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Homemade snickers bars are the perfect treat when you want that sweet and salty combination of chocolate, peanut and caramel flavors. Together they make for one delicious bite. My favorite is biting through all the different layers and getting to the smooth, creamy, and crunchy. It is the best of all textures and flavors!
If you are a huge snickers fan like me try these other snickers inspired desserts! snickers brownies, no bake snickers bar pie or snickers cheesecake bars.
Homemade Snickers Bar
Remember when I told you I hated chocolate? Yeah, I was a weird and deprived child. Snickers are what broke me of my hate for chocolate. Now I can make them at home? This spells trouble. I started eating Snickers in high school. But I would seriously peel the chocolate off and eat the caramel and nougat. That is how much I hated chocolate but loved the inside of a Snickers. By my senior year, I started to get lazy and would just eat the entire bar with the chocolate. My love for Snickers goes waaaaaay back. They have always been my #1 candybar.
My favorite part of a Snickers bar is still the nougat. It is so creamy and I love the peanuts inside. Of course my second favorite part is the caramel. But, I am obsessed with caramel. These Homemade Snickers Bars taste just like the real deal. I couldn’t believe it! They are absolutely fantastic. These are another one of my favorite things from my blog that will be served on a silver platter when I die. 🙂
Snickers Bar Ingredients:
Top and Bottom Layers:
- Milk chocolate chips: These will go in the top and bottom layer, so be sure to choose a high-quality chocolate.
- Peanut butter: It doesn’t matter what kind of peanut butter you get but choose one you love because it will be in the top bottom and nougat layer.
Nougat Center:
- Butter: Use unsalted since you will also be adding salty peanuts and peanut butter.
- Granulated sugar: The sugar will go into the nougat layer to add sweetness to the creamy center
- Evaporated milk: This is a thicker and creamer version of milk.
- Marshmallow fluff: This stuff is so delicious I may or may not lick the spoon when I am done!
- Peanuts: Roughly chopped and salted.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla’s job in the recipe is the same as the salt, to bring out the other flavors in the recipe. Without it the flavors tend to taste flat and bland.
- Peanut Butter: Having the peanut butter in 3 of the 4 layers give this bar that nutty flavor that is so familiar to a snickers bar.
Caramel Layer
- Caramels: Used in the caramel center to add a buttery sweetness.
- Heavy whipping cream: Gives the caramel a lighter consistency.
How to Make a Snickers Bar:
- Prepare the baking pan: Thoroughly grease a 9×13 pan. I lined it with heavy duty aluminum foil and sprayed with cooking spray. This way they just popped right out.
- Make the bottom layer: Add chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave safe dish. Melt them together, stirring after every 30 seconds being careful not to let the chocolate burn. Spread the layer evenly in the bottom of your 9×13 pan. I put each layer in the fridge to let it completely harden. This will help speed up the process because each layer needs to be completely cooled and set.
- Make the nougat layer: Melt the butter over medium high heat in saucepan. Add the milk and sugar and bring mixture to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes, whisking together occasionally. Add in marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and vanilla stirring until smooth. Take the saucepan off of the heat and fold in the peanuts. Pour over the bottom chocolate layer and spread evenly. Allow to cool completely.
- Make the caramel layer: Melt caramels and heavy whipping cream in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Pour over the nougat layer and allow to cool completely.
- Make the top chocolate layer: Repeat the process from the bottom layer, melting the chocolate and peanut butter in the microwave together stirring 30 seconds at a time until smooth. Pour over and spread evenly over the caramel. Cool bars completely in the fridge. Keep them in fridge until right before serving because the bars will soften. Enjoy!
Extra Tips:
- Best tools to use: These work better when you make them in a bakers quarter sheet, but you can make them in a 9×13 pan.
- Cut with a sharp knife sprayed with non-stick spray. I like to arrange small squares on a serving tray and keep the tray in the fridge until ready to serve.
- How to Store: They need to remain CHILLED. 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 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.
- Whats the best chocolate to use for making candy? Use the absolute BEST chocolate you have access to! I’ve also used Ghirardelli chocolate chips, but they’re harder to find.
- What type of peanut butter to use in making Snickers? Really any type of peanut butter, even the more natural varieties will work just fine in this recipe.
- Working with sticky ingredients:The easiest way to measure out peanut butter in a recipe is with a special measuring cup made to push the peanut butter out when you are done measuring. This makes it so easy! No more 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!
- If you are using a regular measuring cup, put a little bit of oil in the bottom so that the peanut butter will just slide right out when you are done measuring.
More Dessert Bars to Try:
- The Best Carmelites Cookie Bar
- No Bake Butterscotch Bars
- Homemade Twix Bars
- Snickerdoodle Bars Recipe
- Neiman Marcus Bars
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Homemade Snickers Bars
Make delicious Snickers bars right at home! These are fantastic!
Ingredients
Bottom Chocolate Layer
- 1¼ cups milk chocolate chips
- ¼ cup peanut butter
Nougat Layer
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup evaporated milk
- 1½ cups marshmallow fluff
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 1½ cups salted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Caramel Layer
- 1 (14-ounce) bag of caramels
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Top Chocolate Layer
- 1¼ cup milk chocolate chips
- ¼ cup peanut butter
Instructions
Bottom Layer
- Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil then spray it with non-stick cooking spray. This makes the removal of the bars easy!
