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A challah braid is the most traditional form of challah breads, with the braided presentation turning the egg-y dough into a work of art. Challah Dough 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 to 2 tablespoons (9 to 18 grams) poppy seeds Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide dough in […] LEGGI TUTTO
Photography by Joann Pai / Styling by Linda Lomelino With a more-than-700-year history, the almond-and-cream-filled buns most commonly known today as semlor have been through many changes. Like king cake in parts of the United States, semlor are enjoyed between the Christian holidays of Christmas and Ash Wednesday, though, traditionally, they’re meant to be served […] LEGGI TUTTO
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These Easy Slow Cooker Peanut Clusters are deliciously salty-sweet and packed with peanuts. This recipe makes more than 6 dozen, so there’s plenty to share for the holidays.
Easy Slow Cooker Peanut Clusters
This post was originally published 10/30/2009.
This recipe is our family favorite that I’ve been making for more than a decade. I first posted it here in October 2009, just one month into my first year of blogging. It comes from our family friend, Ms. Bobbie Ivey. She was a special lady who was well known for her confections in our home town. She would sell them during Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas holidays.
These peanut clusters were one of her most popular sweets. They appeal to all ages. In fact, my mom just made batch this week for the children’s program at her church. They are old-fashioned and hearty – so simple to whip up for a big gathering, and one batch makes 150 small clusters, or 75 large.
Candy-coated.
Confectioners’ coating goes by many names: almond bark, candy coating, or you may recognize name brands like Candiquik. You can usually find it in 24 oz. blocks at the grocery store in the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips. You’ll need two packages of chocolate, and two of vanilla.
Break up the blocks of candy and place them in a large slow cooker. Turn the crockpot to low and cover with the lid. Stir occasionally until the candy is completely melted and smooth.
You may be asking – why not use real chocolate bars? I asked this same question before I made my first batch so long ago. So, I tried a batch with semisweet chocolate and the end result was just too rich and very expensive. The cocoa powder in the chocolate candy coating is just enough flavor without being aggressive. And the vanilla coating adds a creaminess. The creamy flavor is a big part of what draws you in, contrasting the salty peanuts.
The peanuts.
When the candy is melted add the peanuts. You’ll need two 16 oz. containers of roasted, salted peanuts, and two roasted, unsalted. Now, sometimes I’ll just use what I have on hand. Which may be 3/4 salted peanuts and 1/4 unsalted. Or any ratio thereof. Do try to use at least 1/4 unsalted peanuts give these clusters balanced flavor. Some brands of roasted peanuts are very salty, indeed.
Stir until all the peanuts are coated and turn the slow cooker to WARM. Setting the temp to warm ensures the candy stays melted while you dip.
You’ll notice when you stir everything together, that the candy coating is more like a dressing for the peanuts. It’s just enough melted candy to hold all those peanuts together.
Cover a large work surface with parchment paper (or waxed paper) and – get to dippin! These days I use a cookie scoop to make uniform clusters. Two dips with this scoop make one large cluster. A standard trigger ice cream scoop makes them a little too large, unless you’re aiming for jumbo clusters.
Candy coating sets up more quickly than chocolate at room temperature (about 70F). When the clusters lose their shine and become matte, peel them off the paper and store airtight. If storing them in Tupperware, separate layers with waxed paper.
I always love revisiting this recipe. It’s easy and inexpensive considering the high yield, and everybody loves them. I hope you will too.
(Check out another of our friend Bobbie’s recipes here: Strawberry Delight)
Easy Slow Cooker Peanut Clusters
Heather Baird
This high yield recipe is quick and easy, perfect when you need a crowd-pleasing candy – it’s thrifty too! We always have a batch on the dessert buffet next to the fudge and bourbon balls at Christmastime. Two or four large clusters, packaged in cellophane and tied with festive ribbon makes a lovely homespun gift.
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Prep Time 30 minsCook Time 35 mins1 hour setting time 1 hrTotal Time 2 hrs 5 mins
Course DessertCuisine American
Servings 75
Equipmentslow cooker largeparchment papercookie scoop optional
Ingredients US CustomaryMetric 24 oz. package chocolate candy coating (chocolate almond bark)24 oz. package vanilla candy coating (white almond bark)32 oz. dry roasted salted peanuts two 16 oz. containers32 oz. dry roasted unsalted peanuts two 16 oz. containers
Instructions Place both chocolate and vanilla candy coating in a large slow cooker and turn to low setting. Cover with the lid.Stir occasionally to encourage even melting of the candies. Stir mixture until both candies are combined with no white streaks of candy remaining.Pour peanuts over the mixture and stir until peanuts are coated. Turn slow cooker to WARM setting.Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment or wax paper. Scoop heaping tablespoons for 150 small clusters, or two heaping tablespoons for 75 large. Allow to set completely, approximately 1 hour.Store candies air-tight in Tupperware between sheets of waxed paper, or package in cellophane bags with twist ties or ribbon for gifting.Candy will keep well airtight for up to 2 weeks, or longer if refrigerated.
