Chocolate caramel nut bars: This easy homemade treat is a cross between a Snickers & Payday candy bar (1982)

Name: Chocolate caramel nut bars
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 30
Ingredients: 2 cups Nestle milk chocolate morsels; 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening; 14-ounces Kraft caramels; 5 tablespoons butter of margarine; 2 tablespoons water; 1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts

Categories: 1980s, Vintage advertisements, Vintage dessert recipes, Vintage food & drink

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Is it more like homemade Snickers or a homemade Payday candy bar?

This retro chocolate caramel nut candy recipe is the best of both of the candy bar classics! Think of it as something like Snickers without the nougat or — even better — a Chocolate Payday (yes, this is officially a thing now!).

(Word to the wise: If you’re going for a Payday copycat, make sure to use salted peanuts, and don’t chop them at all if you’d like a more authentic texture.)

Either way you slice it? Yummy! And very easy to make at home for either a special occasion or everyday sweet snack. Thank you, 1982.

Also see: 80s candy: 30 most excellent retro favorites

Chocolate caramel nut bars with peanuts

Imagine the real milk chocolate of Nestle milk chocolate morsels and the smooth and creamy, good and chewy caramel of Kraft caramels.

Well, that’s what you get when you bite into a ChocoNut caramel bar. The candy bar that’s easy to make, and hard to resist.

Chocolate caramel nut bars

Yield: 30

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

These chocolate caramel nut bars are just as delicious now as they were in the 80s!

Ingredients

2 cups Nestle milk chocolate morsels
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
14-ounces Kraft caramels
5 tablespoons butter of margarine
2 tablespoons water
1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts

Instructions

Melt over hot (not boiling) water, Nestle milk chocolate morsels and vegetable shortening.
Stir until morsels melt and mixture is smooth.
Remove from heat.
Pour 1/2 of melted chocolate into an 8-inch foil-lined square pen spread evenly.
Refrigerate until firm (about 15 minutes).
Return remaining chocolate miniature to low heat.
Combine over boiling water, Kraft caramels, butter and water.
Stir until caramels melt and mixture is smooth.
Stir in nuts until well blended.
Pour into the chocolate-lined pan.
Spread evenly.
Refrigerator until tacky, about 15 minutes.
Top with remaining melted chocolate; spread evenly to cover caramel filling.
Return to refrigerator and chill until firm (about 1 hour).
Cut into 1- by 2-inch rectangles.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 167Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 76mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 3g

Click Americana offers approximate nutrition information as a general reference only, and we make no warranties regarding its accuracy. Please make any necessary calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, and consult with a qualified healthcare professional if you have dietary concerns.

Vintage ChocoNut caramel bars recipe card ad (1982)

Don’t miss! King Mallows marshmallow-studded chocolate candy recipe (1956)

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