- Add chocolate chips and peanut butter to a microwave-safe dish. Melt them together, stirring every 30 seconds. Be careful not to let the chocolate burn. Spread the layer evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. I put each layer in the fridge to let it completely harden. This will help speed up the process because each layer needs to be completely cooled and set.
Nougat Layer
- Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Add the milk and sugar and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes, whisking together occasionally.
- Add the marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and vanilla stirring until smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat and fold in the peanuts. Pour over the bottom chocolate layer and spread evenly. Place in the fridge to cool completely.
Caramel Layer
- Melt the caramels and heavy whipping cream in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Pour over the nougat layer and place in the fridge to cool completely.
Top Chocolate Layer
- Melt the chocolate and peanut butter in the microwave together, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Pour over the caramel layer and spread evenly. Cool the bars completely in the fridge. Keep them in the fridge until right before serving because the bars will soften. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Updated on
Originally Posted on November 10, 2013
Nutrition
Calories: 344kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 6gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 134mgPotassium: 168mgFiber: 2gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 151IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
this may come to you twice can I use ice cream thick topping from jar for this thanks e-mail me
Was surprised to see the name “Quast” come up. It was my maiden name. I have had 2 other names since. There are several others in Michigan and Florida.
do u think I could use ice cream thick topping for the carmel and then would u use alone or with the cream. Please e-mail me and let me know thanks
I am not sure on that one. It may still be to thin to act as a layer and just ooze out.
NO! it’s way too runny!
Darn you. You had to go and post this recipe. Snickers are a vice of mine. I mean, I can make a meal of them. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oh, can’t forget dessert! These are FANTABULOUS!!! Thanks for posting Alyssa.
I followed every step exactly, except instead of 1 tsp of vanilla I did 1/2 tsp almond extract and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract -it was actually an accident but came out so so yummy! I was extra careful not to burn any ingredients while melting them and the snickers bars came out perfect!!
These look incredible! Can’t wait to give these a try!
There’s no way in the world I’d ever be able to make these, I can barely boil spaghetti! So can I hire you to make them for me :-)?
You can make them! I believe in you.. 🙂
These look so easy! (And YUMMY!) I have a question though. Why do you grease the pan if you’re just going to line it with foil? That sounds like an unnecessary step. Just wondering.
Grease the pan, IF you don’t use foil. but grease the foil!
silly
made these last night,
1. I found that the nougat gets very hard almost burned (like above lady said) and no way you can add peanuts, maybe a bit less boil time, I made it work and it tasted fine, just not soft like it should have been.
2. I put the peanuts in the melted caramel (much better)
It tastes fine and just have to restrict my consumption or would eat the whole bloody pan…
It could be that Alyssa lives at a high elevation (like me), where it takes longer to cook things. If you live at or near sea level, the nougat layer will cook much more quickly.
Linda
Mine did not burn..No where near it. keep stirring constantly and turn your heat down to medium after it starts to boil.
I just found your snickers recipe( thank you), but couldn’t help noticing how gorgeous you are!
Ohhhh…I developed a peanut allergy later in life and snickers is one thing I really miss! I am so making this with almond butter 😉 Thanks!
Glad you can revise it a bit so you can enjoy again. 🙂
Just made this for Christmas… Super yummy but the nougat layer was tricky. Is it supposed to burn like that?
No I didn’t have a problem with mine burning. The heat could have been too hot?
Caramel. Isn’t Caramel just real butter & Sugar heated through until it changes? Maybe I’m thinking of English Toffee?
Instead of marshmallow fluff could melted marshmallows be used for the nougat?
Have you tried just melting marshmallows?
I just read a comment that said melting marshmallows works the same. 🙂 But I haven’t tried it that way.
This could be so dangerous. I was the opposite of you in high school, more chocolate the better 🙂
Sadly, in the UK at least, by the time you go get all the items you need for this it’s cheaper to go buy a snickers bar (or five)
Good idea but none of these ideas from the USA save money if you live in the UK ;(
but you can keep all the chemicals/bad stuff out of the homemade version!
I was thinking the same thing. 🙂
You can keep the chemicals out – except for the ones in the store bought marshmallow creme 🙁
It makes a ton of them, but, yes, it can get costly. I just happen to have everything BUT the caramels in my pantry, so it’s not bad.
SO WORTH IT!! SPLURGE!!
Snickers are my favorite candy bar too. These look incredible and I love that you used marshmallow fluff in the nougat.
I just found your blog through your Cherry Pie Bar recipe. I can’t wait to try it.! I’ve subscribed to your blog because of it :). What I really loved about that blog post were the other things you wrote about it in 2012.
You gave it a difficulty rating, things you would change and do differently, and if you would make it again. I would love it if you would continue with that. I found that so helpful.
This recipe, while delicious, looks a bit difficult, I’m not a cook who has the patience to muddle through a time consuming recipe.
I just made them. They really are easy. Really! Trust me, you won’t be disappoint. They are so rich, I cut them into one inch squares, they lasted a whole month in the fridge. Now they are all gone 🙁 SO I AM MAKING MORE, RIGHT SNICKER NOW!