Homemade Snickers
Homemade Snickers
Yes, that’s right: I made Snickers. At home. In the comfort of my own cozy little kitchen! Because – you know – I had all this dulce de leche that was feeling utterly neglected after I made the best cheesy bread ever a few days ago. In other words, I had to make my dulce de leche happy again. Spend some time with it, you know. Because if you ask me, dulce de leche that’s depressed and down just won’t do!
(Have I had too much sugar maybe?)
Snickers bars have been my favorite candy bars for a long time now. Oh wait, that’s not true. Actually my favorite is Kinder Bueno. I can eat those all day, whereas I can only eat Snickers for, say, most of the day…
See the difference there?
Aaaanyway, the point I’m trying to make here is this: I love Snickers. It’s the whole chocolate and nut combo that gets me time after time after time…
Let me tell you a secret. Just promise not to tell anyone… I don’t like chocolate so much. Okay, that came out all wrong. I LOVE chocolate. What I mean is, that I’m not a chocolate purist. In bars like these, it’s not the chocolate that lures me in. It’s the nuts… And if I had to choose between a plain chocolate bar or any bar with nuts in it, well, I’d definitely go for the nutty bar…
It’s in my nature…
It’s the same with these homemade snickers: the salted peanuts call out for me like salty little sirens in a sea of caramel!
(I told you I had too much sugar, right?)
I also particularly love this nougat recipe. I got it from this Dutch website for pastry chefs and I had to scale it down quite a bit. Originally, the recipe yielded about 384 nougat pieces, which is a little too much even for me.
32 snickers bars I can manage, but 384 nougat pieces?
I also used golden syrup instead of corn syrup, because I don’t like having to go out of my way to get my hands on a tub of corn syrup. It’s not readily available around here, but if you happen to be drowning in corn syrup, feel free to use that instead.
Oh, and you also need a sugar thermometer to make the nougat. If you don’t have one, buy a cheap one (I got mine for less than $10), because this recipe is definitely worth it! Besides, there are so many delicious recipes that require a sugar thermometer! You don’t want to miss out, right?
Oh, and to those of you who feel intimidated by the word ‘sugar thermometer’, don’t be: this recipe is a piece of cake. Mostly melting and mixing… In fact, I love this recipe! It’s easy and delicious… Candy perfection…
Or, well, it’s almost candy perfection. If only I knew how to properly temper chocolate…
Enjoy!
Homemade Snickers
This is a very easy recipe, but as the nougat layer will need to dry out overnight, it takes 2 days to make these snickers bars.
Author: The Tough Cookie. Nougat recipe adapted from saisonnier.net
Serves: 32
Ingredients
For the bottom chocolate layer
- 140g (or 5 ounces) milk chocolate
For the soft nougat layer
- 100ml (or ⅓ cup + 4 teaspoons) water
- 275g (or ¾ cup + 2 teaspoons) golden syrup
- 320g (or 1½ cup + 5 teaspoons) granulated sugar
- 1 egg white
- pinch of salt
- 35g (or 2 tablespoons + 2½ teaspoons) granulated sugar
- 35g (or ¼ cup + 2½ teaspoons) powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
For the caramel peanut layer
- 330g (or 1 cup) dulce de leche
- 200g (or 7 ounces) toasted, salted peanuts
For the top chocolate layer
- 40g (or 5 ounces) milk chocolate
Instructions
Start with the bottom layer of chocolate:
- Line the bottom of a 20×21-cm (or an 8×8-inch) brownie pan/baking dish/serving dish with baking parchment.
- In the bowl of a double boiler, gently melt the chocolate until all of it has melted. Pour the chocolate into the lined dish and, using a rubber spatula or even the back of a spoon, spread the chocolate in an even layer. Place in the fridge to set.
While the chocolate layer is in the fridge, start with the nougat:
- In a large saucepan, combine the water, golden syrup and 320g (1½ cup + 5 teaspoons) granulated sugar. Heat over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, crank up the heat to high and clip a sugar thermometer on the side of the pan.
- In the meantime, combine the egg white and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Mix until frothy, then add the remaining granulated sugar. Mix until white and foamy.
- Once the heating sugar syrup reaches 122°C/252°F, take the pan off the heat and slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the egg white, mixing continuously. At first it will seem that the egg white will never be able to ‘absorb’ the amount of syrup, but it will. Just add the syrup in a thin drizzle and take your time.
- Once all the syrup has been added, mix for 1 minute, then slowly add the powdered sugar and mix it in. Then, with the mixer set to high, beat the mixture until it becomes thick and dry and feels cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.
- Take the brownie pan with the chocolate out of the fridge and spoon the nougat on top of it. Using a rubber spatula, spread the nougat around in the pan, then dust your hands with powdered sugar and, using your hands, press the nougat into an even layer.
- Allow the nougat to set and dry overnight.
The next day, proceed with the caramel peanut layer:
- In the bowl of a double boiler, gently heat the dulce de leche until soft. Keep your eye on it, because you don’t want it to get hot. It’s okay if it’s a little warm, though. Stir in the salted peanuts and allow to cool to body temperature.
- Once the mixture has cooled sufficiently, spoon it on top of the nougat layer. Using the back of a spoon, spread the caramel into an even layer. Place in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, melt some chocolate:
- In the bowl of a double boiler, melt the chocolate for the top chocolate layer. Pour on top of the chilled caramel/peanut layer and spread into an even layer with a spoon or a rubber spatula. Place in the fridge to set for about 1 hour.
To serve:
- Use a hot knife to cut individual snickers bars, or cut into thin slices (I’ve got a picture of how it should look in the post!). Can be stored in an airtight container for at least a few days, maybe longer, but mine didn’t last that long!
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