I am going to ask her to pick up some butterscotch chips! saving this one for Christmas :)

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  8. Liz, Wow - these look amazing! I definitely need to try these! Thanks so much for linking to the Sunday Showcase - I greatly appreciate it. I have featured this today - stop by and grab a featured button if you like. Hope you are enjoying your week ~ Stephanie Lynn

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  9. I would totally be making any excuse to pop one of those lovely treasures in my mouth too if they were in my house!!!!! - TRES impressed Liz!!! Serious, serious YUM!

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  10. I think my heart fluttered upon finding this post. This looks delicious!

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  11. OMG! I am new to your blog and so glad I found it. These snickers look to die for and I am sure they taste as delicious as they look!

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  12. your blog is amazing! i'm adding it to my list. i found you through lauren's blog. i'm so glad I did! and i'm going to make these snickers one day. delicious!

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  13. Glad you all like the recipe... I wish I had some more of these right. NOW! but... everything in moderation (and I have no peanut butter) ;)

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  14. Are you kidding me, this looks awesome! You had me at Snickers!

    I am having my first giveaway on my blog, I would love it if you came and entered!

    ladybirdln.blogspot.com

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  15. I love Snickers ... can't wait to try making my own at home!

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  16. WOW, I think my husband when be in heaven if I made these. This will go on my list for sure!

    Thanks for linking up to THIS WEEK’S CRAVINGS “CHOCOLATE”, we are already enjoying over 125 recipes, so make sure to stop back by and see them all. It’s gonna be one SWEET week!

    And don’t forget to come back next week (Monday) for “HIDDEN INGREDIENT”… “What can you hide in your recipes?”

    http://momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/search/label/THIS%20WEEKS%20CRAVINGS

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  17. Your pictures are amazing! I can't wait to make these!

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  18. These look incredible! I'll definitely have to try them some time!

    I found your recipe from This Week's Cravings, and I'm glad I did! :)

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  19. If I might make a suggestion, the font is really hard to read on this recipe. Several people--myself included--read it to call for FIFTEEEN cups of fluff, not one and a half cups...the "point" is near impossible to see...a combination of the small font and italics.

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  20. Thanks for the suggestion! I hope this font is better. 15 cups would make for some intense snickers!

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  21. Yummy! Question, though...as a timesaver, would it be plausible to skip the chocolate layers and just enrobe the nougat/peanut layers at the end with the chocolate mixture? I could see how this could be quite delicate...

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  22. Just pinned this, sounds wonderful! =)
    htp://thelatestfind.blogspot.com

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