Equipment Needed
- A 4-quart or larger slow cooker (Crockpot)
- Wooden spoon or heat-proof silicone spatula
- Measuring cups
- Tablespoon cookie scoop (or two spoons)
- Parchment paper or wax paper
- Baking sheets or large trays
Step-by-Step Instructions
We start with the easiest “cooking” you’ll ever do. Place your broken almond bark chunks and the entire bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips into the bowl of your slow cooker. Do not add anything else yet. Place the lid on top and set the cooker to LOW heat. This is vital: we are using LOW heat only. I made the mistake of using HIGH once, thinking I’d speed things up, and I scorched the chocolate on the edges. Low and slow is the only way. Let the lid stay on for the first hour—no peeking! This allows the heat to distribute evenly.
After about 60 to 70 minutes on LOW, it’s time for the first peek. Carefully lift the lid—you’ll be hit with the most incredible aroma. The almond bark and chocolate will have softened but likely won’t be fully melted yet. This is perfect. Take your wooden spoon and give everything one slow, gentle stir. You’ll see the melted and semi-melted parts start to combine into a gloriously thick, marbled pool. Replace the lid and let it cook for another 20-30 minutes on LOW.
Once everything is fully melted and smooth (this usually takes about 1.5 to 2 hours total on LOW), it’s time to add our crunch. Turn the slow cooker OFF. Unplug it if you can. Now, immediately add the entire jar of salted peanuts and all of your broken pretzel pieces. Stir vigorously and quickly with your wooden spoon. You want to coat every single peanut and pretzel piece completely in that molten chocolate mixture before it starts to cool and set. The mixture will be very thick, so put some muscle into it!(See the next page below to continue…)