Homemade Snickers

Yes, you read the title correctly. You can make them at home and love them even more than the ones you buy from the store. After recently making these and taking some to work, I received an email that said:

                 

“Those are too good, way better than real Snickers!! When I was a kid, Snickers were 

                  much  better than they are today - with plenty of caramel and peanuts. Yours are still

                 better than my memory of ‘good’ Snickers.”

These snickers do indeed come with a testimonial to prove just how amazing they are! Among the newly converted homemade snickers fans, I also have a few perpetual addicts. Namely, my cousin, Chase. When I made these for the first time, I sent many his way. Ever since then he has requested these almost every time I see him. Don’t worry, I made sure he got plenty.

You might be thinking: ‘I’m not sure how I feel about this…. Snickers has this down pretty well and isn’t candy making supposed to be hard?’ Well, yes they do but so can you and most candies can get a little hairy, but these are super easy. Though it is a long process, since you have to wait for each layer to harden, each step is very simple and the whole process yields tons of snickers!

So, go forth and make the Snickers because 1) you deserve a fantastic chocolately treat and 2) everyone will love you and think you’re a kitchen wizard because of these.

Notes:

•  Feel free to experiment with different types of nut and potentially even nut butters to give different variations on the recipe. Or just make a combination of different varieties.
• For the marshmallow fluff in the second layer, I used two 7 oz. jars of fluff. A little more than what is called for but I didn’t want extra. So just use at least the given amount. 
•  Depending on how caramely you want the recipe to be, you can use just one bag or up to a bag and a half of caramels. The first time I made these, I only used one bag and this time, I used one and a half (though a few may have been consumed in the unwrapping process…).

Homemade Snickers

First Layer:

•   1 ¼ c milk chocolate chips
•  ¼ c peanut butter, creamy

Second Layer:

•  ¼ c butter
• 1 c sugar
• ¼ c evaporated milk
• 1 ½ c marshmallow fluff
• ¼ c peanut butter
• 2 c salted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1 t vanilla

Third Layer:

• 1 – 1 ½ 14 oz. bag of caramels
• ¼ c heavy cream

Fourth Layer:

• 1 ¼ c milk chocolate chips
• ¼ c peanut butter, creamy

Begin by lining a 9 x 13 pan with wax paper and spraying the wax paper well with non-stick spray.

In a microwave safe bowl, mix the first layer ingredients together. Microwave in 30 second intervals until completely melted; be sure to stir the mixture after every interval to promote even heating and watch closely so that you do not scorch the chocolate. Stir the chocolate mixture well and pour into your prepared pan; evenly distribute the chocolate in the pan. Let the chocolate cool and harden completely before continuing.

When ready to prepare the second layer, melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the sugar and milk; stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil and then cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in fluff and peanut butter until smooth, then remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and peanuts. Pour over the bottom layer and let cool completely.

When ready for the third layer, unwrap all of the caramels. Place them and the cream in a saucepan over low heat. Stir the mixture occasionally, until the caramels are all melted; this can take about 15 minutes to complete. Pour over the previous layer, smooth, and let cool completely.

For the finale layer, repeat the steps for melting the ingredients in the microwave, spread over the caramel layer, and let cool / harden completely.

Once cooled, refrigerate for about an hour to make the cutting process bearable. Cut into desired size. Can be kept at room temperature (will be gooey) or refrigerated (firmer) until devoured.