Easy Crockpot Candy

This is an easy Crock Pot Candy recipe made from a medley of milk chocolate, white chocolate, toffee, and Nutella! Sweet and crunchy homemade candy serves as a tasty snack or shareable dessert.

Easy Homemade Crockpot Candy

I stumbled across this recipe for crockpot candy in my mom’s recipe collection a while ago. At the time, I’d used my crockpot to make Pulled Pork or Crockpot Chili. But candy in the crock? Needless to say, I was intrigued. 

It turns out, crock pot candy is the real deal, and it’s SO easy to make. If you’ve never tried it, you’re in for a treat  (literally). This recipe combines a medley of chocolate and crunchy hazelnuts that melts down in the slow cooker over a couple of hours, which you then plop into lined mini muffin trays to set.

Sure, you can leave it as hazelnut clusters and call it a day. But since this is the type of easy dessert recipe that you can really make your own, I swirled in some Nutella and sprinkled on some toffee bits. For good health.

Why Make Candy in the Crockpot?

There’s a lot to love about what might be the easiest homemade candy recipe ever. Here’s why you’ll love making this crockpot candy all year round:

• The slow cooker does the work. Forget constant stirring and painstakingly checking a candy thermometer. Who doesn’t love a lazy candy recipe? 
• 3 ingredients. Give or take, depending on your choice of add-ins. But the base of this homemade chocolate candy recipe is just 3 simple ingredients!
• Totally customizable. You can change up this recipe to make just about any flavor combination you’d like, from the type of chocolate to your favorite add-ins.
• Great for gifting. Homemade candy that’s made with love (and lots of chocolate) is the perfect gift for any holiday. Change the ingredients whether it’s Christmas, Easter, or otherwise and wrap up your candies to share with friends and family.

What You’ll Need

You need a grand total of 3 ingredients, plus your preferred add-ins to make your crockpot candy. Below is a short overview, with the full details available in the recipe card:

• Nuts: You’ll need about one cup of chopped nuts. This recipe calls for hazelnuts, but you can use any kind of nut you’d like. Use peanuts to make traditional peanut clusters.
• Chocolate Chips: I recommend using semi-sweet chocolate chips, as they tend to melt down smoother and aren’t overly sweet.
• Almond Bark: I use white almond bark, but you can substitute white candy melts or even white chocolate chips if needed.
• Optional Add-Ins: I took matters into my own hands and stirred in Nutella and toffee bits. There is so much that you can add to this homemade candy recipe (see below for more ideas). You do you!

How to Make Candy In Your Slow Cooker

I made this recipe in my old-school 4-quart Crock Pot. But you can use any slow cooker model you have in your kitchen. Here’s how to melt chocolate in your slow cooker:

• Combine: First, chop up the hazelnuts and spread these into the bottom of the crockpot (I like to layer the nuts first to help keep the chocolate from burning). After, add the chocolate chips followed by the almond bark.
• Cook: Set the crock to cook on low for 3 hours.
• Stir: When the time is up, give the chocolate and hazelnuts a stir. At this point, you can also swirl in the Nutella.
• Set: Drop heaping spoonfuls of melted candy into a lined mini muffin pan. Give the tops a sprinkle with toffee bits. Leave the chocolate to set completely before serving.

Tips for Success

Crockpot candy is basically fancy candies that you can make using your least-fancy appliance! These candies have always turned out great, but here are some final candy-making tips for the best results, every time: 

• Check on the chocolate. This recipe is mostly hands-free, but I would recommend checking in on your crockpot candy every so often while it’s cooking. Not all crockpot models are the same, and some may melt the chocolate faster than others. You don’t want to wind up with burnt chocolate.
• Make candy on a cookie sheet. If you don’t have a muffin tin, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop the chocolate hazelnut mixture onto the sheet in evenly-spaced clusters.
• Chill to set. You can place the candies in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to help speed up the hardening process.

Add-Ins and Variations

Dress up your crockpot candy with any add-ins you’d like. Try swirling peanut butter into the mix instead of Nutella, or add Rice Krispies cereal into the melted chocolate for an even crispier crunch.

You can make this recipe in different-sized muffin tins or molds, too. I tested this in large cupcake liners and placed an entire Reese’s Cup inside each one (for science), then topped them with a mini pretzel and some sea salt. Success!

There’s really no limit to what’s possible with homemade chocolate candy. Here are some more easy variation ideas:

• Different Chocolate: Try this recipe with dark chocolate or all-white chocolate. If you’re going to use primarily white chocolate, I highly recommend using Ghirardelli Melting Wafers or white almond bark over white chocolate chips. They melt down way smoother and won’t burn as easily.
• Different Nuts: Use chopped pecans, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, macadamias, or any combination thereof.
• Peanut Butter: As mentioned, you can stir in peanut butter at the end. Crunchy peanut butter would also work for extra texture.
• Nut-Free: Melt the chocolate, then stir in crushed pretzels, crisped rice cereal, craisins, or raisins for nut-free chocolate candy.
• Dipped: Once the candies have set, you can dip them in another layer of different melted chocolate for a fun contrast.
• Caramel: Drizzle the tops of the hardened chocolate with Homemade Caramel. Or, melt caramel candies in a double boiler on the stovetop.
• Espresso: Stir in espresso powder for a mocha-flavored treat.
• Christmas Candy: Top with crushed candy canes, red and green M&Ms, or Peppermint Kisses. 
• Easter Candy: Deck these out with Mini Eggs, rainbow sprinkles, or mini marshmallows.

How to Store Chocolate Candy

Store the candies in an airtight container. This homemade crockpot candy will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to one week. There’s also the option to freeze your chocolate for longer storage, see below.

Can I Freeze Crockpot Candy?

Yes! You can freeze this chocolate candy airtight for up to one month. Defrost it either at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

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• Homemade Caramels
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• Easy Turtles Candy
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