Homemade Snickers Candy Bars

Let me first apologize.

I know we are all supposed to be recovering from the holidays and starting the new year fresh...eating salads, drinking green smoothies and cramming into the crowded gym.

Well, like usual I'm breaking all the rules.

You see my father-in-law is the cook and baker of his house and each year he makes this delicious treat around the holidays.  It is the homemade version of a Snickers bar - but better.  It is an old stand-by recipe from Taste of Home magazine.

Guess what?  The in-laws visited again this weekend and brought more.

I was secretly happy.

 

 

I try hard to keep most, if not all, of the recipes on my blog fairly simple.  I mean, I'm a mom of two young kids, I have a husband who works crazy hours and I work part-time, so frankly I don't have time for complicated meals.

But, just this once, I'm making time for a complicated dessert.

Be patient with this one.  It's isn't hard to make, just requires time as each layer need to chill before starting the next layer.

It is all worth it, trust me.

Homemade Snickers Candy Bars

{Print this Recipe!}

For the Bottom Chocolate Layer:
1¼ cups milk chocolate chips
¼ cup creamy peanut butter

For the Nougat Layer:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup evaporated milk
1½ cups marshmallow fluff
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1½ cups salted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Caramel Layer:
14 ounces caramels, unwrapped
¼ cup heavy cream

For the Top Chocolate Layer:
1¼ cups milk chocolate chips
¼ cup creamy peanut butter

Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper; set aside.

Make the Bottom Chocolate Layer: Melt together the chocolate chips and peanut butter in the microwave on 50% power until completely smooth and melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour into the prepared baking dish and, using a spatula, smooth into an even layer. Refrigerate until completely cool and hard, about 30 minutes.

Make the Nougat Layer: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and evaporated milk, stirring until dissolved, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and add the marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and vanilla extract, stirring until completely smooth. Fold in the peanuts, then pour over the bottom chocolate layer. Again, refrigerate until completely cool, about 30 minutes.

Make the Caramel Layer: Combine the caramels and the heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Melt, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Once completely melted, cook for an additional 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour the caramel over the nougat layer. Refrigerate until completely cool, about 30 minutes.

Make the Top Chocolate Layer: Melt together the chocolate chips and peanut butter in the microwave on 50% power until completely smooth and melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour over the caramel layer and, using a spatula, smooth into an even layer. Refrigerate until completely cool and set, 30 to 60 minutes.

Using the parchment liner, remove the bars from the pan and cut into 32 pieces. You can store these in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

I am happy to say this is now all gone at our house {who am I kidding, I'm sad!} and I'm going to force myself to not make it until next year.

Wish me luck.

Oh, and can I give a shout-out to one of my favorite blogs?  Kristen over at Change of Pace, highlighted my blog as one of her Top 5 today.  She's great, check her out!