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Spring Candy Clusters Slow Cooker 4 Ingredients. Springtime Sweetness: Only 4 ingredients. I bake it when I am in need of dessert that can be prepared many hours earlier and have practically no dishes to clean up.
It is my favorite spring treat when I feel the need to have something sweet and cute, and also, hands-off. These 4 ingredient slow cooker spring candy clusters are all about letting a shiny creamy colored candy coating melt down over crunchy bits and pastel candies as you forget about it a few hours.
Servings: 24-30 clusters
Ingredients
- White, almond, or vanilla candy coating, in chunks → 2 pounds
- Lightly salted peanuts or mixed nuts → 2 cups
- Crispy rice cereal → 2 cups
- 1 1/2 cups of small chocolate candies with a soft shell in light, spring colors (like M&M candies)
Spring Candy Clusters: Directions
- To make the slow cooker the easiest to clean, lightly spray the inside of your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or cut out a slow cooker liner.
- First place the white almond bark or vanilla candy coating chunks in the slow cooker and then in a smooth layer at the bottom of the pot so that it will melt.
- Put peanuts or mixed nuts and crispy rice cereal on top of the candy layer, but do not mix them in. It is aimed at allowing the coating to melt softly under without crushing the cereal.
- Place the lid on top of the slow cooker and press the LOW option. Allow the mixture to cook (between 1-11/2 hours) and monitor at the end of the first hour. The candy coating is to be shiny with a look of being melted mostly on the edges.
- When the coating appears melted and shiny discontinue the heat. Gently mix all the ingredients until the nuts and cereal are thoroughly covered with the creamy, glossy mixture and the mixture does not have any dry spots. The mixture is supposed to resemble soft creamy coloured clusters with texture showing through.
- Allow the mixture to rest without a cover about 5 to 10 minutes to cool down a bit; you do not want the mixture to be boiling hot. Next, just the pastel candy-coated chocolate bits can be folded real gentle so the colors do not crack due to excessive heat.
- Prepare your counter or a couple of baking sheets with parchment or wax paper. Spoonfuls of the mixture may be dropped in little heaps on paper with aTablespoon or small cookie spoon. Work rather fast to make sure the mixture does not solidify in the slow cooker.
- Allowing the clusters to cool at room temperature is recommended between 45 to 60 min or until fully solid and hard to touch. In case the kitchen is hot, you can accelerate this process by storing the trays in the fridge between 20 and 30 minutes.
- When it is dry, place the candy clusters in an airtight container. Keep in a cool dry place at room temperature no more than 1 week, or keep in the refrigerator in case of warm conditions in your kitchen. Parchment paper should be added to the top or bottom, in case of stacking to ensure the glossy finish is presentable.
Variations & Tips
Use different nuts if needed. You can pick cashews or almonds. If you cannot use nuts, try a crunchy mix like sunflower seeds and small pretzel pieces. This is a good choice if someone will eat it who cannot have nuts by a peanut-allergic person. Alternative the cereal: Crispy rice cereal makes the things light but cornflakes or a combination of cornflakes and rice cereal gives it a bulkier, nest-like consistency. Additional flavor: When the slow cooker is turned off, stir in 1 teaspoon or vanilla or almond extract to add a bit of flavor to it, or sprinkle the clusters with flaky sea salt before they solidify to provide a sweet-salty contrast. Color variations: It makes it a 12-months-a-year, four-ing candy because you can use various seasonal candy colors: pastel in spring, red and green in Christmas, orange and purple in Halloween. Smaller batch: Cut everything in half and cook it in a smaller slow cooker (2-3 quart) in case you do not need a large-crowd sized amount. Cleanup tip: Just in case you work with a slow cooker liner, you can remove and discard it upon completion thus leaving only your scoop and your spoon to be washed, just what you want on a hectic weekday or during a holiday meal.
