Famous Peanut Caramel Candy Bars Recipes

CARAMEL PEANUT BARS

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients; stir in butter. Set aside 1 cup for topping. Press remaining mixture into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. , In a heavy saucepan or microwave, melt caramels with cream, stirring often. Sprinkle chocolate chips and peanuts over the crust; top with caramel mixture. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, butter and egg; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes or until no longer crumbly. Stir in peanut butter cups. , Press into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned. , Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the cornstarch, caramel topping and peanut butter; stir until smooth. Cook over low heat for 25-27 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil; stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; stir in peanuts. , Spread evenly over warm crust. Bake 6-7 minutes longer or until almost set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Spread with frosting; sprinkle with peanuts. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting. Store in the refrigerator.

SALTED CARAMEL PEANUT BARS

Steps:

• Butter a 9 1/2-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet or quarter sheet pan and line it with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the 2 long sides. Then butter the parchment.
• Whisk the flour, cornstarch, kosher salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
• Beat the butter and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine, scraping down the sides as needed. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low until the dough is just combined; do not overwork.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out as evenly as possible with a silicone spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, then use your hands to press and flatten the dough into a smooth even layer. Pull back the plastic wrap and use a fork to prick the dough all over. Cover again and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Uncover the dough and bake, rotating the baking sheet from front to back halfway through, until golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Combine the caramels and cream in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour the mixture over the shortbread and spread it evenly. Immediately sprinkle with the peanuts and a large pinch of flaky salt. Gently push down on the topping to make sure it sticks to the caramel. Let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Use the parchment overhang to gently lift the shortbread and slide it onto a cutting board. Remove the parchment and cut into 24 squares. Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

CRUNCHY PEANUT CARAMEL NOUGAT CANDY BAR

Steps:

• Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of overhang on each side.
• For the nougat: Combine the peanut butter, vanilla and marshmallow cream in a large mixing bowl and reserve. Combine the sugar, cream and butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir with a heatproof spatula until the sugar dissolves. Fit the saucepan with a candy thermometer and continue monitoring until the mixture starts to turn a light amber color and the temperature reaches 250 degrees F, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Once your nougat hits 250 degrees F, remove from the heat and add to the marshmallow mixture. Mix together to completely combine, but don't overwork. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Turn out the nougat into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula coated in nonstick spray. Place in the refrigerator to cool and get going on your next layer, the caramel.
• For the caramel filling: Add the sugar, cream and corn syrup to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Carefully stir to combine with a heatproof spatula until the sugar dissolves and bring the mixture to a boil. Stop stirring and boil until the mixture begins to turn an amber color and reaches 250 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, carefully, as it will foam up. (Adding the butter at the end will stop the cooking and keeps your caramel soft and chewy.) Keep stirring until it's all dissolved, and then stir in the peanuts. As tempting as it may be, never stick your finger in hot caramel to taste, sugar burns and hurts!
• Pour the caramel over the nougat and spread evenly with the spatula. Place in the refrigerator until the caramel is completely cool, 15 minutes.
• Transfer the candy to a cutting board. Cut lengthwise into thirds and then across in nine 1-inch rectangles, using a sharp knife that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. You can mark the caramel nougat with your knife as a guide before cutting out your bars.
• For the chocolate: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and is smooth, 8 to10 minutes. Dip each candy piece and completely cover with chocolate on all sides, using two forks, allowing the excess to drip off. Place on a wire cooling rack for the excess to drip off while you dip all of the bars. Once the bars are dipped, transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow the chocolate to set in the fridge at least 20 minutes.

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT-BUTTER-CARAMEL CEREAL BARS

Steps:

• Brush a 9-inch square baking pan with butter; line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a pot over medium heat. Add marshmallows and salt; cook, stirring, until melted. Remove from heat; stir in cereal. Press mixture into prepared pan in an even layer. Let cool 15 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Cover and cook over medium heat, swirling pan a few times, until sugar has dissolved and mixture comes to a boil. Uncover and cook, undisturbed, until mixture turns amber, about 3 minutes more. Remove from heat. Carefully add cream and 2 tablespoons butter (it will bubble up); stir until smooth. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. Whisk in peanut butter. Spread mixture evenly over crust and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Melt chocolate and remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a small heat-proof bowl set over (but not in) a pot of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Spread evenly over caramel layer. Let stand 5 minutes, then sprinkle with salt and refrigerate until set, at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Lift from pan using overhangs. Using a serrated knife, cut into squares. Refrigerate in an airtight container between pieces of parchment up to 3 days.