NotesUse a cookie scoop (4 teaspoon capacity) and scoop two level scoops for the perfect size large cluster.
I think these clusters are perfect as-is, but if you’d like to boost the chocolate flavor, add 1 cup of semisweet chips to the melted candy coating. Mix until melted, then pour in peanuts. This will help temper the semisweet chocolate, and avoid any clouding (fat bloom).
You could make these with real chocolate bars; however, the end result will be very rich, and you’d need 21 bars (4 oz. each) for the required 84 oz. Very expensive these days.
Keyword candiquik, candy coating, christmas candy, confectioners’ coating, dry roasted salted peanuts, millionaire candy, old fashioned peanut clusters, roasted unsalted peanuts, slow cooker peanut clusters
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1 Salt roast and let sit at room temp: Remove the beef roast from the refrigerator 3 hours before you start to cook it. Sprinkle it with salt all over and let it sit, loosely wrapped in the butcher paper. Roasts should be brought close to room temperature before they go into the oven, to ensure more even cooking.
2 Tie roast with kitchen string: If your butcher hasn’t already done so, cut the bones away from the roast and tie them back on to the roast with kitchen string. This will make it much easier to carve the roast, while still allowing you to stand the roast on the rib bones while cooking.
3 Preheat oven, season roast: Preheat your oven to 500°F (or the highest temp your oven reaches less than 500°F). Pat the roast dry with paper towels (pre-salting should have made the roast release some moisture), and sprinkle the roast all over with salt and pepper.
4 Place the roast fat side up and rib bones down in a roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer (oven proof) into the thickest part of the roast, making sure that the thermometer isn’t touching a bone.
5 Brown roast at high temperature: Brown the roast at a 500°F temperature in the oven for 15 minutes.
6 Lower oven temp to finish roasting: Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. To figure out the total cooking time, allow about 11-12 minutes per pound for rare and 13-15 minutes per pound for medium rare.
The actual cooking time will depend on the shape of the roast, how chilled your roast still is when it goes into the oven, and your particular oven. A flatter roast will cook more quickly than a thicker one. A chilled roast will take more time than one closer to room temp.
There are so many variables involved that affect cooking time, this is why you should use a meat thermometer. A prime rib roast is too expensive to “wing it”. Error on the rare side, you can always put the roast back in the oven to cook it more if it is too rare for your taste.
Roast in oven until thermometer registers 115°F for rare or 120°-130°F for medium. (The internal temperature of the roast will continue to rise after you take the roast out of the oven.)
Check the temperature of the roast using a meat thermometer an hour before you expect the roast to be done. For example, with a 10 pound roast, you would expect 2 hours of total cooking time for rare (15 minutes at 500° and 1 3/4 hours at 325°). In this case, check after 1 hour 15 minutes of total cooking time, or 1 hour after you lowered the oven temp to 325°. (A benefit of using a remote thermometer is that you don’t have to keep checking the roast, you’ll be able to see exactly what the temperature is by looking at the thermometer outside of the oven.)
If the roast is cooking too quickly at this point, lower the oven temperature to 200°F.
7 Let the roast rest: Once the roast has reached the temperature you want, remove it from the oven and place it on a carving board. Cover it with foil and let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes before carving. The internal temperature of the roast will continue to rise while the roast is resting.
8 Cut away strings, remove bones, slice roast: Cut away the strings that were used to hold the roast to the rack of rib bones. Remove the bones (you can save them to make stock for soup if you want.)
Then, using a sharp carving knife, slice meat across the grain for serving, making the slices about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick.
9 Make the gravy
To make the gravy, remove the roast from the pan. Remove excess fat, leaving 1/4 cup of fat plus the browned drippings and meat juices in the roasting pan.
Place the roasting pan on the stove top on medium high heat. Use a metal spatula to scrape up drippings that might be sticking to the pan.
When the fat is bubbly, sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over the fat and drippings in the pan.
Stir with a wire whisk to incorporate the flour into the fat. Let the flour brown (more flavor that way and you don’t have the taste of raw flour in your gravy.)
Slowly add 3 to 4 cups of water, milk, stock, or beer to the gravy. Continue to cook slowly and whisk constantly, breaking up any flour lumps.
The gravy will simmer and thicken, resulting in about 2 cups of gravy. (If you want less gravy, start with less fat and flour, and add less liquid.)
