homemade payday bars

Payday candy bars are a favorite.  I like the combination of sweet and salty.  These couldn't be easier to make. 

the finished candy bars

bottom layer--dry roasted peanuts in a buttered pan

pb chips and butter melting

in goes the sweetened condensed milk

marshmallows

marshmallows and chip mixture

middle layer--marshmallow peanut butter chip mix tops the nuts

top layer--peanuts pressed onto the middle layer

Homemade payday bars

16 ounces dry roasted peanuts

2 cups peanut butter chips

3 Tbsp butter

14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

10.5 ounce bag mini marshmallows

1-2 Tbsp flaked sea salt

Butter a 9x13 cake pan.  Place 1/2 of the dry roasted peanuts in the bottom of the pan.  Melt the peanut butter chips and the butter in a microwave or double boiler.  If using the microwave heat in 30 second intervals at 50% power, stirring after each until melted.  Add the sweetened condensed milk.  Microwave on high for one more minute and stir until smooth.  Fold in the marshmallows until the marshmallows are coated with the peanut butter mixture.  Pour over the nuts and spread out pressing the remaining nuts over the top surface.  Top with flakes sea salt and chill for one hour.  Cut into squares.

Source: here

homemade butterfinger bars

I am serving supper for a meeting and wanted to have a trio of bite size desserts to serve to our meeting members.  I decided on homemade candy bars.  This is a recipe that I had pinned quite a while ago but have not tried yet.  I am a Butterfinger fan.  This recipe uses only three ingredients.  Two are melted together and patted into a glass baking pan.  Once they have cooled they are coated in the third ingredient and allowed to set.  The three ingredients?  Candy corn, peanut butter and milk chocolate chips.  The original recipe called for melting the candy corn in a microwave.  My microwave is not working right now and I am trying to decide before I repair it if I really need one as I rarely use it.  So I used a double boiler.  It seemed to take forever for the candy to melt but once it does, the peanut butter is added.  I left my pan on the stove while the peanut butter melted and was incorporated into the candy corn as it seemed that the melted candy needed a little more heat to melt the peanut butter. 

candy corn and peanut butter

 Once it was incorporated I placed it in a parchment lined glass 8 inch square pan and pressed it into an even layer.   When I got to actually dipping the centers I was thinking that my pieces were thicker than a true butterfinger and I cut some of them in half.  Next time I will try a 9 inch square pan to see if that is a nicer thickness for the center.  `

the cooling center mixture

The original recipe called for allowing it to cool and then using a pizza cutter to cut into bars.  I let it cool for a while but while it was still warm I lifted the parchment out of the pan and used my bench scraper to cut it into pieces and then let it finish cooling. 

I used my chocolate melter to melt the chocolate chips and then I dipped the cool centers into the chocolate, coating all sides and allowing most of the excess to drip back into the pan.  I them placed the coated centers on parchment to allow the coating to set. 

finished candy bars

Homemade butterfinger candy bars

Centers

3 cups candy corn candies

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

Coating

2 cups milk chocolate chips or candy melts

Melt the candy corn.  This took a long time in the double boiler.  Add the peanut butter to the warm melted candy and the heat of the candy corn should melt the peanut butter but if it does not put it back on the heat or in the microwave for a little longer.  Stir to thoroughly combine.  Press the center mixture into a parchment lined square pan and allow to cool.  While still warm cut into bars.  Once the centers are cool dip them into the melted Chocolate. 


source: here

homemade twix cookies

I found these candy bar cookies on facebook and they couldn't be easier.  The base is a shortbread cookie cut with a cookie cutter.  I used a circle but they could just as easily be cut with a pizza cutter into strips and then the strips cut into shorter lengths to make a shape more resembling the candy bar.  Once baked and cooked, caramel candies are melted with a little bit of evaporated milk and applied to the cookies.  There was a little bit of a learning curve.  I was thinking that I could apply  the correct amount to the center of a few cookies and come back later to spread it into a nice circle but it started setting up immediately.  I will next time do one cookie at a time.  Once the caramel is set chocolate chips are melted with a small amount of shortening.  The melted chocolate is placed on top of the caramel and allowed to set up.  If you are in a hurry you can place the cookies in the refrigerator to set the chocolate but mine set up just fine at room temperature.  I am thinking that a squeeze bottle for might work for both the caramel and the chocolate to apply neatly on the cookie as long as you could keep it warm and free flowing.  Might be worth a try. 

the finished product

baking the cookes

melting the caramels

applying the caramel layer

Homemade Twix candy bar cookies

Shortbread cookie layer

1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt.

Caramel layer

15 ounce bag of caramels, unwrapped

2 Tbsp evaporated milk

Chocolate layer

2 cups milk chocolate chips

2 tsp shortening

Preheat oven to 350 .  Cream together the butter and powdered sugar.  Add the vanilla.  Add the flour and salt and mix until thoroughly combined.  I used my stand mixer but a hand mixer, food processor and a bowl and spoon would all work.  Roll out the dough rather thickly, 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick and cut into desired shapes.  Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes.  Once cool, melt the caramels with the evaporated milk in a double boiler or microwave.  Next time I will try my chocolate melter for the caramels and see if that will work.  When the caramel is set melt the chocolate chips and shortening and apply to the top of the caramel and allow to harden.    

Source: here