HOMEMADE SNICKERS BARS

Snickers Bars made easy with caramel bits, a simple marshmallow nougat, peanuts & chocolate. Make a whole pan of your favorite candy bar to share!

Homemade Snickers Bars are pretty much a dream come true! I found this recipe in an old family cookbook from ages ago. I have no idea why I waited so long to make it because these are incredible! Don’t let the instructions scare you away- there are several steps but they’re simple to do and an entire tray of Homemade Snickers Bars comes together in less than 30 minutes.

I’ll first give the complete list of ingredients you need, then I’ll break it down into each step/ layer below.

What ingredients do you need to make Snickers Bars?

Here’s what we used:

• 2 cups chocolate chips– semi sweet works best (divided into two 1 cup portions)
• ¾ cup peanut butter– I haven’t had good luck with natural varieties, just fyi! (divided into three 1/4 cup portions)
• ¼ cup butter– I use salted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup evaporated milk or heavy whipping cream (divided into two 1/4 cup portions)
• 7 oz tub marshmallow cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 ½ cups salted peanuts
• 1 bag caramel bits (11 oz)

How to make Snickers Bars

Line a 9×13 pan (or quarter baking sheet like I used) with parchment paper. Make space in your freezer for the pan. You will be putting it in the freezer and pulling it back out several times.

First you make the bottom chocolate layer, then the nougat layer, then the caramel layer, then the top chocolate layer.

You can have several steps going on at once. I get my chocolate chips + peanut butter together in a bowl, ready to be melted and spread onto the bottom of the pan. I’ve also got my caramel bits + milk in a bowl, ready to be melted, as well as my butter + sugar + milk in a saucepan ready to be placed on the stove for the nougat layer. Spray the 1/4 cup measuring cup with cooking spray so that your peanut butter comes out easily each time.

How to make the bottom chocolate layer

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips + 1/4 cup peanut butter in the microwave for about 1 minute 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, then spread on the bottom of the pan. Put pan in freezer.

How to make the nougat layer

Put butter, sugar and 1/4 cup evaporated milk in a small saucepan. Begin heating on medium heat, stirring occasionally as the butter melts and the mixture combines. Measure out 1/4 cup peanut butter and set aside. Continue heating mixture. When it comes to a boil, set timer for 6 minutes.

After 6 minutes, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter, the marshmallow cream and the vanilla. Stir until smooth. This is where it starts to even smell like a Snickers Bar! Take pan out of freezer and pour nougat on top of chilled chocolate. Smooth over chocolate until layer is even. Return to freezer.

How to make the caramel layer

Melt caramels + 1/4 cup evaporated milk in the microwave for 1 minute, adding 30 second increments as needed until caramels melt and mixture is combined.

Take pan out of freezer. Measure out 1 1/2 cups salted peanuts and pour evenly over the top. Use clean hands to gently press peanuts into nougat. Pour caramel mixture over the top of the peanuts. Return pan to freezer.

How to make the top chocolate layer

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips + 1/4 cup peanut butter in the microwave for about 1 minute 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, then spread on top of the caramel, until even.

Return pan to freezer for about 20 minutes. Cut into squares while bars are still cold. (this makes cutting nice and even!)

Bars need to be stored in the fridge, but will still maintain their shape even when left out for a couple hours. They do get soft though, which is why I prefer to store them in the fridge.

How to melt chocolate chips

I prefer to melt chocolate chips in the microwave because it is so fast and easy. Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe dish (I like to use a glass Pyrex measuring cup) and then microwave for about 45 seconds. Stir the chocolate chips around and then return to the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir again.

Even if the chocolate chips aren’t completely melted, just keep stirring and see if they will melt all the way. If they still aren’t melted, microwave for another 15 seconds and stir again. You just want to be careful not to microwave the chocolate chips too long because then the chocolate will seize and be unusable.

You can also melt the chocolate chips over the stove in a saucepan. Just turn the heat to low and stir the chocolate chips just until melted.

What’s the best chocolate to use for making candy?

Use the absolute BEST chocolate you have access to! Especially for this recipe where there are only 3 ingredients, each one really counts. I used semi sweet chocolate chips for this recipe. I’ve also used Ghirardelli chocolate chips, but they’re harder to find.

What kind of peanut butter to use in homemade Snickers Bars?

Really any type of peanut butter, even the more natural varieties will work just fine in this recipe.

The easiest way to measure out peanut butter in a recipe is with a measuring cup like this one. You can measure the peanut butter and push it out so easily without trying to scrape it all out of a regular measuring cup! These measuring cups work so well for peanut butter, honey, shortening…I use mine all the time!

What type of caramel is best for baking?

I prefer to buy either unwrapped caramel bits OR the caramel pieces in a bag that are specifically for baking, because the outer wrapper comes off really easily. Those small square caramels in the clear plastic wrapper are such a pain to unwrap! You can find the baking caramels on end caps, on the baking aisle or often in the produce section by the apples.

For the love of Chocolate!

Enjoy more of our favorite chocolate recipes:

If you enjoyed these Snickers Bars, you’ll love our Tiger Butter, which has just a few ingredients! Another chocolate treat with just a few ingredients with a different flavor is our Mint Oreo Balls.

Feel like baking? Make these Chocolate Chip Banana Bars stat!

We make a batch of Peanut Butter Fudge every Christmas! Same with these Chocolate Orange Sticks.

Decadence knows no bounds with our Adams Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple cheesecake.

Homemade Snickers Bars recipe makes you love your favorite candy bar even more. These chocolate peanut butter bars are surprisingly easy to make and melt in your mouth tasty!