Home ยป Quick & Easy Holiday Dessert #1: Crock Pot Peanut Clusters

Quick & Easy Holiday Dessert #1: Crock Pot Peanut Clusters

I think it’s true that everyone makes time for what matters most to them. For me, that’s Lily, cooking, and exercise. For Mr. Prevention, that’s sleep and some more sleep. I wish dishes and back massages for his wife were what mattered most for my better half, but I think that’s the name of the husband game…am I right???

People ask me a lot where I find the time to cook every night, and truthfully, I have the time most nights. On busy nights, I make the time. Mr. Prevention will often tell me, “Don’t feel like you HAVE to cook every night, we can always order take-out or grab something from the freezer.” Although we don’t have kiddos, I think that home-cooked meals are an ESSENTIAL part of proper nutrition, education for children (and adults), weight management, and family togetherness. Family meal time with wholesome, homemade meals is important to me and the well-being of myself and my loved ones.

And while I enjoy culinary challenges, not everything homemade (or healthy) has to be difficult or time-consuming. I am simply a self-professed foodie and don’t mind a bit of elbow grease going into dinner. 😉

Baking, however, is not my forté. So when my mother-in-law shared some of their easy traditional holiday treats, I jotted the recipes down stat! If my memory is serving me correct, these peanut clusters are my father-in-law’s favorite. I have a feeling that between Christmas gifts, cookie exchanges, and Mr. Prevention, I’ll be making more of these before we head home for the holidays. 🙂 And that won’t be a hassle or create a big mess because they’re made in the crock pot! And they’re EASY!

Crock Pot Peanut Clusters recipe from my MIL

2 pounds white almond bark/candy coating
1 pkg (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
24 oz dry roasted peanuts

Directions:

Put all three chocolates into a crock pot (breaking up the bark into smaller blocks, if needed) on high for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Turn crock pot down to low and stir in peanuts. Spoon mixture onto parchment paper in 2 tablespoon heaps. Allow to cool and harder before storing in an air-tight container. Yield: 60 clusters.

Nutrition Information (per cluster): 173 calories; 11.5 g. fat; 1.1 mg. cholesterol; 87 mg. sodium; 15.1 g. carbohydrate; 1.4 g. fiber; 3.8 g. protein

Result: An easy, delicious classic! They’re also budget-friendly, especially this time of year with all the discounts in the baking aisle. There’s nothing healthy about peanut clusters, but it’s the holidays…I stick with the portion control approach 😉 Enjoy!

Question: What’s your all-time favorite holiday goodie?

More baking today, a long longish 5-mile run, a few errands, and Illini basketball tonight!

We will also be re-tasting all of the chili contest entries and determining a winner, to be announced tomorrow! 😀 The chili samples are defrosting in the fridge now!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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23 Comments

  1. Mo'Betta
    December 4, 2010 / 7:16 am

    Thanks for sharing another great crock-pot time saver! I love using the crockpot, and these sound so easy. My son and I are allergic to peanuts ๐Ÿ™ , but these would be great to add to gift baskets, etc. Or I could sub almonds or walnuts for ME! My all time favorite holiday goodie is old-fashioned FUDGE!

  2. Mr.Weightloss
    December 4, 2010 / 8:13 am

    Thank you so much for sharing it. YUmmy!!

  3. Mr.Weightloss
    December 4, 2010 / 8:14 am

    Thank you so much for sharing it. Yummy

  4. Anna
    December 4, 2010 / 8:51 am

    I agree– cooking is something that isn’t always easy to make time for. But– I think the benefits of a homecooked meal vs. takeout or frozen food far outweigh the effort!

  5. CaSaundra
    December 4, 2010 / 9:15 am

    This is SUCH a neat recipe–I’ve never heard of melting chocolate in a crock pot, but hey, why not?! Tell your MIL thanks for sharing! ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Andrea@WellnessNotes
    December 4, 2010 / 9:40 am

    The peanut clusters sound great! And I think they may be easy enough so that I won’t mess them up… ๐Ÿ˜‰

    You are so right that we all make time for what matters most us. And family meals are so important. When we eat well, I feel so much better, and my day/week goes much better.

    Have a great weekend!

  7. Amy @ Second City Randomness
    December 4, 2010 / 9:43 am

    Those are a total holiday thing for me. My uncle makes them every year. It’s expected. And even when they decide to do Christmas on the other side of the family, he sends them along with someone else to make sure we get our fill. ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Roz
    December 4, 2010 / 10:08 am

    Hello, found your blog via a link from Kitchen Adventures. Just wanted to stop by and say how much I enjoy it. I’ve bookmarked it now and will visit regularly. Thanks for the great recipes, and including nutritional info! Have a good weekend.

  9. Trish
    December 4, 2010 / 1:24 pm

    I usually make something similar to this, but have never tried it in a crock pot. I’m going to try it this way. I can totally work on my other baking while everything else is melting away in the crock pot. I love it ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Georgie Fear
    December 4, 2010 / 1:26 pm

    My favorite goody is peppermint hot cocoa! Mmmmmmmm. ๐Ÿ™‚ So good.

    I imagine licking the crockpot is pretty fun after making this recipe, huh?

    Georgie Fear RD
    http://www.AskGeorgie.com

  11. Heather @ Get Healthy With Heather
    December 4, 2010 / 2:59 pm

    What a great idea using the crockpot! I made some chocolate and carob peanut clusters a while back. It’s such an easy treat to make, and I keep them in my fridge for whenever I get a chocolate craving.

  12. Cookin' Canuck
    December 4, 2010 / 5:07 pm

    I love that you can make these treats in the crockpot. What a great idea for the holidays!

  13. Steph from A Nutritious Plate
    December 4, 2010 / 7:55 pm

    Mmmm I love peanuts and I love chocolate — this is the perfect recipe for me.

  14. Joanne
    December 4, 2010 / 8:21 pm

    My classmates often ask me the same thing about finding time to cook. But it’s such a huge priority that I don’t even think about it! The time magically appears and if I have one hour less to study for an exam, then so be it. It’s totally worth it.

    These nut clusters look delicious! I wonder if you could mix and match the nuts so you have a medley…

  15. Kristi Rimkus
    December 4, 2010 / 11:13 pm

    I love this use for my slow cooker. Very inventive, and delicious too!

  16. The Candid RD
    December 5, 2010 / 7:26 am

    These are so similar to a recipe I will be posting next week!! They sound so delicious. Mine use almonds instead of peanuts though, and they include blueberries. Either way, both recipes are simple and delicious (or at least they LOOK delicious!!).

    Are we getting together before x-mas, I can’t remember if we decided?? At least for coffee or something. Or, more shopping? I know we discussed it but did we decide?

  17. Erika
    December 5, 2010 / 8:52 am

    Peanuts and Chocolate – my favorite flavor combo! ๐Ÿ™‚

  18. Jenny
    December 5, 2010 / 10:25 am

    My mom makes chocolate covered pretzel sticks around the holidays; so yummy! Those clusters look scrumptious ๐Ÿ™‚

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