No-bake Snickers Candy Bars Recipe

homemade no-bake Snickers candy bars with caramel peanut butter nougat

It’s all about melting and layering to create no-bake Snickers candy bars with caramel, peanut butter nougat, dry roasted peanuts, a note of butterscotch, all coated with milk chocolate. And quite frankly, I think this homemade version is better than what you can buy off a shelf in a store.

Sometimes, the trade-off to making no-bake bars is having a few extra dishes to wash. But these candy bars are totally worth a sink-full of pots and spreaders. And a fork. You want to use a fork to drag lines in the soft chocolate for a fun pattern on the top of your bars.

no-bake Snickers candy bars chocolate caramel peanut butter nougat butterscotch roasted peanuts

This recipe card has lasted longer than my first marriage. My former sister-in-law Sue gave me this recipe in the early 90s when I was in my early 20s. I can’t imagine I had much intention of making my own pan since I didn’t really bake much back then. Fast forward 30 years and I’m glad I stuck it away in my roll-top recipe box.

Other than Snickers candy bars, what other candy bars do you want to make at home? A few of my favorite candy bars are Take 5 and WHATCHAMACALLIT. The closest thing I make to WHATCHAMACALLIT candy bars is probably Special K bars.

Special K bars butterscotch peanut butter chocolate

Another one of my favorite candy bars is Pearson’s Maple Bun Candy Bars. You can make them at home with my recipe.

Pearson's Maple Bun candy bars recipe

I published Sue’s recipe to no-bake Snickers candy bars nine years ago. I know a few of you have made these many times since then and they’ve become a family favorite (Mary S.!). The recipe is the same but I made them recently for a donation and I wanted to share it again. I’ve learned it works well to cut them into skinny bars and wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Then freeze and enjoy whenever you have a hankering for a Snickers bars. You can easily get 30 bars out of a pan.

It turns out, Sue had a lot of good recipes. I still make her Mexican hot dish, now known as my walking taco casserole.

Mexican hot dish walking taco hot dish

Sweet wishes,

More recipes for homemade Snickers bars:

No-bake Snickers Candy Bars

Staci at Random Sweets
Layers of caramel, peanut butter nougat, chocolate, peanuts and hint of butterscotch—homemade Snickers bars are better than the real thing.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 30
Calories 250 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips, divided
  • ½ cup butterscotch chips, divided
  • ¾ cup crunchy peanut butter, divided
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • cups marshmallow creme
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups dry roasted peanuts
  • 12 oz caramels, unwrapped
  • 2 tablespoons hot water

Instructions
 

Bottom Layer

  • Line 9 x 13-inch pan with non-stick foil or parchment paper. In a small saucepan, melt 1 cup milk chocolate chips, 1/4 cup butterscotch chips and 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter together. Spread in pan and cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Second Layer

  • In saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup butter. Boil 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter, 1-1/2 cups marshmallow cream and 1 tsp vanilla. Stir until smooth. Spread over cooled bottom layer. Sprinkle 2 cups dry roasted peanuts over marshmallow layer.

Third Layer

  • Melt caramels and 2 tablespoons of hot water together. Drizzle the melted caramel over the peanuts.

Top Layer

  • Repeat bottom layer and spread over caramel layer. Let set for about 30 minutes. Using a regular fork, lightly drag and zigzag up and down the bars to make a fun pattern in the chocolate.
  • Cool completely at room temperature. Lift bars out of pan and peel off paper or foil. Cut into bars on a cutting board with a chef’s knife. These are best if stored in the refrigerator.

Notes

These bars freeze well. I suggest cutting into desired bars before freezing them.

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 5gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 115mgPotassium: 140mgFiber: 1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 58IUVitamin C: 0.05mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 0.3mg
Keyword Snickers candy bars

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All text and images © Staci Mergenthal • Random Sweets

Tried this recipe?Mention @RandomSweets and tag #OurSweetMidwestLife

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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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