Chocolate Peanut Clusters
Posted Nov 30, 2017, Updated Jun 24, 2024
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These chocolate peanut clusters are easy to make with 4 ingredients. They’re a delicious no-bake treat, perfect for the holidays.
These Chocolate Peanut Clusters with Peanut Butter a delicious & easy candy recipe made with only four ingredients.
These beauties were inspired by my favorite candy to get when we’d go to old-timey candy shops – peanuts that were dipped in peanut butter and double-dipped in chocolate.
Those peanut clusters were over $21 a pound (yikes), so I decided to recreate them in my own kitchen, but make them clusters instead of individually dipped peanuts. Because, if you’ve ever tried dipping individual peanuts in peanut butter and then in chocolate you’d know that it is not easy or fun.
So I took the idea and created thse Chocolate Peanut Clusters with Peanut Buttr, which are arguably better than the originals because there is a higher peanut butter to chocolate ratio in every bite. And you all know I am a firm believe that more peanut butter is always a good choice.
Chocolate Peanut Clusters: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Powdered sugar. If you’d like to keep the filling refined sugar free, use this recipe to make your own powered sugar.
- Peanut butter/peanuts. Any nut butter/nut combination could be used if you have a peanut allergy. Cashews and cashew butter is delicious.
- I suggest using a peanut butter that is liquid at room temperature for easy stirring. If your peanut butter is solid at room temperature, warm it slightly in the microwave to make it stir-able! Please do not overheat the peanut butter.
- Salt. Only add if your peanut butter isn’t too salty.
- Semi-sweet chocolate. Any kind of chocolate can be used in this recipe, milk, dark even white.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Clusters
This chocolate peanut clusters recipe is easy to make! We’ll walk through the recipe together, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by combining the peanut butter, powdered sugar and sea salt in a medium bowl.
Then, add the peanuts and stir until evenly coated in the peanut butter mixture.
Scoop ½ Tablespoon portions of the peanut mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, forming them into the desired shape.
Once all of the mixture has been used, place baking sheet in the freezer until hardened (about 1-2 hours). The clusters need to be frozen before dipping them in chocolate to ensure they hold together.
Temper the chocolate.
Here is a simple method for tempering chocolate in the microwave. If you don’t care if your chocolate is shiny then you can simply melt the chocolate and cover your clusters with it.
- Warm the chocolate in the microwave (in a glass, microwave safe bowl) for 1 minute.
- Then, stir and warm the chocolate for an additional 1 minute until almost all of it is melted.
- Then stir the chocolate until it’s completely smooth.
- Next, let the chocolate cool until it reaches 90 degrees Fahrenheit before using it in the recipe. This method has resulted in the most beautifully shiny chocolate with the best texture. If shiny chocolate isn’t important to you, simply melt the chocolate and proceed with the recipe.
Once the chocolate reaches 90 degrees F, begin dipping peanut clusters into the chocolate, using a fork to shake off excess chocolate. If the chocolate becomes too thick, gently warm it again until it is easy to dip the chocolate in (try not to go over 90 degrees F).
Place dipped peanut clusters on baking sheet to harden at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
If desired, once the chocolate peanut clusters are hardened, drizzle them with additional chocolate.
Then, transfer them to the refrigerator or freezer until hardened.
Serve
Once hardened, serve the chocolate peanut clusters slightly chilled or at room temperature (my preference). They’re a great addition to a holiday cookie tray too!
Store/Freeze
Store these chocolate peanut clusters in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
You can wrap them in cute boxes or bags and give as gifts for the holidays too!
Chocolate Peanut Clusters Recipe FAQs
Yes, to make a large batch double (or triple) this recipe using the 2X or 3X buttons in the recipe card.
They last for 1 week at room temperature, 2 weeks in the refrigerator and up to 2 months in the freezer.
Yes, the chocolate is solid at room temperature so they hold up well to being given as gifts.
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Chocolate Peanut Clusters with Peanut Butter
Ingredients
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
- ½ cup peanuts (salted)
- pinch sea salt (optional)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate (chopped)
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together peanut butter and powdered sugar. If necessary, warm peanut butter to stirring consistency in the microwave or on the stove over low heat, being careful to keep it as cool as possible.
- Add peanuts and stir until combined.
- Scoop ½ Tablespoon portions of the peanut mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, forming them into the desired shape.
- Once all of the mixture has been used, place baking sheet in the freezer until hardened (about 1-2 hours).
- Once peanut/peanut butter clusters are hardened, prepare chocolate.
- Microwave chocolate for 1 minute in a microwave safe container.
- Stir and microwave for 60 more seconds until most of the chocolate is melted (but not all of it).
- Stir until all the chocolate is melted.
- Let the melted chocolate cool to 90 degrees f, stirring occasionally to speed up the process.
- Once the chocolate reaches 90 degrees F, begin dipping peanut clusters into the chocolate, using a fork to shake off excess chocolate. If the chocolate becomes too thick, gently warm it again until it is easy to dip the chocolate in (try not to go over 90 degrees F).
- Place dipped peanut clusters on baking sheet to harden at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
- Powdered sugar. If you’d like to keep the filling refined sugar free, use this recipe to make your own powered sugar.
- Peanut butter/peanuts. Any nut butter/nut combination could be used if you have a peanut allergy. Cashews and cashew butter is delicious.
- I suggest using a peanut butter that is liquid at room temperature for easy stirring. If your peanut butter is solid at room temperature, warm it slightly in the microwave to make it stir-able! Please do not overheat the peanut butter.
- Salt. Only add if your peanut butter isn’t too salty.
- Semi-sweet chocolate. Any kind of chocolate can be used in this recipe, milk, dark even white.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Such a simple, you brilliant idea! These look SO addicting!
The peanut butter filling. It’s just… so….stunning. I can’t stop staring. These are going to be BEYOND delicious!
These look so simple Laura and beautiful; I bet they’re even prettier than the ones from your home town. You could start your own GF/DF candy shop.