Homemade Snickers Candy Bars

Sharing our take on your favorite childhood candy bar with these Homemade Snickers Candy Bars! Each bar is layered with a smooth dark chocolate coating, homemade nougat, creamy caramel that has dry roasted peanuts mixed in, additional dark chocolate on top, and then each bar is finished with flaky sea salt or crushed peanuts! Every single bite of one of these delicious candy bars is chewy, crunchy, sweet, nutty, hinted throughout with vanilla, extra chocolate-y, and honestly just SO. GOOD. There is absolutely nothing better than these homemade Snickers! Bonus? These candy bars are gluten-free and taste 10x better than anything you could buy at the store! Yes, I do promise that these are that good!

About The Recipe

Happy Friday everyone! We have finally made it to the weekend and I could not be more excited for today.

No work, just a few relaxing nights, and a couple of days where we can just chill and have some fun. I’m excited! And, we are definitely making this weekend a little sweeter with our take on everyone’s favorite candy bar! Seriously, how can you not love a Snickers?

Ever since I was little, my mom and I have always had fun recreating some of our favorite candies. From almond joys to classic truffles…but Snickers bars have always been on that wish-list of candies to make. It’s one of our absolute favorites. So, we decided to finally give it a try!

Let me tell you, by far, this was the hardest recipe we have ever tried to make. It took two full weeks of recipe development and experimental makings to finally get this candy bar perfect.

The first (and main) problem we had with making these was all of our thermometers were not working. Yes, I do mean they literally didn’t work. Most of them were off by over 20 degrees…we even had one melt!

So, the first couple of experimental batches of snickers were, to say the least, not good. The candy was either under cooked or so over cooked that it could break your teeth.

Working thermometers are important. Thankfully, we found the only thermometer in our possession that gave us an accurate reading. It made making the caramel and the nougat so. much. easier.

Still, we had to get the flavors right…on top of dealing with broken thermometers.

We tried so many different ideas, but none of these truly just made you want to dive bake in for more. So, we kept it simple.

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Simple, as they say, is almost always better. The flavors were finally right after the third attempt! These bars are sweet, nutty, creamy, and just so. good.

Oh, and by no means is this recipe actually easy. It’s definitely easier than it was when we first started testing, but candy is a lot of hard work. You have to make sure everything is done at the right time. There are so many moving parts to this recipe that it can definitely be overwhelming.

But, in the end, it’s so worth it and having the right tools is a necessity. If you don’t have what you need, this recipe won’t be possible. Trust me, we learned the hard way!

Fourteen days of trial and error…but we finally have, what I believe to be, the best Snickers bar recipe ever!

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowl
• Large Pot(s)
• Thermometer Spatula
• 9 Inch Square Pan
• Parchment Paper
• Cooking Spray
• Sharp Knife/Rocker

Ingredients

For The Nougat:

• Egg Whites
• Sugar
• Corn Syrup
• Water
• Butter
• Vanilla

For The Peanut Caramel:

• Butter
• Sugar
• Corn Syrup
• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Heavy Cream
• Whole Milk
• Vanilla
• Dry Roasted Peanuts

For The Chocolate Coating:

• Bittersweet Chocolate
• Vegetable Oil

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip egg whites until medium peaks form. About 3-5 minutes.

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Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium sized pot and place over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, occasionally brushing down sides with a pastry brush dipped in warm water. Continue to cook until candy reaches 270 degrees.

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With the mixer on high speed, slowly pour the liquid into the whipped egg whites. Beat for 3 minutes. Add the butter one pad at a time. Pour in the vanilla.

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Quickly transfer the nougat into a heavily greased and lined 9 inch pan. Use a rubber spatula to spread the mixture to create a level base. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, combine butter, sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, and heavy cream in a large pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the temperature reaches 240.

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Immediately take off the heat and stir in vanilla and peanuts.

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Quickly pour the caramel over the nougat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the caramel is cool and set.

When the caramel cools and is set, take out of the pan and cut into small bars. This recipe should make 30. Place the bars back into the fridge.

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Once the caramel firms back up, go ahead and combine chocolate and vegetable oil in a glass bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between each, until the chocolate is melted. About 1 minute 30 seconds total. If you are going to use tempered chocolate, ignore this step.

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Using a fork (or chocolate dipping tools), dip the filling into your chocolate. Tap excess chocolate off and place on a line sheet pan. Repeat until all 30 bars are coated. You will probably need to refrigerate the bars a few times before you’re done dipping them. Depending on weather and the temperature inside your house, your caramel could become too soft to dip. So, you would need to refrigerate for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the caramel has firmed up enough to work with.

Cut off excess chocolate with a sharp knife and feel free to decorate the candy bars with chopped peanuts, extra chocolate drizzle, or even flaked salt!

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What Kind of Chocolate To Use

Snickers Bars are traditionally coated in a milk chocolate. This provides an extra layer of sweet creaminess to the bar. But, have you ever really had more than a few bites of a snickers? They can get very sweet…very quickly. So, how do we combat this?

Well, in the recipe we call for a bittersweet chocolate. If you aren’t familiar with what this means, it’s basically a dark chocolate, but with sweeter tones to it. So, if you aren’t a fan of dark chocolate because of its richer and deeper flavor (less sweet), you may prefer the bittersweet! It has the same rich and deep flavors as a dark chocolate, but lends itself to a bit sweeter side.

Of course, this recipe is to taste. If you prefer milk chocolate, go ahead and use it! If you think Snickers can be too sweet at times, try a bittersweet chocolate!

Do Temperatures Have To Be Exact?

In this recipe, yes. Candy is very finicky and it’s hard to perfect. The temperatures we have provided in the recipe are the only way to get a soft and chewy bar that isn’t too chewy, but also isn’t too hard. One degree over or below could be detrimental to the nougat or caramel. Trust me, we learned this the hard way!

Speaking of the hard way, be sure to conduct some tests on your thermometers before making these candies. If they’re a few degrees off, it’ll cause the whole recipe to be off and not work.

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What To Make With Leftover Snickers Bars

Okay, now that these candies are made, you might have a few more than you can eat by yourself…So, let’s turn them into something else! You can stir them into some vanilla ice cream, a brownie batter, or even a cookie! The possibilities are pretty much limitless. My mom and I love to make a good milkshake from them!

How To Store

These bars are better kept at room temperature in individual bags. They will keep for about a week or so. If you are not using tempered chocolate, the chocolate may become soft and start to bloom. It’s still completely edible, but won’t be as pretty.

Expert Tips

• When making the nougat, do not use a plastic bowl in the mixer. Make sure it’s metal because when you pour in the liquid sugar, it will be very hot.
• A spatula/thermometer combo will be your best friend in this recipe! It makes things so much easier.
• Work quickly. Once the nougat and the caramel are taken off the heat, they will begin to firm up.
• The nougat has to refrigerate overnight to set.
• Temperatures have to be exact on this recipe. Be sure to test how accurate your thermometer is before beginning.
• You may need to wear oven mitts to keep your hand from getting too hot when making the caramel.
• A sharp knife is needed to cut the bars. I highly recommend a bialetti because this allows you to distribute pressure and cut better.
• The fridge is your friend with this recipe. The nougat and caramel can become soft during the dipping process. If it becomes too soft, it will almost be impossible to dip. So, if you feel the caramel or nougat softening, put it back in the fridge!
• These candies are much better at room temperature. The candy on the inside becomes firm when cold and almost impossible to eat. When the candies are warm/room temperature they’re much more pleasurable and easier to eat!

When you make these Homemade Snickers Candy Bars, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.