Season the gravy with salt and pepper and herbs to taste. (See also How to Make Gravy.) LEGGI TUTTO
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This easy fruitcake is perfect for the holidays. It’s light, tender, and full of dried fruits and nuts. Sprinkle the loaf with brandy, or leave it out! Either way, this fruit cake is a welcome addition to the holiday table.
Photography Credit: Elise Bauer
Are you a fruitcake lover? Though this traditional holiday cake is often maligned (I guess some people don’t like candied fruit?), it’s wonderful when well prepared.
This fruitcake is our family’s favorite, packed with dates, walnuts, raisins, and glazed cherries. Think raisin bread, on steroids. The recipe comes from the wife of a family friend, Patricia, who for years sent us a loaf every Christmas.
We usually have to make at least two loaves—one to eat right away because we just can’t wait, and the other to sprinkle with brandy and save for Christmas day. These loaves also make terrific gifts.
Video! The Best Holiday Fruitcake
How to Make Fruitcake
Fruitcake is really just like any other quick bread or loaf cake, only with a lot more fruit and nuts added. You make a simple cake batter, stir in the fruits and nuts, and bake until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
The resulting cake is dense and looks like a beautiful mosaic when sliced, with fruits and nuts in every bite.
You can sprinkle the cake with liquor (we like brandy), or leave it alcohol-free. The liquor will make the fruitcake more moist, and will help it last longer.
Tips for the Best Fruit Cake
Toss the fruits and nuts in flour before mixing them into the batter. This will help keep them evenly distributed throughout the cake during baking.
Place a pan of water in the oven alongside the fruitcake. This will help with a more even, gentle cooking.
It’s best to slice this fruitcake with a knife with a serrated edge, such as a bread knife.
How Long Does Fruitcake Last?
Fruitcake lasts longer than most other cakes because it is filled with nuts and candied fruit. It will last even longer if you sprinkle it with a spirit like brandy. Just keep it tightly wrapped.
Without brandy, the cake will last tightly wrapped a week or more.
With brandy, the cake can last a month or more.
How to Store and Freeze Fruitcake
Cool the fruitcake completely, poke a few holes in the top of the cake and sprinkle it with brandy if desired. Wrap the loaf tightly with aluminum foil and store it on the counter.
To freeze, wrap the loaf in plastic and then in aluminum foil and freeze for up to three months.
More Festive Holiday Treats
Updated December 20, 2020 : We added a new video to help you make the best fruitcake ever. No changes to the original recipe.
Best Holiday Fruitcake Recipe
Best to slice this fruitcake with a knife with a serrated edge, such as a bread knife.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (236 ml) full fat sour cream
1 cup (130 g) chopped dates
2 cups (280 g) raisins
1/2 cup (75 g) chopped glazed cherries (can sub dried sweetened cranberries)
1 cup (100 g) chopped walnuts
2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour [divided into 1/4 cup (30 g) and 1 3/4 cups (130 g)]
1/2 cup butter (1 stick, 113 g)
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
Grated rind of one orange
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 ounces (30 to 60 ml) brandy (optional)
Method
1 Preheat the oven and prepare the pan: Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with greased parchment paper or brown baking paper, cut to fit the pan.
Place one piece to run the length of the pan and stand up above the rim about an inch. Place the other piece or pieces to cover the other sides. When the cake comes out of the oven, you can easily remove it by holding the sides of the paper and lifting the cake out of the pan.
2 Mix together sour cream and baking soda: In a small bowl, mix together the baking soda and sour cream; set aside.
3 Toss the fruits and nuts with flour: Combine the dates, raisins, cherries, and nuts with 1/4 cup of the flour and toss to coat the fruit and nuts. Set aside.
4 Make the fruitcake batter: Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the egg, then the orange rind, then the sour cream/baking soda mix.
Add the flour and the salt and mix together. Combine fruit/nut mixture with creamed ingredients and mix well to distribute the fruit and nuts evenly.
5 Bake the fruitcake: Scoop the batter into a prepared 5×9-inch loaf pan, and press down to even the surface.
Place the batter-filled pan into the preheated oven. Place a separate pan of water in the oven either on a rack underneath the fruitcake or beside it. (The water will help with a more even, gentle cooking.)
Bake at 325°F (160°C) for approximately 1 1/2 hours to 1 3/4 hours, or until the internal temperature is between 205°F and 209°F, and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Water may need to be replenished during baking. If the top of the fruitcake is getting too browned as it bakes, tent it with some foil.
6 Cool on a rack: Remove to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan. Let cool completely.
Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum to store. If you want, poke a few holes over the top of the cake and sprinkle on a few ounces of brandy or bourbon. This will make the fruitcake more moist and will help it last longer.
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Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family’s recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
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